The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off of a season in which they reached the Super Bowl so it’s safe to say that the majority of fans aren’t thinking about the bad players from the past. Even still, it’s hard to ignore just how bad Akili Smith was during his Bengals career.
As a result, Randy Gurzi of NFL Spin Zone named Smith as the player that Bengals fans wish never played for their team.
Gurzi offered this analysis:
"Smith finished with just three wins and 14 losses while completing only 46.6 percent of his attempts. He also had an abysmal 5-to-13 touchdown-to-interception ratio.What makes this pick look even worse is the fact that Cincinnati turned down an offer from the New Orleans Saints — who wanted Ricky Williams — which would have netted them nine draft picks. Clearly, they could have gotten better production from almost any of those nine picks had they made the move."
Akili Smith is the Bengals player we wish never played in Cincy
Yeah, the Smith draft pick is arguably the worst in franchise history. Gurzi mentioned how the Bengals turned down the Saints’ offer and it’s likely that several of those picks would have given the team more than what Smith did.
The former No. 3 overall pick played for the Bengals for just four years, appearing in only 22 games during that time. He only threw for 2,212 yards, five touchdowns, and 13 picks while rushing for 371 yards and a touchdown.
While the league wasn’t as pass-happy as it is now, those numbers are still abysmal, especially when you consider that was his total from all four years.
Smith was the third straight quarterback off the board and by taking him, the Bengals passed on Hall of Famers Edgerrin James and Champ Bailey and also Torry Holt, who could have added to the team’s offense.
The Bengals have been pretty fortunate when it comes to their quarterback situation over the years, but Akili Smith is one of the most disappointing options. He’s someone fans wish never played for the organization.