Cincinnati Bengals: Ranking the last 15 NFL Draft classes, No. 15-11

12. 2007

Number of Draft Picks: 7 (one first, one second, zero third, one fourth, one fifth, one sixth, one seventh)

Total Points: 9 (one Pro Bowl-caliber contributor, one multi-year starter, one depth piece)

We’ve reached our first instance of a tie in the scoring system. With it, we are left with a question: how much more important is a star than multiple competent contributors?

If you look at the total amount of players found between the 2007 and 2014 drafts, the latter clearly brought more players in who would go on to make an impact with the team. None of those players came close to reaching the same impact with the team as Leon Hall, however.

While Hill and Bodine were key components for Cincinnati’s team after being drafted, neither was a star by any means. Hill was one-dimensional and had to be paired with a speedy pass-catching option for the running game to be effective. Bodine may have been a starter for multiple years, but that wasn’t due to him actually being good — rather, his long-time role was a symptom of years of gross mismanagement of the offensive line.

The other useful pieces were also plenty limited: Dennard only just started making a positive impact in his fourth season with the team, Clarke was never more than a deep reserve as a pass rushing defensive end, and McCarron was a notable step down from Dalton at quarterback even as Cincinnati’s starter has struggled to reach the heights he touched upon before injury in that 2015 season.

Meanwhile, Hall was a bonafide star. His nine seasons with the team were littered with big plays and timely turnovers. He came down with 26 interceptions and knocked away 112 passes in that time. Had injuries never become a problem, we may be thinking of him as one of the better cornerbacks ever. Just look at him from 2007-10 (when he played all 64 possible regular season games): 18 interceptions, 71 pass knockdowns (10+ each year, 24 twice). After that point, his availability became a major problem (never reached 16 games again, less than 10 twice); subsequently, his production suffered. The peak was plenty high enough to make him a home run.

If it was only Hall that Cincinnati found though, this wouldn’t have been as much of a successful outing. They missed on more picks than they hit in this draft, but despite being down a third rounder they did manage to pick up two safeties who would have at least some impact over time.

Fourth rounder Marvin White lasted just two seasons in his first stint with Cincinnati (he returned as a little-used backup in 2010), but was a starter for most of the 2008 season and picked up 68 tackles. The big surprise was seventh-rounder Chinedum Ndukwe. Despite being the 253rd pick, he wound up playing in 53 games (31 starts) for Cincinnati over the next four years, accumulating 257 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 18 pass knockdowns, six interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

It has its faults, but between the star-level play of Hall and finding one of the best seventh rounders ever in Ndukwe, Cincinnati’s 2007 draft rightfully should sit well right here.

11. 2017

Number of Draft Picks: 11 (one first, one second, one third, three fourth, two fifth, two sixth, one seventh)

Total Points: 10 (two multi-year starters, four depth pieces)

The bottom five ends on what is probably a controversial note. By now, we know that immediate judging of a draft is often a bad idea. Rookies don’t always make an immediate impact; oftentimes, it may not even be until they are well into their careers that they fulfill the promise which got them drafted in the first place.

While I am hesitant to stamp this draft as being among the worst of Cincinnati’s past 15 years though, it must be accounted for in some way here. While we don’t know how good or bad it will be considered in a few years, we have some early signs which we can point to for where it may end up. Teams have to base their personnel decisions with this same sort of limiting factor in place as well, so it isn’t like this is a process without any merit.

On that note, there are some troubling signs for the long-term outlook of the group. John Ross was a top ten selection, but he couldn’t even get on the field but for a couple snaps last year. His speed is so tantalizing (he did set the combine record for the 40-yard dash last year), but how many times have we seen players of his mold never become anything close to their ceiling?

It’s easy to envision him careening down the same path Darrius Heyward-Bey and Ted Ginn Jr did; if so, that’s about as wasted as a non-QB draft selection can be for a team (not to say he’ll never become anything — Heyward-Bey and Ginn Jr. each found decent careers later on — but if he does, it could easily be for someone other than the Bengals).

It isn’t just about Ross, either. Jake Elliott was cut before last season started in favor of Randy Bullock; soon, he was seen winning games with 60+ yard field goals for the eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. J.J. Dielman was also cut before the season, despite what proved to be the worst incarnation of terrible offensive lines fielded by Cincinnati in recent years. They don’t even know what side of the ball Brandon Wilson will play, much less his position.

Next: NFL Mock Draft: Unexpected first-round picks, final week

There are some positive signs and building blocks though. Off-field issues aside, Joe Mixon could become the sort of No. 1 running back option neither Jeremy Hill or Giovani Bernard proved to be. Carl Lawson was a revelation as a pass rusher in his first year, and with a likely bigger role he may reach another level. Jordan Willis could be a depth piece for years to come in a deep defensive end rotation. Ryan Glasgow is a nice run defender at defensive tackle. Josh Malone can be a big target over the middle and in the red zone on offense. Jordan Evans should be better in his second season if called upon in the linebacker rotation.

The early results are limited, but there’s plenty of possibility for this to prove to be a much better draft over time than it may seem to be now.