RealGM

I split this into two parts last year; with a broken computer, it's just one long recap this year. Here we go...

1st round (6): Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

Is his future on the right side? Does he have weight issues? Can he pass-block effectively in a division with nice DEs? Is he just a big dumb idiot? Mikey can't afford to be wrong, but Andre Smith is just fine for a team absolutely starving for offensive line help. Good on you, Bengals, for seeing a problem and fixing it with a player once considered the best prospect in the draft.

2nd round (38): Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC

Oy.

Maualuga is fast and physical and he will hurt someone. It could even be his own teammate. But he does help give the defense a bit of identity (as Polamalu does with the Steelers) and he is tough as nails, for all his faults. Those are numerous; he may take steroids, he's more hitter than tackler, and it's not known whether he can handle NFL coverage responsibilities. No surprise that he fell this far, but that the Bengals drafted him...yay? Either way, Rivers-Maualuga-Jones looks even better than some of the crap thrown out onto the field this year. And this trade showed a willingness to let prospects come to the Bengals, rather than be hasty with them.

FIRST DAY GRADE: A-

3rd round (70): Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech

A 6-7 man-monster of a defensive end with absolutely no work ethic or drive to speak of. This ought to be good. At least the risk is relatively worth it at this stage...although, d'you think he'd still be available at 98?

3rd round (98; Compensatory): Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri

Coffman is a talented, physical pass-catching TE with a lot more upside than teammate Martin Rucker (picked by the Browns last year). Utecht is a nice depth piece but I get the sense that Carson would enjoy a TE underneath route so much better. Again, the passing game improves; let's see about that running game.

4th round (106): Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas

Should enter camp as the starting center and not let go of the job until he retires. That said, Luigs is considered a little light for a center, and there are questions as to his ability to handle bigger DTs. If he even shows the slightest hints of Eric Ghiacuic Syndrome, this pick looks a lot worse than it does at first glance.

5th round (142): Kevin Huber, P, Cincinnati

Kyle Larson was the worst punter in the NFL last year, so Huber should make special teams something serious in Cincy. Been a while since you could say that. I wanted him for the Bengals, but moreso in the seventh round, and Duke Robinson (a guy who could really help this team) fell to the Panthers later in the round. I cannot pretend to understand why Mikey's love for local kids blinds him that much.

6th round (179): Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan

This pick could be exhibit A as to why the Bengals need a better scouting system. Trent is arguably the worst secondary player taken in this draft, and I couldn't help but wonder if the only reason he was even selected was because he went to Michigan. Ask any Michigan fan about his coverage skills (he has none) or quickness (he has none) or football smarts (he has none). Not much is expected of him, but he won't make it past camp, and there were much better options available.

6th round (209; Compensatory): Bernard Scott, RB, Abilene Christian

The best running back in Division II, a legit D-I talent, but he can't seem to stay on the field. He's been arrested five times for various infractions and he's gone through four colleges. Not to mention, he's only 5-10, 200. Seems like a real waste of a pick, until you realize who owns the Bengals, and why he'd select a guy like this over Rashad Jennings, Jeremiah Johnson and many, many other qualified backs.

7th round (215): Fui Vakapuna, RB, BYU

Large, slow and expected to become the team's fullback. Not a bad pick if he makes it on the 53-man.

7th round (249; Compensatory): Clinton MacDonald, DT, Memphis

Large and quick but struggles with leverage. Sounds like a decent special teamer.

7th round (252; Compensatory): Freddie Brown, WR, Utah

He's big (6-3, 215), but it'd be wonderful if he had anything else to offer. Camp fodder at best at the moment.

SECOND DAY GRADE: D+

There's talent here, but there are also lots of seemingly missed opportunities. For the second year in a row, the Bengals refused to make a trade, and while that worked out fairly well last year, I struggle to comprehend some of these selections.

OVERALL GRADE: B

Don't know if the Bengals won the draft but they definitely won Day 1, grabbing two legitimate first-round talents at dire areas of need. Luigs is far and away the best value pick, but there are some questions surrounding him that he may have to answer. None of the players drafted beyond the fifth round will see Week 1 in a Bengals uniform, and Huber was really drafted too high.

It is frustrating to be a fan of a team unwilling to do what it takes to be successful at the draft. They aren't willing to shuffle picks around and the size of the scouting team is embarrassing. So here my take on the selections.

- When they scouted prospects solely on their football abilities, Andre Smith was the top prospect in the draft. Can't be upset with the pick because he is a good physical tackle.

- Maualuga has his questionmarks (coverage) but he had first round talent, one of the better players left on the board at that point.

- Don't know much about Johnson, but he's a athletic freak with character issues, sounds like a Bengal.

- I like Coffman, should be a good solid option for Carson some day.

- Luigs, probably my favorite pick. We missed out on the top few centers but still manage to find a capable starter in the 4th round. Good value.

- Ugh punter in the fifth. Like the kid, but too early. I guess they wanted to make sure they got him.

- And the rest: I dont think the defensive players will amount to much. I like adding a couple bodies to the backfield. There might be some time for them if we see some injuries. I like Freddie Brown, but we have better options then him in the depth chart.

Inside scoop on some of the picks:
--Andre Smith was #1 on the Bengals draft board, even after the Combine and agent stuff. That speaks to how highly they regarded his talent. They turned down two pretty decent offers (one included a 2010 first) for the pick in order to stay at #6 and select Smith.
--They saw Rey as a guy who could control the middle of the field against the run and take some of the pressure of the safeties in run support. I'm not a fan but considering where they got him it's not a bad pick at all. Had he been gone they would have taken Everette Brown.
--Johnson will only play passing downs and they knew that going into taking him and were okay with that. The defensive coaches all felt he can quickly improve with their help. They did try and trade this pick and next year's 3rd to move up and get Connor Barwin but couldn't get a taker.
--Coffman's foot injury is worse than most people know and he is not 100% recovered. It appears to be a better value pick than it probably will be, but if he ever gets close to where he was he's the best Bengals receiving TE in years. They entertained trading up 3-4 spots to get him.
--Luigs wound up being the odd man out of the top C grouping but the coaches all love his leadership and intelligence. They were going to take him with the Coffman pick but guessed (correctly with some hired gun help ) that he would still be there at 106.
--Huber's hang time and ability to handle kickoffs got him drafted so high. One of the areas identified for improvement was lost yards on special teams, they feel it cost them a couple of games last year (I agree). I hate taking a punter before the final 20 picks of the draft and I liked Morstead better, but having him local was important. They have realized that Brian Kelly is building a monster program at UC and want to foster a strong relationship.
--Trent will compete for the strongside CB spot in nickel packages and that allows Joseph to move to the slot, where they feel he can make more plays. If Trent wasn't 6'1" he would have been undrafted.
--Scott is a Mike Brown special. Dude is serious bad news but he's another redemption caser with truly amazing burst and nice hands.
--Freddie Brown is Kelley Washington II. He will make it on special teams
--McDonald is a practice squad project for Zimmer, who strongly lobbied for his selection

Thanks a million for the tips. Love the stuff on Smith, Maualuga, Barwin and Huber especially.