1 Chris Perry RB Michigan 26 – There were a few raised eyebrows when this pick went down, and in retrospect, Steven Jackson, taken two picks before Perry, was the better back. Perry has been hyped at times as a perfect change of pace back with great pass catching skills. Too bad he can never stay healthy enough to display those. Grade = C+
2a Keiwan Ratliff CB Florida 49*** – I think many felt this was a bit of a reach even in the 2nd round. But the Bengals secondary was in dire need of some new blood, and Ratliff seemed as good as any that were available. Ratliff hung on with the team longer than I thought he would though, serving mostly as a Nickle back for years, finally was cut before the 2007 season. Grade = D
2b Madieu Williams S Maryland 56*** – If you remember, the Bengals had this 2nd choice in round 2 thanks to their deal with the Pats for Corey Dillon. When they took Madieu, I was pretty happy with the pick, and he was impressive as a rookie. Injuries marred his season in 2005 and again last year, but he was an absolute stud in 2006(90 tackles, 13 pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions.). He signed this offseason with Minnesota, and if healthy could easily return to 06′ form for a good Vikes Defense. Grade = B+
3a Caleb Miller LB Arkansas 80 – I still don’t think there was any reason to get Miller at this point. While he has stuck with the team and even contributed at times, he has always been very undersized as a LB. At the time I thought he was a career special teamer but he has even started for Cincinnati at times, mostly by default. Grade = C-
3b Landon Johnson LB Purdue 96*** – Not many LB’s have been as consistent as Landon was during his years here in Cincinnati. He always had a knack for the ball and as a result recorded over 100 tackles in each of the last two years. Johnson was the most consistent performer on bad defenses, and signed a free agent deal with Carolina this past offseason. We will be able to see him in a different light this year on a more talented D and see if he stands out the way he did here in Cincy. Grade = B+
4a Matthias Askew DT Michigan St. 114*** – This seemed like a steal at the time, as Askew was projected as a possible first rounder had he stayed in school at Michigan St. for his senior year. He was mostly dissapointing though as a Bengals, and was cut in 2006 after resisting arrest. Askew was signed by the Redskins in 2007, but was cut not long after and spent last year out of football. Grade= D
4b Robert Geathers DE Georgia 117 – The nephew of Jumpy Geathers was probably the best pick in the 2004 draft for the Bengals. Coming in at 117th overall, Geathers quickly became one of the best pass rushers on the team and totalled 10.5 sacks in 2006. Geathers spent some time at LB last season with the team banged up, but returns to DE this year, great pick that has still not realized his full potential. Grade = A
4c Stacy Andrews T Mississippi 123 – A high risk, high reward pick late in the fourth round brought Andrews to Cincinnati. Andrews was and still is a massive physical specimen. Coming in at 6’7″ and 350 pounds, but had only one year of college experience before being drafted. It took some time for Andrews to develop, but he finally nailed down a starting spot for the Bengals last season and in early 2008 had the one-year franchise tag smacked on him by Cincinnati. The Bengals will likely sign him to a long term deal before the 2008 season begins. This turned out to be a great risk. Grade= A-
5 Maurice Mann WR Nevada 149 ***- Mann was a special teamer with some athletic ability that the Bengals hoped could develop into a decent backup receiver or special teamer. However, he turned into a football journeyman, and has played for Cincinnati, Cleveland(twice), Minnesota, Washington, Miami, Seattle and even did a stint in the CFL. Grade = C-
6 Greg Brooks CB Southern Mississippi 183*** – Backup DB Brooks played parts of two seasons for the Bengals in 2005 and 2006 and was then cut and never hooked on with another team. Hard to judge a late pick like this too strictly though. Grade = C-
7 Casey Bramlet QB Wyoming 218*** – I always thought Bramlet was a good career backup and nice fit in this offense. He showed some skills in the pre-season with Cincinnati but never got a change behind Palmer and Kitna. After the Bengals released him, he went to play in NFL Europe with the Hamburg Sea Devils, and then returned to the NFL in a backup role with Washington, was cut, then jumped to Atlanta and is currently on the Miami roster. Grade = C
