The Draft (From a Young G's Perspective)

Another draft has come and gone. This year's class was considered one of the "deepest" drafts in recent memory, but at this point, Jim Mora would let us know that doesn't mean diddly poo. When it comes to the NFL draft and evaluating talent, I typically take a backseat to watch my boy Mel Kiper Dos do his thing. His system of judging players consists of several very important aspects of length, upside, intangibles, wingspan, hand size and release point (all of which I receive a plus) which has proven quite effective with the likes of Akili Smith, Charles Rogers, and Courtney Brown (among others). I often wonder if all that hair gel is going to his head. Besides that fact he looks like a knockoff Jack Bradfield, (see Rookie of the Year) MK II is just another overpaid d-bag who gets to sit on his ass all year, watch football, and still be wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to me that sounds like a glorified weatherman. Ok, I feel better now.

From a Bengal's fan perspective, you've gotta love what they did. They addressed several keys needs, and in the meantime gave Carson some real decent targets. Although some might be concerned with a lack of a pick at safety, I advise them to cool their j-e-t-s jets jets jets as it appears Kenny Hamlin with be in Bengal stripes here shortly. Overall, Mel Kiper rated this Bengals draft a C, so they must have done something right. And now for a look at the picks...

Round 1, 21st Overall
Jermaine Gresham

Gresham will join a long line of Bengals greats at the tight end slot. Names like Sean Brewer, Tony Stewart, Marco Battaglia, and Daniel Coats grace numerous record books...for sucking horribly. My main concern is do the Bengals know what to do with a talented tight end? TE has never been the focus of this team's offense, and it's hard to imagine the adjustment they'll be sure to make. No doubt Gresham can play. This guy was money in 2008 as he and Sam Bradford tooled around some of the staunchest defenses in the land. At 6-6 and 261 pounds, Gresham undoubtedly has the build of an elite tight end, and his 4.7 40 time indicates he can run with the big boys too. His blocking has been an area of concern, but Cedbrick Benson prefers running people over anyways. Bottom line is that Gresham’s the real deal. He can run, he’s big and he can catch. All in all, love this pick as it will add another dimension to this offense.

Round 2, 54th Overall
Carlos Dunlap

HE IS A FREAK. It's players like these that make me wonder how hammered scouts are when they evaluate talent. Needless to say, I was delighted to see the Bengals secure this young fella. He's 6-6 and 277 lbs, and eats quarterbacks for breakfast. Very rarely do players tear up the SEC (aka NFL of Saturdays) and not do the same in the NFL. Mike Zimmer stated his intentions of playing him at both DE and DT, so you got to love his versatility among other assets. Dunlap is just too good not to be a force at the next level, and I look forward to his tenure as a Bengal.

Round 3, 84th Overall
Jordan Shipley

Classic example of a tremendous talent falling out of the first two rounds...because he's white. Although I'm sure Jordan apologizes for not having Jerome Simpson-esque sized hands or a large wingspan, he won't be apologizing when he is an absolute menace across the middle for years to come. His productivity was off the charts in the college ranks. Do scouts think players just all the sudden lose the ability to catch the ball at the pro level? I mean seriously how does the best receiver in college football fall here? Point proven, thank you rocktards. I see Shipley as a combination of Hines Ward, TJ Housh-ma-zill, and Wesley Welker...except better.

Round 3, 96th Overall
Brandon Ghee

Although I was slightly disappointed the Bengals rescued Ghee from his 28 hour stay in the green room, you have to like the move. Ghee is known for going with the visor and taped finger look, so at least he's got the fashion police on his side. All in all though, he was the fastest corner in the draft and is said to be an above average tackler, and so this coupled with the fact both Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph's contracts are expiring makes this a very solid move.

Rounds 4-7

The pass rush need continued to be addressed as the Bengals added both DT Geno Atkins (Georgia) and LB Roddrick Muckelroy (Texas) in the 4th round. The 5th round featured OG Otis Hudson (Eastern Illinois) which is a cool name I guess. WR Dezmon Briscoe (Kansas) fell to the Bengals in round 6. This could be a sleeper pick as Briscoe was a 1st team all Big 12 performer and HUGE numbers the past 2 seasons in a pass happy offense. He's still only 20 years old, so I think it's safe to say he's got some room to grow, and could turn some heads down the road. Finally, the 7th round selection was C Reggie Stephens (Iowa State). He, like Hudson, will be a project that will most likely be an eternal scrub. So that's that.

Did I give you any credible or useful information in "my analysis"? Probably not. I could have thrown a bunch of stats and Kipersims your way, but I know your better than that. Keep it real, Burnside no esta aqui.