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Day 3

Cincyfan78

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I'm not sure what everyone else thinks, but damn....the Bengals nailed this draft.
 

cincygrad

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I'm not sure what everyone else thinks, but damn....the Bengals nailed this draft.

It certainly helps if you have the first pick of every round. But I really liked what they did.... The Tee Higgins pick in the second round was terrific and then they added a bunch of linebackers to try to fix a huge problem. I'm sure some of these guys will surprise and some will disappoint, but its hard to argue with any of the picks.
 

Cincyfan78

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It certainly helps if you have the first pick of every round. But I really liked what they did.... The Tee Higgins pick in the second round was terrific and then they added a bunch of linebackers to try to fix a huge problem. I'm sure some of these guys will surprise and some will disappoint, but its hard to argue with any of the picks.
Ironically, I saw that the Bengals have now drafted 3 times with the 1st pick in every round where they actually drafted someone with that pick. The odd part is, they have done it 3 times, while no other team in NFL has ever done that. Most teams end up trading at least once with having that high of a pick in every round.

Yeah, I really like the LB picks. I did some separate reading on them and thought they were really good. The kid from Purdue especially - he was injured and has some history there, but at the 7th round, if he stays healthy - he probably could have been a 4th or 5th rounder at worst. The got faster, and the LB's they got are athletic guys who can move sideline to sideline AND help cover. Those have long been issues at the LB spot where the old defensive tradition of LB's was still stuck in Bengal land of slow, plodding, thumpers against the run - instead of the new spread offenses that require LB's to be more like slightly larger safeties.

I know a lot of people were upset without an OL pick when a few guys were there in the 2nd and 3rd, but I think they are high on the kid (Johnson??) who played late last year. If I recall, I think he did a decent job and will get a solid look at RT with Williams back at LT. Jordan did OK for a rookie, and hard to believe, but C was one area that improved. They signed a F/A for the RG spot - so you are really looking at RT being the only spot that is in flux right now with Hart. The OL also played better down the stretch in general, and at least from a run standpiont, Mixon did well during that span - so maybe a ray of light there.

But with only 1 WR under contract next year, not knowing about AJ, his contract or his injuries, and the LB being a vast wasteland - I'm ok with how the draft turned out. They got guys who filled needs, and it didn't seem like they reached a ton to fill those needs.

And offensively, at least for a year, you get a chance to see Boyd, Green, Higgins, Ross all line up...Boyd is a bonafide, AJ is still a problem if healthy, and now you've added a 6'4" guy who can lineup all over the field. I'd mention more about Ross, but he just dropped another pass while I was typing this.
 

cincygrad

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Ironically, I saw that the Bengals have now drafted 3 times with the 1st pick in every round where they actually drafted someone with that pick. The odd part is, they have done it 3 times, while no other team in NFL has ever done that. Most teams end up trading at least once with having that high of a pick in every round.

Yeah, I really like the LB picks. I did some separate reading on them and thought they were really good. The kid from Purdue especially - he was injured and has some history there, but at the 7th round, if he stays healthy - he probably could have been a 4th or 5th rounder at worst. The got faster, and the LB's they got are athletic guys who can move sideline to sideline AND help cover. Those have long been issues at the LB spot where the old defensive tradition of LB's was still stuck in Bengal land of slow, plodding, thumpers against the run - instead of the new spread offenses that require LB's to be more like slightly larger safeties.

I know a lot of people were upset without an OL pick when a few guys were there in the 2nd and 3rd, but I think they are high on the kid (Johnson??) who played late last year. If I recall, I think he did a decent job and will get a solid look at RT with Williams back at LT. Jordan did OK for a rookie, and hard to believe, but C was one area that improved. They signed a F/A for the RG spot - so you are really looking at RT being the only spot that is in flux right now with Hart. The OL also played better down the stretch in general, and at least from a run standpiont, Mixon did well during that span - so maybe a ray of light there.

But with only 1 WR under contract next year, not knowing about AJ, his contract or his injuries, and the LB being a vast wasteland - I'm ok with how the draft turned out. They got guys who filled needs, and it didn't seem like they reached a ton to fill those needs.

And offensively, at least for a year, you get a chance to see Boyd, Green, Higgins, Ross all line up...Boyd is a bonafide, AJ is still a problem if healthy, and now you've added a 6'4" guy who can lineup all over the field. I'd mention more about Ross, but he just dropped another pass while I was typing this.

The other thing about the line is that you have Billy Price still hanging around. A guy with his talent and pedigree was supposed to show more by this point. Maybe the light goes on for him and he wins the left guard position. Or maybe Jordan solidifies his spot on the roster by taking it. Competition will be good there - The middle of the line has a chance to be much better than they have been in years. Tackle is still an unkown. We all have to hope that Williams was worth the first round pick.
 

DanBengalfan

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Ironically, I saw that the Bengals have now drafted 3 times with the 1st pick in every round where they actually drafted someone with that pick. The odd part is, they have done it 3 times, while no other team in NFL has ever done that. Most teams end up trading at least once with having that high of a pick in every round.

the guy with the 1980's apple mac wanted to trade with us, but he didn't know our fax number.
 

Cincyfan78

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The other thing about the line is that you have Billy Price still hanging around. A guy with his talent and pedigree was supposed to show more by this point. Maybe the light goes on for him and he wins the left guard position. Or maybe Jordan solidifies his spot on the roster by taking it. Competition will be good there - The middle of the line has a chance to be much better than they have been in years. Tackle is still an unkown. We all have to hope that Williams was worth the first round pick.

Agreed. A lot of unknowns, but they have to get a chance to show. I'm really confused on Price, myself. Guy was a fantastic OL and played very well at a very high level. I'm willing to bet that the OL will eventually look like:, if you Williams, Jordan, Hopkins, Su'a-Filo, Johnson (I think this was the kid who played decently at LT down the stretch last year).

For whatever it is worth, PFF rated the Bengals OL between 15-20 in the 2nd half of last year. So, there was some improvement. I think refocusing on the run game was a big part of that. Now, if you can add Burrow, Higgins, and a healthy AJ - teams won't be able to simply focus on Mixon. I expect him to have a big year. He's young enough, and low enough on miles, that the Bengals should look to lock him up now. In addition, I expect Mixon and Bernard to show what they can do in the passing game this year, as well.

*edit - the OL scheme was completely overhauled at that point in the season and showed dividends. Will be interesting to see if they can continue improvement with a full off-season, a #1 LT to help.
 

cincygrad

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Agreed. A lot of unknowns, but they have to get a chance to show. I'm really confused on Price, myself. Guy was a fantastic OL and played very well at a very high level. I'm willing to bet that the OL will eventually look like:, if you Williams, Jordan, Hopkins, Su'a-Filo, Johnson (I think this was the kid who played decently at LT down the stretch last year).

For whatever it is worth, PFF rated the Bengals OL between 15-20 in the 2nd half of last year. So, there was some improvement. I think refocusing on the run game was a big part of that. Now, if you can add Burrow, Higgins, and a healthy AJ - teams won't be able to simply focus on Mixon. I expect him to have a big year. He's young enough, and low enough on miles, that the Bengals should look to lock him up now. In addition, I expect Mixon and Bernard to show what they can do in the passing game this year, as well.

*edit - the OL scheme was completely overhauled at that point in the season and showed dividends. Will be interesting to see if they can continue improvement with a full off-season, a #1 LT to help.

Yeah, you could see improvement by the end of the year. The guy gets sorta killed in the media because of his baggage, but I've never heard anyone say Jim Turner can't coach. This will be year two for him with all these guys and you'll probably see lots of improvement..... Of course, not being able to practice in the offseason might cut into that a little, but still I'd expect to continue to see an upward trend. I think the whole thing comes down to Williams - If he is a plug and play starter in this league, the line is going to be fine - Could even be a strength in a few years if they build a little more. That's saying a lot after where we were when Whit and Zeitler left the building.
 

Cincyfan78

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Yeah, you could see improvement by the end of the year. The guy gets sorta killed in the media because of his baggage, but I've never heard anyone say Jim Turner can't coach. This will be year two for him with all these guys and you'll probably see lots of improvement..... Of course, not being able to practice in the offseason might cut into that a little, but still I'd expect to continue to see an upward trend. I think the whole thing comes down to Williams - If he is a plug and play starter in this league, the line is going to be fine - Could even be a strength in a few years if they build a little more. That's saying a lot after where we were when Whit and Zeitler left the building.
Yep. Dude may be a turd of a human being, but he certainly can coach. If you can get the OL to that 15-20 range from the 2nd half of last year, and then add in Williams, and he's even average that's a solid top 15 OL. If you get any improvement from Jordan or the F/A from Dallas, and if Johnson can translate his late half play from LT to RT and take that spot from Hart - then you are looking at an OL that could be in that 11-13 range. With Burrow, Boyd, Higgins, Mixon and (hopefully) a healthy AJ, even if he is 32, that's going to be a good enough OL to get it done.

One thing I really liked reading was how they completely scrapped the OL scheme in the middle of the year. That takes some balls. There aren't many coaching staffs that would do that, or allow that, in the middle of a season. That shows, at least for the short time being, this team is more interested in getting it right long-term than what the short-term may bring.

Then - the defense was completely overhauled. Adding a big time DT to Atkins, Dunlap, Lawson, Hubbard - signing a F/A LB, but also drafting 3, and Pratt showed some signs down the stretch last year. Signing 2 starting CB's and a starting S - all with high caliber play ability - this defense could end up being really good. Time will tell if the pieces fit, but that is a major investment to the likes Bengals fans have NEVER before seen. $150MM in free agency.

Bad thing is - the rest of the division is also pretty damned good. Pitt gets Ben back, and yes we have to see what he can do, but Pitt is Pitt until they show they are not. Bmore added to a playoff team - a legit LB, a legit RB to an already high powered running game, and Cleveland has talent if they can get out of their own way. I said this over on the main NFL board, but the AFCN has a chance to be the deepest division in football for the next few years. The expanded playoffs could end up being a boon for the AFCN.
 

jbuck

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sure it's all roses now that they are dead to me
 
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