Cincinnati Bengals: Ranking the last 15 NFL Draft classes, No. 15-11
By Kenn Korb
14. 2005
Number of Draft Picks: 7 (one first, one second, one third, one fourth, one fifth, one sixth, one seventh)
Total Points: 7 (one multi-year starter, four depth pieces)
2005 was the first sign of good things for Cincinnati in the Marvin Lewis era. The team not only managed to have its first winning record since 1990, but it reached the playoffs for the first time since that year as well while putting up their best point differential (+71) since 1989, scoring their most points (421) since 1988, and having a home playoff game.
The success was fleeting though, and while some of the issues can hardly be laid at the feet of any decisions the team actually made (such as Carson Palmer getting his knee taken out immediately in that playoff outing by Kimo von Oelhoffen), the incredibly terrible luck experienced in the draft prior to that season is at least partially to blame.
First round defensive end David Pollack showed some promise as a rookie but saw his career end as quickly as it began because of a broken cervical vertebrae at the start of his second year. Second round linebacker Odell Thurman ended up being a perennial suspension case due to drugs, alcohol, and assault charges.
Wide receiver Chris Henry was never able to get his life in order, suffering suspensions and finding himself off the team at least once before his eventual death. Fifth-rounder Tab Perry began setting kick return records in 2005, but an early 2006 injury derailed any chance of becoming more than a fleeting impact.
About the only lasting positives from the draft were fourth-round center Eric Ghiaciuc (started 41 games from 2006-08) and seventh-rounder Johnathan Fanene (71 games played — 17 starts — from 2005-11; two six-plus sack seasons). They were of course useful, but so many wrong moves were made around them that their positives were never going to overcome them.
This draft is not only a poster child for how much sheer luck can play a part of success in the draft, but it can act as a referendum on what happens when a team takes too many chances on players with character risks. While it can work out in positive ways, it can damage a team’s ability to compete for multiple years if too many of those players don’t work out. It’s hubristic to think a team can really fix every Thurman (two year’s worth of suspensions in, Lewis still was open to bringing him back into the fold) or Henry (whose college team suspended him and his college coach called him “an embarrassment to himself and the program”); of course, some lessons are never learned (*cough* Burfict *cough*).
Had the best-case scenarios worked out, this draft did have the talent to keep Cincinnati successful throughout the late 2000s. Unfortunately, every bad break possible seemed to come to fruition instead, leaving the team struggling for relevance just as quickly as they thought they had finally found it again.
13. 2014
Number of Draft Picks: 8 (one first, one second, one third, one fourth, one fifth, one sixth, two seventh)
Total Points: 9 (two multi-year starters, three depth pieces)
At this point, there aren’t really any Cincinnati drafts in this timespan which I would even label as “bad”. When you think about it, if you can pick up at least a couple players who hold significant roles for multiple seasons, you’ve done a passable job. Finding multiple elite-level staples for your roster is the dream every time, but expecting that to happen any (much less every) year is just being blind to the inherent realities of the draft.
With that in mind, this draft has plenty of positives to build off of. While none ever become Pro Bowl-caliber players for Cincinnati, each of the first five selections by Cincinnati in 2014 were able to prove capable of either a backup role or turned into starters for significant stretches.
Jeremy Hill was the best of the group. Though his tenure ended ignominiously, he was the power half of a decent dual-back attack with Giovani Bernard for three seasons. Though he wasn’t utilized as a pass-catcher, he picked up 2,757 yards on the ground and 29 touchdowns on the ground in that time.
Beyond Hill, there was plenty to like too. Russell Bodine, while definitely a flawed player, did start every game for the team at center from 2014-17. Darqueze Dennard finally started playing up to his first-round status last season, earning the second-highest Pro Football Focus grade of any secondary member. Will Clarke never became a starter, but played in 45 games across three seasons for Cincinnati (including 4.0 sacks in a reserve role in 2016).
AJ McCarron may have left on a sour note, but he kept hope alive for the 2015 team when Dalton went down, with a late Hill fumble and numerous defensive penalties giving away what should have been a playoff win against Pittsburgh in the 2015 playoffs.
This wasn’t a future-altering draft by any means, but it was exactly the sort which can help bolster prior good moves already in place. Star power is important, but depth and steady contributions have their place in a successful team too.