Offensive Tackle/Guard

Villanova

6-4 313

Draft board overall prospect rank: #29

Draft board overall offensive tackle rank: #4

Overall rating: 81 (early 2^nd)

40 time: 5.25

4/17/11: Ijalana had a great Pro Day and could sneak into the first round. He reminds me so much of Rodger Saffold. 

3/29/11: Last year, Rodger Saffold went from large unheralded prospect to early 2^nd round pick (33th overall, first pick in the 2^nd round) and now he appears to be entrenched as the Rams left tackle of the future, even keeping 2009 #2 overall pick Jason Smith at right tackle. I’m not saying Ilajana will be that good right away, but they have similar stories, similar measurable, and similar games, so you never know.

Ijalana dominated as a left tackle for small school Villanova. Everyone seems to want to move him to guard, where he can certainly play, but remember, everyone wanted to move Saffold to guard. Everyone except the Rams. Ilajana is a shade under 6-4 so he doesn’t have the ideal height at tackle, but with 36 inch arms, he deserves a shot. He has experience physically and technically dominating competition, albeit weaker competition. He at least deserves a shot on the right side in the NFL, where Saffold was originally projected.

NFL Comparison: Rodger Saffold

The Saints didn’t have the cap room to retain Carl Nicks, but I don’t think they’ll see a huge difference between him and Ben Grubbs. Guard is not the most important position in the world and Grubbs ranked 9^th on ProFootballFocus last season. I think the difference between Nicks’ ability and Grubbs’ ability is smaller than the difference between Nicks’ contract (5 years, 47.5 million), and Grubbs’ contract (5 years 36 million), especially in terms of guaranteed money (31 million to 16 million).

I really like this move. With Colston back and Grubbs replacing Nicks, assuming Drew Brees doesn’t hold out into the season, the Saints offense should be just as explosive in 2012 as it was in 2011. A week or so ago, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Grade: A

The Bengals had a lot of promise before the season. They were coming off a strong 10-6 2009 and had fixed their only huge need, adding more weapons for Carson Palmer, by signing Terrell Owens and drafting Jermaine Gresham and Jordan Shipley, to compliment a strong running game and defense. However, what they didn’t plan on was a ton of injuries on defense and that Carson Palmer simply wasn’t the same quarterback he was in 2006 or so before he got hurt, no matter how many weapons he had.

At one point, this team lost 10 straight games. They ended the season the way they started it, by winning 2 of 3 and securing a 4-12 record. There was a lot of positives in their last 3 games. Carson Palmer played well with the exception of a subpar game against a good Baltimore team in Baltimore week 17. The receiving corps showed new life with Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens out and young receivers Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell playing well and with a lot of heart.

In a bit of a surprise move, Marvin Lewis, whose contract ended after the 2010 season, was brought back for the 9^th straight season. Lewis loves Carson Palmer so it looks like Palmer, who threw 20 picks, will be the starter next season, but that’s not to say that this team won’t add a developmental quarterback behind him. This, of course, is only if they don’t feel that Palmer’s backup and younger brother Jordan Palmer isn’t the quarterback of the future. The younger Palmer is a bit of an unknown with only 15 career passing attempts.

The Bengals have the 4^th pick in the draft and will likely go defense, with someone like DaJuan Bowers or Nick Fairley, or they could go AJ Green if they feel they need an elite receiver for Palmer to throw to. With a healthy defense, this team feels like it can compete for a playoff spot next season, but I think this team will only go as far as Carson Palmer can take this offseason and I’m not sure he can take this team to the playoffs.

After winning the division in 2009, hopes were high in Cincinnati, especially with Terrell Owens coming in during the offseason. Unfortunately, Carson Palmer’s struggles, the ego of the T-Ocho show (it’s no coincidence Palmer had his best games when both were hurt), and injuries on defense left them at 4-12. With no sure franchise quarterbacks available with the 4^th pick, the Bengals took top receiving prospect AJ Green to replace Ochocinco and Owens, and then drafted the small, but feisty Andy Dalton in the 2^nd round.

It’s out with the old and in with the new in Cincinnati. Carson Palmer is retired and won’t come back until the Bengals trade him, something they are unwilling to do. Andy Dalton is seen as the future at quarterback, though Bruce Gradkowski could be the week 1 starter as a stopgap. Gradkowski is nothing but a mediocre player and while it’ll be good for Dalton to see some time on the bench (particularly since 2^nd round picks frequently don’t pan out at quarterback in the NFL), they won’t win a lot of games with Gradkowski.

At receiver, Ochocinco has been traded to the Patriots and Owens was not resigned. AJ Green will be the #1 guy. He’s extremely talented, but rookie receivers tend to struggle and the lockout won’t help. Opposite him, it will be either Jerome Simpson or Andre Caldwell, two young receivers who played well down the stretch with T-Ocho out. Both showed good chemistry with Carson Palmer, though it remains to be seen if they can do the same with whoever the new quarterback is.

Jordan Shipley will once again work out of the slot. The rookie receiver caught 52 passes in that role last year and had the 6^th highest catch rate in the league. Jermaine Gresham, also a rookie last season, will be the tight end. One thing all of these receivers have in common is that they are young and unproven.

Green has never played a snap in the NFL. Shipley and Gresham are both 2^nd year players. Jerome Simpson had the vast majority of his career receiving yards in the last 3 weeks of last season, while Caldwell has spent 3 seasons in the league as a depth receiver. With a young quarterback, a bunch of unproven receivers, a new offensive coordinator, and a shortened offseason, expect a lot of growing pains on offense in Cincinnati.

The one thing that’s stayed the same on offense, at least at the skill positions, is Cedric Benson. It remains to be seen if that’s a good thing. Benson averaged a mere 3.5 yards per carry last year and 3.7 yards per carry for his career. He’s often injured and even more frequently arrested. He doesn’t catch passes and he turns 29 in December. However, he has had back-to-back 300 carry seasons, he has an incentive laden one year deal so he’ll give his all, and he’s a gritty runner who ranked 8^th in broken tackles and 11^th in yards after contact last season.

The offensive line still remains largely the same. Andrew Whitworth is largely unknown, but he’s one of the best left tackles in the league, allowing just 3 sacks last season. His 14 quarterback pressures allowed were the 3^rd fewest in the league among left tackles behind perennial Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas and Jake Long. Opposite him, however, it’s a different story.

Andre Smith is penciled in as the starting right tackle, but the 6^th overall pick in 2009 has had a largely disappointing career. He’s been frequently hurt and out of shape and hasn’t played well when he’s made it into the lineup. In significantly fewer snaps last season, Smith allowed as many sacks and pressures as Whitworth did lined up against tougher pass rushers on the left side. They have even mulled moving Smith inside to guard. If not Smith, it looks like it would be either intriguing young player Anthony Collins, who has looked good in limited action in his career, or Dennis Roland, who struggled mightily in 2010.

Bobbie Williams is their 2^nd best lineman at right guard. He’s 35 in September, however, though guards typically have long shelf lives. At left guard, Nate Livings is marginal and could be pushed by 4^th round pick Clint Boling. Kyle Cook is adequate at center, but he too could be pushed by a young player, 2^nd year player Reggie Stephens.

Defensively, the Bengals should be healthier than they were last season, but the loss of cornerback Johnathan Joseph is going to be noticeable. His replacement, Nate Clements, is solid, but not what Joseph was. Between Joseph and Leon Hall, they had arguably the best cornerback duo in the league. They no longer have that.

Leon Hall, fortunately, is still there, though he’s in the final year of his contract. He had a down year in 2010, but you’d be hard pressed to find any corner not named Darrelle Revis who had a better 2009 than Hall did. Safety is a weakness of this team as both Chris Crocker and Reggie Nelson are pretty mediocre. They didn’t resign Roy Williams, who arguably was their best safety last season, and they missed out on signing Donte Whitner, who it was widely assumed they would sign.

I mentioned their injuries earlier. One of the biggest injuries was to left end Antawn Odom. Odom was apparently still not in great shape because he was cut in training camp. Robert Geathers started at left end in his absence. He offers little to nothing as a pass rusher and managed just 1 sack last year. He’ll start again at left end unless Michael Johnson can live up to his billing. There was a lot of hope that the 2009 3^rd round pick Johnson would live up to his amazing athleticism in the pros, but he’s  managed just 5.5 sacks in 2 seasons and doesn’t make up for it in run support.

Fortunately, the polar opposite is true on the right side. Rookie 2^nd round pick Carlos Dunlap had 9.5 sacks last year, with all but 1 of them coming in his final 6 games. He should break into double digits this year as a 2^nd year player. He’s also solid against the run. Domata Peko is also solid against the run at defensive tackle, as is Tank Johnson. Neither offer much of a pass rush, but 2^nd year player Geno Atkins does. He was a terrific nickel rusher for them last season. He only played 355 snaps, but he had 5 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, and 19 quarterback pressures. If he can be more consistent against the run, he could unseat Tank Johnson in the starting lineup.

Veteran linebacker Dhani Jones is gone. He didn’t have much left in the tank anyway. He led the team in tackles, but he’s 33 and slowed down towards the end of the season. With Jones gone, Rey Maualuga will move to his natural position inside at middle linebacker. He was solid for two years on the strong side, but I’m intrigued to see what the talented 2009 2^nd round pick can do at his natural position.

Replacing Maualuga on the strong side is free agent acquisition Manny Lawson. Lawson was a bust, as a former first round pick of San Francisco’s, in a 3-4, but his skill set fits the 4-3 like what the Bengals run more than a 3-4. They got him cheap and I think he’ll be a really solid player for them. They also have rookie 3^rd round pick Dontay Moch in the mix once he returns from a broken foot midseason.

Moch is the opposite of Lawson. I thought he fit a 3-4 better than a 4-3. He’s a good pass rusher so he’ll probably be in on nickel packages and he could be used like Brian Orakpo was as a rookie, provided he proves himself. On the weak side is Keith Rivers. Rivers has never lived up to his billing as the 9^th overall pick in 2008, but he’s not a bad player either.

Overall, I think the Bengals are in for another bad season. Neither of their quarterbacks, Gradkowski nor Dalton, have great arms. I think Dalton was overrated as a 2^nd round pick and would have been a mid rounder had this been a better quarterback class. It doesn’t help that both quarterbacks will be working with an inexperienced, albeit talented group of receivers. They have mediocre talent at running back and no one to carry the load should Benson go down with an injury or struggle. They will have a lot of growing pains on offense with a new coordinator, a new quarterback, and inexperienced receivers.

Defensively, they will struggle to create a consistent pass rush opposite Carlos Dunlap, while they’ll really miss Johnathan Joseph at cornerback. I think the best Bengals fans can hope for from this season is that Andy Dalton does what Colt McCoy did last year, wins them some games and gives them some hope for the future. My money is against Dalton, however, and on the Bengals having a high pick next April and potentially looking for a new signal caller (Andrew Luck? Matt Barkley?) once again.

Quarterback: D

Running backs: C

Receiving corps: C+

Offensive line: B-

Pass rush: C+

Run defense: B

Pass coverage: C

Coaching: C-

Projection: 3-13 4^th in AFC North

Cornerback

In 2010, the Bengals had arguably the best cornerback duo in the NFL with Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. However, Joseph left last offseason for Houston. They signed Nate Clements to be his replacement. The 32 year old Clements was decent, but he’s in a contract year in 2012 and he is also a declining player. Meanwhile, Leon Hall was signed long term, but tore his Achilles and is no sure thing heading into 2012. I expect them to draft one or two cornerbacks this April. They need at least one to be the long term starter after Clements, but they could use another one as depth for Hall as neither of their two depth cornerbacks, Adam Jones nor Kelly Jennings, were that great last season.

Running Back

The Bengals are going with a youth movement on offense with players like Andy Dalton, AJ Green, and Jermaine Gresham all being high picks in their last 2 drafts. However, Cedric Benson stands out like a sore thumb. Benson is a 29 year old free agent who has averaged less than 4 yards per carry in each of the last two seasons. Someone like Trent Richardson would fit in well if they were to move up for him. With 3 picks in the first 2 rounds, that’s definitely a possibility.

Guard

The Bengals had a very underrated offensive line last year, but the weak link was left guard Nate Livings, who is a free agent this offseason. At right guard, Bobbie Williams is still a good player, but he’ll turn 36 next season so that might not be the case for much longer. He’s also a free agent. They drafted Clint Boling in the 4^th round last year, but they could use another guard in the mix.

Safety

The Bengals’ safety play was so bad in 2010 that they traded for Taylor Mays. Mays barely played this season because he sucks and their safety play continued to be subpar. They could use a young, talented safety in the mix.

Wide Receiver

Jerome Simpson broke out this season, his first as a starter, with 50 catches for 725 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, he also got himself arrested for marijuana possession. A free agent this offseason, he is not expected back with the team so they might need a new #2 wide receiver opposite AJ Green depending on what they think of their internal options.

Offensive Tackle

Andre Smith was finally healthy for a full season and he wasn’t too bad at right tackle. But, how long will that last for? He could be a guard long term still.

Defensive Tackle

The Bengals love rotation on their defensive line, but they could use another defensive tackle for depth purposes.

Outside Linebacker

The Bengals drafted Dontay Moch in the 3^rd round last year to be their 3^rd linebacker with Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers. However, Moch didn’t play at all this year with injuries so he might not be ready in 2012. Manny Lawson played well in his place this year, but he’s a free agent. He could be resigned to be that 3^rd linebacker in 2012. They could also use Thomas Howard in that spot. Howard was decent this season as a replacement for Keith Rivers, who also missed the year with injury. Rivers is also a question mark going into 2012.

Free agency priorities

Quarterback

Many seem to think Andy Dalton can start next year, but I have my doubts. 2nd round picks at quarterbacks rarely do well in their first year in the league. That’s why they fell to the 2nd round. Just ask Jimmy Clausen. I’m not saying he can’t be the long term solution, but it’s in the best interest of the team to try to bring Carson Palmer out of retirement or explore stopgap options through trade and free agency. 

Wide Receiver

Jerome Simpson, AJ Green, Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley, Ryan Whalen. What do those 5 receivers have in common? None of them have very much experience. Terrell Owens is not coming back and Chad Ochocinco has a greater chance of suiting up for an MLS team than playing for the Bengals so they’ll need to find a veteran through free agency.

Running Back

Jay Finley and Bernard Scott can’t carry the load so they’ll either try to resign Cedric Benson or go after someone like DeAngelo Williams or Michael Bush. 

Draft Needs 

Quarterback

Head Coach Marvin Lewis loves Carson Palmer, but I am not a fan. He simply doesn’t have the arm strength necessary to be an elite signal caller thanks to all of his arm injuries. He floats way too many balls, which leads to underthrows, interceptions, and pick sixes. Palmer will probably he back next year, in fact he’s all but assured he’ll be back as the starter next year, but they need to draft a developmental quarterback behind him.

Drafted Andy Dalton (#35) 

Defensive End

The play of Carlos Dunlap was one of the few bright points of this 4-12 season for the Bengals. The 2^nd rookie pick rookie out of Florida had 9.5 sacks despite not playing regularly until week 10. However, outside of him, they only has 17.5 sacks. 2009 3^rd round pick Michael Johnson hasn’t panned out and though Antawn Odom can be an effective pass rushing defensive end when healthy, he’s also had back-to-back years end in season ending injuries and he seemed slow and sluggish last year even before he was hurt. They need a defensive end of the future opposite Dunlap.

Running Back

This was Cedric Benson’s contract year. Apparently no one told him because the former first round pick only averaged 3.5 yards per carry and also had some legal issues. If he’s not brought back, they’ll need to add a running back because Bernard Scott doesn’t seem like he can carry the load. They can address this position through the draft in the mid rounds (we’ve seen teams get talented running backs in the 3^rd and 4^th rounds a lot in the past) or they can add a free agent like Michael Bush.

Drafted Jay Finley (#246) 

Outside Linebacker

Inside linebacker Dhani Jones may be best known as the most random athlete to ever do a popular commercial, but he’s also a free agent this offseason and the soon to be 33 year old likely won’t be brought back so 2009 2^nd round pick Rey Maualuga can move back inside to his natural position. That would leave a hole at outside linebacker opposite Keith Rivers. They drafted Roddrick Muckelroy in the 4^th round last year with the intention of giving him a shot at winning the job in 2011, but they may bring in some competition for him.

Drafted Dontay Moch (#66) 

Offensive Tackle

Andre Smith was supposed to be this team’s left tackle by now after being drafted 6^th overall in 2009, but injuries and overall inconsistency in his play have kept him at right tackle. He might not even be fit to play there so they need depth at the very least behind him.

Safety

Roy Williams, Chris Crocker, Gibril Wilson, Reggie Nelson, and Chinedum Ndukwe all play significant time at safety last year, but no one stood out and injuries ravaged their safety depth. They could be looking for at least one young safety to try to step up and become the playmaker this team needs in the middle of the secondary.

Drafted Robert Sands (#134) 

Wide Receiver

Terrell Owens is a free agent and the Bengals already said they won’t be bringing him back. Chad Ochocinco has a team option for 2011, but after a down year they may decide he’s not worth it and let him leave. Jerome Simpson really stepped up with 18 catches for 247 yards and 3 scores in the Bengals’ final 2 games last year, with Ocho and Owens out, but across from him, options are limited.Jordan Shipley had a good year, but might be best off staying in the slow. Andre Caldwell caught 15 passes for 270 yards in their final three, but a receiving corps of Simpson, Caldwell, and Shipley is extremely young and inexperienced and thus could be very inconsistent. Palmer might want a veteran guy brought in in free agency if they let Ocho go, and even if they don’t, I could see them adding a young receiver through the draft if they’re not sold on Caldwell or Simpson.

Drafted AJ Green (#4), Drafted Ryan Whalen (#167) 

Guard

Part of the reason Cedric Benson struggled on the ground was because of poor interior blocking. Also Bobbie Williams will be 35 next season.

Drafted Clint Boling (#101) 

Center

Evan Cook is one of the worst centers in the league and in a division with 3 3-4 teams, the Bengals really need a dominating center to matchup with big nose tackles. If they aren’t sold on 2010 7^th round pick Reggie Stephens as their center of the future, they could draft another one or bring one in in free agency.

QB Jordan Palmer

RB Cedric Benson

FB Brian Leonard 

WR Terrell Owens

TE Reggie Kelly

OT Dennis Roland

OT Kirk Chambers

G Evan Mathis

G Nate Livings

C Kyle Cook

DT Jonathan Fanene

OLB Brandon Johnson

MLB Dhani Jones

CB Jonathan Joseph (#13)

Joseph is one of the most underrated shutdown corners in the league when healthy and could be a #1 guy in a lot of places, but he had trouble staying healthy last year. He also indicated he wanted a longterm extension in Cincinnati.

S Roy Williams 

S Chinedum Ndukwe

S Gibril Wilson

S Tom Nelson

Offseason moves:

Draft 

S Mark Barron (Alabama)

DT Michael Brockers (LSU)

OLB Ryan Davis (Bethune-Cookman)

WR Michael Floyd (Cincinnati)

G Cordy Glenn (Georgia)

WR Devin Goda (Slippery Rock)

S Trumaine Johnson (Montana)

C Ben Jones (Georgia)

C Peter Konz (Wisconsin)

MLB Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

DE Ernest Owusu (California)

WR Mohamed Sanu (Rutgers)

CB Keith Tandy (West Virginia)

DE Courtney Upshaw (Alabama)

RB David Wilson (Virginia Tech)

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