2009 NFL Draft Predictions: Cincinnati Bengals
It’s going to take more than one good draft to turn around the Cincinnati Bengals. With all the character issues this team has had, I think it’s high time head coach Marvin Lewis and the Bengals organization took character into account when making their selections. As if things weren’t bad enough, QB Carson Palmer went down with an injury in 2008 and that’s when the Bengals really kissed the season goodbye. They finished 4-11-1, but perhaps they will be able to build off of their strong finish, defeating Washington, Cleveland, and Kansas City to end the season. Jimmy Boyd takes a look at some of Cincy’s draft day possibilities in this draft preview.
Biggest Draft Needs – The defense needs help all over the field with the exception of the cornerback position. Expect the Bengals to bolster their front seven, continuing what they started a season ago. Offensively, wide receiver has been one of the most talented positions on the field for the Bengals, but Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson continues to be a problem child and T.J. Houshmanzadeh is now a Seattle Seahawk. So the Bengals could choose to look for a wideout in the second round. Running back is an area to address as well unless the Bengals are sold on Cedric Benson and offensive tackle is also a spot of need.
Likely Day 1 Targets – The Bengals would love to get their hands on Wake Forest star linebacker Aaron Curry. Curry is perhaps the surest bet for a star player in this year’s draft and the Bengals surely wouldn’t be able to pass on him if he fell in their lap. At 6’3”, 247 pounds, his physical attributes are Brian Urlacher perfect. Curry is strong enough to shed run blocks and athletic enough to cover effectively in the passing game. He had 105 tackles at Wake Forest last season with 19 of those for a loss. If the Bengals are to be so fortunate as to land Curry, they could take a look at someone like Utah defensive end Paul Kruger in round two. The Bengals have not been able to put consistent heat on the QB for years now and Kruger could help change that. The only reason he likely drops to the second round is because he played in the Mountain West. His size/athleticism combo is undeniable when you look at this 6’5”, 265 pound monster. At 23 years of age, he is a mature guy who doesn’t bring the off-the-field baggage the Bengals have been dealing with in recent years.
If the Bengals choose to go with a wide receiver in round two, Ohio State’s sure-handed Brian Robiskie would be a great option. He’s not a No. 1 receiver, but he can be a solid No. 2 throughout his career.
Recent Draft Track Record – Outside of Carson Palmer, who the Bengals grabbed with the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, the Bengals have selected one head case after another. They did manage two strong prospects in the 2008 draft that I am excited to see progress. Linebacker Keith Rivers was solid in the first seven games of the season before getting injured and defensive tackle Pat Sims had a nice rookie campaign.
Bet on the NFL with Jimmy Boyd this season for consistent NFL picks. Check out Jimmy’s live NFL odds pages to make sure you’re getting your bets in on the best possible line as well.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2010 NFL Draft Needs: Cincinnati Bengals
- Cincinnati Bengals Add Antonio Bryant
- Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns NFL Odds & Predictions
- Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets NFL Picks & Predictions
Comments
22 Responses to “2009 NFL Draft Predictions: Cincinnati Bengals”
Got something to say?
Thanks for catching the typo. I know exactly where the Bengals defense finished but continuing to bolster that side of the ball seems to be the quickest recipe for making a turnaround. The Bengals had one good season when they were just an offensive juggernaut and we are witnessing the difficulties that New Orleans is having as a team with all “O” and no “D”. Applaud you for sticking with your team through thick and thin.
Umm, the Bengals biggest need is on the offensive line. That would be obvious to anyone who saw them play last year. I am sure Carson Palmer agrees with me.
agreed, I’m just not sold on this year’s offensive tackle class and they likely won’t be getting their hands on Andre Smith with several teams picking before them who also need O-line help. I guess I would rather see this team continue its progress on defense and try to see what they can get up front in the later rounds.
First off Jimmy Boyd, the bengals have a good defense, they were ranked 12 in 2008 out of all 32 nfl teams… So yeah thats good and I also read a little fact on the internet, this years bengals defense (the 2008 team) was ranked 2nd Highest its ever been in the past 20 years. So we have came along way as far as defense and the bengals defense was better than the 2005 team. Now If we could just get some Offensive people like a center out of the draft like Alex Mack or Jason Smith, we would be all set.
And what do you mean the cincinnati bengals need help all over the field with the exception of the cornerback position. Are you kidding me…REALLY!?! ok lets see here, the bengals have an excellent defense coming up. You have mike doss who won a national championship with the ohio state buckeyes and won a superbowl with the colts, the guys one of the hardest hitting Safetie in the NFL. Then you have Darryl blackstock, Robert Geathers, Leon Hall, Dhani Jones, Johnathan Joseph, Chinedum Ndukwe, Antwan Odom, Domata Peko, Keith Rivers, Frostee Rucker and Chris Crocker. And theres many more where that came from. Oh yeah and I don’t know if you heard we signed Tank Johnson from the Dallas Cowboys and were about to sign Roy Williams as well, Plus whatever defensive players we might get out of the draft. So next time you want to write an article saying how bad the bengals are, why don’t you do some research next time.
Now I do agree with you that for the Bengals to be a playoff type team in 2009, We need an O-line to keep Palmer off his back, and the most important reason why we need big guys in the trenches for the offense is we are basically set at quarterback, wide receiver, running back and so on. The O-line is the only problem. Now of course, I would not mind picking up a tight end like Brandon Pettigrew or a fullback like Tony Fiammetta or Quinn Johnson along the way. With a monsterous defense coming up that will probabily be ranked in the top 5 next year, If palmer can get some protection so he doesn’t end up with a broken nose or hurt elbow, he will be able to throw the ball anywhere he wants to and we will be better the the 2005 team. My predictions is im 100% sure the bengals will make the playoffs next year and maybe, just maybe get a shot at a superbowl!!!
While I agree that the Bengals must continue to look at character when evaluating prospects (and free agents) I would add that it’s been a few years since we’ve had any off-field issues. Granted, I know it’s far harder to repair a damaged reputation than to maintain a good reputation, but you have to agree at this point the discussion is a bit old. That said, I agree with you regarding the need to acquire a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. While the Bengals D performed admirably (12th overall) in the face of the worst offense ever (literally) in the history of the franchise, they need to continue to improve if they want to compete with the Steelers and the Ravens. That said, I doubt Aaron Curry will be available with the 6th overall pick (if he gets past the Chiefs there is no way the Browns pass as that is their #1 position of need) so the two first picks of this draft must address what became (through the Bengals own doing) a horrendous offensive line. The losses of Rich Braham and Eric Steinbeck have never been addressed. Levi is spent, either physically or mentally (or both) and Whitworth is NOT, I repeat is NOT, a viable option at tackle, he is a guard, end of story. Anthony Collins proved himself to be a capable, with the potential to be stellar, left tackle. If you look at his starts last year, he blanked some of the top pass rushers in the league including James Harrison. This leads me to believe that the Bengals are going to pull the trigger on the top O tackle available and have and open competition for LT with the loser becoming an instant top tier RT. While you may doubt the quality of Monroe, Smith and Oher on the left side, you have to agree they would be immediate impact players on the right side. The next pick the Bengals need to make is Center. It’s a position that has killed the Bengals in their division b/c every other team plays the 3-4 and every other team has a monster NT (i.e. Shaun Rodgers, Haloti Ngata) that consistently gets penetration and disrupts the pocket or stuffs the run. This draft has three potential centers in Alex Mack, Max Unger and Eric Wood that are mean and stout enough to neutralize these monster NTs. The Bengals 2nd round pick should be more than high enough to grab one of these Centers. After that, feel free to load up the defense (specifically ILB and DE) and get a RB late in the draft to backup Benson. Finally, I completely disagree with you that the Bengals can’t compete for the playoffs this year if the draft falls to them. A protected Carson Palmer can score at will on any defense (proven in the past) and a continually improving def just needs to keep them close. Now, the Bengals are going to need more than one good draft to win the championship, but they have the talent to win now.
It’s hard to argue with you die hard Bengals fans. So maybe I was a little rough on them, but I’m not sold on this defense yet. Great numbers last year I know, but they remind me of when the Raiders put a 10th ranked defense on the field a couple seasons back and has since lost that momentum. You’re absolutely right that the offensive line is a problem. I’m just not big on a lot of this year’s prospects and I’m a firm believer in taking the best available player to fill a need even if it’s not the biggest need. Thanks for the analysis and best of luck to your Bengals this season. Hope draft day treats you well.
First of all, great analysis. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to go as in depth because of all the handicapping that I do each day. So you know, I’m a firm believer in taking the best available player to fill “a need” and not necessarily someone to fill the biggest need. When teams draft too desperately they tend to get burned. I whole heartedly agree with taking the best available center in round two, but I still think defense is the way to go with their first round pick because I’m not sold on this tackle class. I could be wrong, it’s happened before, but if the Bengals aren’t in love with any of the top remaining OT’s, they shouldn’t force the pick. Once again, great stuff and best of luck this season and in the draft.
You know Jimmy, your absolutely right this years class of OT’s doesn’t really impress me either. Since the Cincinnati bengals probabily are not going to get that Jason Smith guy from Baylor or Eugene Monroe from Virginia, or Michael Oher from Mississippi and taking Andre Smith from Alabama might turn out to be a bust from what Im hearing, What in your Opinion would be the best defensive players the Bengals could possibly pick up out of the draft in the first rounId at #6? Also I already know you like Aaron Curry, but I think the Kansas City Chiefs will most likely pick him up with the 4th pick overall like that Patrick guy said above. Do you think the bengals will most likely not take B. J. Raij because of the signing of Tank Johnson???…And I heard that the bengals were interested in Knowshawn Moreno, but would’t you say that Chris Wells from ohio state is better?
I take it back; the Bengals are still apparently a house of degenerate idiots and felons. Leon Hall, one of our “good character” picks got arrested for DUI on Sunday after blowing 1.49. What’s even more encouraging is this “good character” guys wife was having a baby at the time he was sleeping off his buzz. Forget everything I said above, the Bengals will not only ignore all the def and o-line needs, but will probably take 11 WRs with all 11 picks…who needs blocking, right?
Well Leon Hall is from Michigan, Maybe if we could get a guy like Malcolm Jenkins from Ohio State, that is a guaranteed better cornerback than Leon, that might help us out! He wouldn’t get into trouble because he comes from a college with good coaches like Jim Tressel. GO BUCKEYES!
I have one random question, do you think if Marvin Lewis was fired from the bengals next year, which will probabily happen. Do you think a replacement like Marty Schottenheimer would be a good pick up? uhh I hear he was a great coach when he coached the chargers???
I thought of you as soon as I heard the news last night. You may have jinxed them.
While defensive back isn’t the Bengals’ biggest need, I actually think getting a local guy like Jenkins would be a safe and solid pick. I think he could eventually move to safety and be an impact player there, much the same way Bob Sanders has been for the Colts. I’m not sure what needs to be done from a coaching stand point. Schottenheimer has been good virtually everywhere he’s been, but hasn’t been able to win the big one. It does appear that some kind of coaching change needs to be made though.
Lol, I think I might have jinxed the bengals…my bad.
You know, I think chad Ocho Cinco has been quiet and not a problem child, now last year, I agree Chad was a problem. Was the story about trading chad to the raiders a rumor?…And do you think Alex Mack is the best center? I heard the steelers might get him with the 32nd pick in the 1st round. Who else do you think the bengals might get out of free agency? I mean theres some good players like Marvin Harrison, Julius Peppers and I heard Roy Williams, the safety from dallas was interested in cincy because he liked Zimmer.
It’s hard to speculate what the Bengals want to do with Chad Johnson and how much they will tap into the free agency market. Once a problem child always a problem child in my book in reference to Johnson and he’s not going to be happy unless the team starts winning. I think the Steelers could go with Mack or Duke Robinson, who would aid their running game. And to answer your question, Mack definitely looks to be the best center prospect in this year’s draft.
Do you think the Cincinnati bengals should trade Chad Johnson, Leon Hall and Chris Henry because all these guys are troblemakers? (chad’s not really a trouble maker but he doesnt want to play for us).
Distractions are never good for a team, especially from veteran players who are supposed to be the example for the young guys coming in. Nobody’s perfect so I can understand giving a guy a second chance, but when there continues to be problems it is apparent that the player is more worried about other things than helping the team win football games. It takes discipline and focus to be a successful team and it appears the aforementioned lack it. I don’t think Hall is a bad guy, but he made a bad choice. I think this will be a make or break season for the Bengals. If they break, the new blood needs to come pouring in.
The bengals biggest need is off tackle.In the last few years they have lost Willie Anderson, and Stacey Adrews.Levi Jones cant stay healthy.You cant let Palmer keep getting killed.We saw what happened last year without him.If any of the top tackle is there when the Bengals pick,they should take hom.
I agree that the Bengals need lots of help up front. I originally was not sold on most of this o-line class and thought the Bengals might want to add a skill guy early and see what they could get up front in later rounds since Jason Smith will most likely be off the board, but the more I look at it I think Virginia’s Eugene Monroe should be a solid pick. Thanks for your input.