2013 Bengals draft thread

[PhilipNelsonFan]

No. 21 overall: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

A bit of a surprise, no? Not a secondary player. Not a wide receiver. Not even an offensive lineman.

The NFL is a copycat league, so how surprised can we really be that Cincinnati has looked at teams with two-TE sets and yearned to produce similar packages? It gives them a step on the defense and gives Andy Dalton some breathing room. It won't alleviate Dalton's struggles THAT much, and he still has to do his part with accurate throws, but Eifert is known as a solid option receiving and a decent blocker to boot.

I'm down on Eifert more than most; I just don't think he was great at any one thing, even in college. But I do think he'll be able to contribute right away, and the Bengals are obviously in win-now mode. Look around the division, and Pittsburgh and Baltimore got better with their first-round selections. (Cleveland is Cleveland, and bless them for it.) It's not Sharrif Floyd, but it didn't have to be.

It just can't be Chase Coffman. But I don't think it will. Eifert is smarter than that. Lewis wants someone he can rely on; Eifert should fit the bill.

GRADE: B+