The Cincinnati Bengals drafted 11 players in the 2017 NFL Draft this weekend, including wide receiver John Ross. Here is their 2017 NFL Draft grade.
The Cincinnati Bengals lived at the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia. They made 11 selections in an attempt to make their AFC North football team better, eight of which came on day three of the draft Saturday afternoon.
The highlight of the Bengals’ NFL Draft was taking Washington Huskies speedy wide receiver John Ross. He was the fastest prospect in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine in the 40-yard dash. Ross is often injured, but does give the Bengals a nice player opposite A.J. Green in the passing game.
Here is a look at the Bengals’ 2017 NFL Draft grade.
First Round
Ross was the third of three wide receivers to go in the top-10 of the 2017 NFL Draft. The Tennessee Titans used their No. 5 pick on Western Michigan’s Corey Davis and the Los Angeles Chargers used their No. 7 pick on Clemson’s Mike Williams.
At Washington, Ross was the standout player on the 2016 Huskies that made it to the College Football Playoff. Sure, he had an accurate quarterback in Jake Browning slinging him the pigskin, but Ross’ persistent vertical threat certainly opened up throwing lanes in the Washington offense.
The idea is that Ross will do much of the same in the Bengals passing game. Cincinnati has a sure thing in possession receiving in Green. Tight end Tyler Eifert is a fine player, but gets hurt all the time. The same sort of injury concerns have followed Ross throughout his career in the Pac-12.
Mentored by Snoop Dogg, Ross could very well be one of the best deep threats in the game going forward. As long as he stays healthy, Ross will help quarterback Andy Dalton considerably in the passing game. However, the Bengals clearly reached to take Ross at No. 9. He could have been available in the mid-teens.
Second Round
The Bengals have a history of taking players with troubled pasts and putting them into their locker room. From Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones to Vontaze Burfict, it wasn’t shocking that the Bengals would be the team that drafted Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon at No. 48.
Mixon had first-round talent, but a domestic violence incident caught on tape had him in the dog house with the NFL right out of the gate. He wasn’t allowed to make the trip to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. If his off-the-field issues are behind him, Mixon could be a great value pick for the Bengals at No. 48.
Third Round
Cincinnati decided spend many of its picks in rebuilding its defense. The first defensive player off the board for the Bengals was Kansas State Wildcats defensive end Jordan Willis, who the Bengals took at No. 73 in the third round.
Willis was the most explosive and most productive defensive player in the Big 12 last year. He can wreak havoc coming off the edge. However, most of his production came against lackluster Big 12 offensive linemen. How will his pass rushing abilities translate to the NFL level?
Fourth Round
The Bengals made a whopping eight picks in day three of the NFL Draft. Cincinnati took Auburn Tigers defensive end Carl Lawson at No. 116. He’s always had great upside, but never been a truly productive player in college due to injury. That’s why he fell to the fourth round.
Cincinnati went wide receiver again in the fourth round at No. 128 in taking Josh Malone out of Tennessee. This would have been a pretty, pretty, pretty good time to draft an offensive lineman. However, Dalton needs weapons, so there you go.
The Bengals looked to get better in all levels of their defense. They used their No. 138 pick in the fourth round to draft Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow. Adding depth behind Geno Atkins is always a good thing.
Fifth Round
Cincinnati has had their issues at kicker with the downfall of Mike Nugent. Going with a kicker at No. 153 in Jake Elliott of Memphis was a bold move since Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez was still on the board. Nevertheless, Elliott is one of the better kickers in the nation. Not a bad selection in all honesty.
It happened. The Bengals actually took an offensive linemen with one of their 11 2017 NFL Draft picks. They went with Utah Utes center J.J. Dielman at No. 176 in the fifth round. Cincinnati’s biggest offensive line needs were at tackle and guard, but center it is!
Sixth Round
Cincinnati double-down on some Boomer Sooner action in this draft. The Bengals took the controversial Mixon in round two and took his Oklahoma teammate inside linebacker Jordan Evans at No. 193 in the sixth round. The Bengals know that Big 12 linebackers are undersized, right?
Since last year’s first-round pick in cornerback William Jackson III turned out lovely, the Bengals decided to draft another Houston Cougars cornerback at No. 207 in the sixth round in Brandon Wilson. Maybe Wilson actually plays as a rookie this fall?
Seventh Round
I’m a believer in the Bengals now. They just drafted a tight end nicknamed Shrek. Or that should be his nickname. Mason Schreck is played his college ball for the Buffalo Bulls. With Eifert usually sidelined with injury, Schreck has a chance at making the team maybe.
Next: 2017 NFL Draft instant grades
Overall, the Bengals needed a lot of players after failing miserably in 2017 NFL free agency. Not addressing guard or tackle was unacceptable. However, they did have a ton of needs they needed to address. At least the Bengals got to most of them. There is just too much bust potential across the Bengals’ NFL Draft for them to get a decent grade. There is upside, but they still had a risky draft despite having 11 picks.