Post by 77bengal on Apr 28, 2018 22:34:21 GMT -5
The 2018 Bengals draft didn't go exactly as I had hoped it would, but when you take a look at the younger up-and-comers already on the roster, this draft did improve the team and the defense has really been transformed. It's just a matter of getting these young guys out there instead of the Michael Johnsons of the world.
So, what's my biggest beef with this draft? Not selecting a right tackle and possibly a right guard earlier on. The Bengals are just one injury away (Cordy Glen) from having another disastrous season up front minus the addition of Billy Price who will make a noticeable improvement from day one. Having said that, I think they'll be bringing in an older veteran OT at some point (not named Eric Winston) to add depth. My other gripe is not making more trades to move up when you're sitting on 3 fifth round picks and 3 seventh round picks. But all in all, this was a semi-effective draft.
Round 1: Billy Price, C, Ohio State. The Bengals wanted Ragnow and I did too, but he was gone one pick earlier so the Bengals made the right decision in selecting C Billy Price and here's why. The Bengals basically don't have a C on the team unless you count TJ Johnson which I don't. They HAD to get a C right out of the gate and there's a chance Price would've been off the board before their round two selection. Many draft gurus had C James Daniels out of Iowa as the top C prospect, but he fell to the second round which makes me wonder if there isn't something about his game that scouts didn't like. Who knows? But in this case, even if Price is considered by most to be a second rounder, the Bengals deserve some credit for playing it safe. And if Price turns into the great player that many suspect, no one is gonna remember nor care where he was drafted.
Round 2: Jessie Bates III, S, Wake Forest. A great pick. Bates is an intelligent ball hawk with speed. Great coverage skills and plays well in the box. Should be a fan favorite in the near future. The Bengals are quietly putting together a great secondary. AFC North QB's beware. (I was never a fan of Shawn Williams. I hated the pick immediately. Williams just didn't have what it takes to be a big playmaking safety and at times he was a liability. Not good).
Round 3A: Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State. Although my alma mater is Ohio University, home of the Bobcats, I will be the first to tell anyone that you can never have enough Buckeyes. Great program, great players. But to be quite frank, I always thought Hubbard was overrated until about a week ago after re-watching some of his highlight videos. Hubbard is relentless in pursuit, cleans up a lot of traffic and makes more plays behind the line of scrimmage than I realized. Couple that with great combine numbers and it looks like we got ourselves a player. Great rotational/sub package guy minimum.
Round 3B: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas. FINALLY! The Bengals have added a LB'er that can play sideline to sideline, has good coverage skills and weighs 232 pounds! Jefferson uses his weight to knock ball carriers backwards and has a great ability at not over pursuing ball carriers and whiffing on tackles. Stops on a dime to drag the runner down. Was a top high school recruit and continues to improve. I'm a bit iffy on how high his ceiling is, but if he develops into the pro that he was forecasted to become years ago, we got another good one.
*Edited: I got Walton's weight wrong. I thought he was in the 230 pound range. He's not. Round 4: Mark Walton, RB, Miami. This pick surprised me, but after looking at the roster, it's not a bad pick at all. Walton was basically drafted for two reasons. One, he's a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the ball and two, he loves playing special teams.
Round 5A: Davontae Harris, CB, Illinois State. When you have a chance to draft a CB in round five that has ideal size, runs a 4.34 forty, is physical, plays with confidence and is a ballhawk, pounce! The Bengals did just that. Here's yet another piece added to what's shaping up to be a great secondary. Now if the Bengals can only find a way of ridding themselves of Dre Kirkpatrick and resigning Darqueze Dennard...
Round 5B: Andrew Brown, DT, Virginia. Andrew Billings and Ryan Glasgow have just been put on alert which is sorta a sad situation within itself. Billings and Glasgow are both talented players, but so far we have seen very little from either, but Glasgow has shown more than Billings IMO. What gives? Maybe Billings and Glasgow are late bloomers or they were hurt by Michael Johnson receiving far too many snaps. Anyway, Brown put on a show at the Senior Bowl reminiscent of Geno Atkins performance all those years ago. Brown has a quick first step and is great at penetrating into the backfield.
Round 5C: Darius Philips, DB, Western Michigan. Yet another piece to one of the best and deepest secondaries in the league and don't think for one second that this guy can't become a starter in the league. He can! Maybe the teams best pick considering how late he was drafted. Lets begin. Philips was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 85th best player in this draft class. He's a big time ballhawk with excellent athleticism returning five kickoffs for touchdowns throughout his career. Guys, Philips is making the 53 roster for his return capabilities alone, but don't be surprised if he adds a pick or two along the way in limited play. He has the makings of becoming one of this drafts biggest steals. One of the best picks the Bengals made considering the round and his ability.
Round 7A: Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo. Woodside is accurate, put up gaudy numbers but lacks size. Could surprise, but probably won't. IMO, brought in to push/challenge the teams back-ups with the hope of making the practice squad. Don't count on it. He's a long shot. Or maybe not. Woodside is very accurate so the Bengals may envision him taking over the number three spot on the depth chart which means one of the teams other back-ups is going to be waived.
Round 7B: Rod Taylor, OT/G, Ole Miss. This is the classic pick of selecting an OT with the idea of moving him inside. Who knows? It may work. However, the Bengals really need a RT so Taylor could be in play for that position as well. Speaking of the o-line, keep in mind that Alex Redmond and Christian Westerman showed some ability late last season.
Round 7C: Auden Tate, WR, Florida State. Tate isn't a burner, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in size. Uses his size to out physical DB's and attack the ball at it's highest point winning most battles. Teaming him up with Eifert in the red zone is gonna be a defensive nightmare for opposing teams. A Muhammed Sanu type player. Could very well replace Alex Erickson because of the drafting of return specialist Darius Philips. Cody Core and Brandon LaFell are also on the hot seat.
What this draft indicated to me is that the new coaches want to take their units in a completely different direction. I think that's fairly obvious. However, the Bengals are still a few players short at a few positions so I think they'll add some veterans once teams start releasing players to get down to the 53 man roster. Offensive line and linebacker seem to be the two positions still in need of an upgrade.
So, what's my biggest beef with this draft? Not selecting a right tackle and possibly a right guard earlier on. The Bengals are just one injury away (Cordy Glen) from having another disastrous season up front minus the addition of Billy Price who will make a noticeable improvement from day one. Having said that, I think they'll be bringing in an older veteran OT at some point (not named Eric Winston) to add depth. My other gripe is not making more trades to move up when you're sitting on 3 fifth round picks and 3 seventh round picks. But all in all, this was a semi-effective draft.
Round 1: Billy Price, C, Ohio State. The Bengals wanted Ragnow and I did too, but he was gone one pick earlier so the Bengals made the right decision in selecting C Billy Price and here's why. The Bengals basically don't have a C on the team unless you count TJ Johnson which I don't. They HAD to get a C right out of the gate and there's a chance Price would've been off the board before their round two selection. Many draft gurus had C James Daniels out of Iowa as the top C prospect, but he fell to the second round which makes me wonder if there isn't something about his game that scouts didn't like. Who knows? But in this case, even if Price is considered by most to be a second rounder, the Bengals deserve some credit for playing it safe. And if Price turns into the great player that many suspect, no one is gonna remember nor care where he was drafted.
Round 2: Jessie Bates III, S, Wake Forest. A great pick. Bates is an intelligent ball hawk with speed. Great coverage skills and plays well in the box. Should be a fan favorite in the near future. The Bengals are quietly putting together a great secondary. AFC North QB's beware. (I was never a fan of Shawn Williams. I hated the pick immediately. Williams just didn't have what it takes to be a big playmaking safety and at times he was a liability. Not good).
Round 3A: Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State. Although my alma mater is Ohio University, home of the Bobcats, I will be the first to tell anyone that you can never have enough Buckeyes. Great program, great players. But to be quite frank, I always thought Hubbard was overrated until about a week ago after re-watching some of his highlight videos. Hubbard is relentless in pursuit, cleans up a lot of traffic and makes more plays behind the line of scrimmage than I realized. Couple that with great combine numbers and it looks like we got ourselves a player. Great rotational/sub package guy minimum.
Round 3B: Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas. FINALLY! The Bengals have added a LB'er that can play sideline to sideline, has good coverage skills and weighs 232 pounds! Jefferson uses his weight to knock ball carriers backwards and has a great ability at not over pursuing ball carriers and whiffing on tackles. Stops on a dime to drag the runner down. Was a top high school recruit and continues to improve. I'm a bit iffy on how high his ceiling is, but if he develops into the pro that he was forecasted to become years ago, we got another good one.
*Edited: I got Walton's weight wrong. I thought he was in the 230 pound range. He's not. Round 4: Mark Walton, RB, Miami. This pick surprised me, but after looking at the roster, it's not a bad pick at all. Walton was basically drafted for two reasons. One, he's a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the ball and two, he loves playing special teams.
Round 5A: Davontae Harris, CB, Illinois State. When you have a chance to draft a CB in round five that has ideal size, runs a 4.34 forty, is physical, plays with confidence and is a ballhawk, pounce! The Bengals did just that. Here's yet another piece added to what's shaping up to be a great secondary. Now if the Bengals can only find a way of ridding themselves of Dre Kirkpatrick and resigning Darqueze Dennard...
Round 5B: Andrew Brown, DT, Virginia. Andrew Billings and Ryan Glasgow have just been put on alert which is sorta a sad situation within itself. Billings and Glasgow are both talented players, but so far we have seen very little from either, but Glasgow has shown more than Billings IMO. What gives? Maybe Billings and Glasgow are late bloomers or they were hurt by Michael Johnson receiving far too many snaps. Anyway, Brown put on a show at the Senior Bowl reminiscent of Geno Atkins performance all those years ago. Brown has a quick first step and is great at penetrating into the backfield.
Round 5C: Darius Philips, DB, Western Michigan. Yet another piece to one of the best and deepest secondaries in the league and don't think for one second that this guy can't become a starter in the league. He can! Maybe the teams best pick considering how late he was drafted. Lets begin. Philips was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 85th best player in this draft class. He's a big time ballhawk with excellent athleticism returning five kickoffs for touchdowns throughout his career. Guys, Philips is making the 53 roster for his return capabilities alone, but don't be surprised if he adds a pick or two along the way in limited play. He has the makings of becoming one of this drafts biggest steals. One of the best picks the Bengals made considering the round and his ability.
Round 7A: Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo. Woodside is accurate, put up gaudy numbers but lacks size. Could surprise, but probably won't. IMO, brought in to push/challenge the teams back-ups with the hope of making the practice squad. Don't count on it. He's a long shot. Or maybe not. Woodside is very accurate so the Bengals may envision him taking over the number three spot on the depth chart which means one of the teams other back-ups is going to be waived.
Round 7B: Rod Taylor, OT/G, Ole Miss. This is the classic pick of selecting an OT with the idea of moving him inside. Who knows? It may work. However, the Bengals really need a RT so Taylor could be in play for that position as well. Speaking of the o-line, keep in mind that Alex Redmond and Christian Westerman showed some ability late last season.
Round 7C: Auden Tate, WR, Florida State. Tate isn't a burner, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in size. Uses his size to out physical DB's and attack the ball at it's highest point winning most battles. Teaming him up with Eifert in the red zone is gonna be a defensive nightmare for opposing teams. A Muhammed Sanu type player. Could very well replace Alex Erickson because of the drafting of return specialist Darius Philips. Cody Core and Brandon LaFell are also on the hot seat.
What this draft indicated to me is that the new coaches want to take their units in a completely different direction. I think that's fairly obvious. However, the Bengals are still a few players short at a few positions so I think they'll add some veterans once teams start releasing players to get down to the 53 man roster. Offensive line and linebacker seem to be the two positions still in need of an upgrade.
