4. WR AJ Green A

Again, quarterback is not the answer here. They have to try their hardest to try to get Palmer out of retirement and playing for the team in 2011 if they have any hope of competing. Palmer said he was tired of the circus in Cincinnati. If Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco are gone and an elite receiver like AJ Green is in, all of a sudden, Cincinnati seems like a lot more attractive of a place for Palmer to play football.

35. QB Andy Dalton D

I don’t like Andy Dalton as a quarterback prospect. I think at this point the Bengals were better off trying to convince Carson Palmer to return over trying Dalton and drafting a quarterback won’t help them do that.

66. OLB Dontay Moch B-

The Bengals plan to use Dontay Moch as the Broncos will be using Von Miller, as a linebacker who moves on the line in 3^rd down. I like this selection more than the Broncos’ given it is the 3^rd round and Moch is a good value here, but I think they had other needs than linebacker and nickel rusher.

101. G Clint Boling A

The Bengals got a 3^rd round prospect in the first and he also fills a pretty big need, adding to the interior of their line.

134. S Robert Sands A

Sands fits the draft range and fills a need and what I really like about this is how well he fits their scheme. He think they could turn him into a future starter and given their lack of consistent starters at safety, that’s a good thing.

167. WR Ryan Whalen D

Another wide receiver? AJ Green, Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley and now Ryan Whalen. All of them are young. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for veteran leadership at the position. With those 5 and Jermaine Gresham, their receiving corps is awfully young. I also don’t think Whalen fit the range.

207. CB Korey Lindsay B-

Between Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, resigning both of their starting cornerbacks long term is going to be tough. I like Brandon Ghee who they drafted in the 3^rd last year and Lindsay is a minor reach, but I don’t hate this pick.

246. RB Jay Finley A

Cedric Benson averaged 3.5 yards per carry and got arrested in his contract year. He also is coming off back to back 300 carry seasons and he turns 29 in December so not resigning him makes some sense. Bernard Scott can’t carry the load so Finley helps. He also helps take some of the load off of Benson if he is resigned. He fits the range.

Overall:

This was a solid draft. I really like their first round pick. I think Andy Dalton in the 2^nd was a mistake, but other than that and Whalen in the 6^th, they made really good picks. Sands and Boling seem like future starters and I can see Finley contributing to this team in a significant way. A mistake in the 2^nd round, again just my opinion, hurts their grade from being in the A range, but I really think they made their team better through this draft.

Grade: B