The Bengals found some keepers in last April’s NFL Draft.  OT Andre Smith (1st round, #6 overall) out of Alabama came into training camp out of shape and he only played in 6 games (1 start) last year.  The Bengals still have high hopes for Smith is he doesn’t put too much weight on.  Inside linebacker Rey Maualuga (2nd round, #38 overall) out of USC got injured before the season was over missing the playoffs and he celebrated his injury by getting arrested for drunk driving which means that he fits right in on the Bengals.  Maualuga played in 15 games for the Bengals last season and he finished up with 63 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles and he defensed 2 passes.  DE Michael Johnson (3rd round, #70 overall) out of Georgia Tech showed a lot of promise as a rookie last season for the Bengals.  He played in all 16 games for the Bengals as a rookie and he finished up with 17 tackles, 3 sacks and 5 passes defensed.  Johnson could develop into a starter down the road for the Bengals.  TE Chase Coffman (3rd round, #98 overall) out of Missouri missed his rookie season as he spent it on the Injured Reserve List.  Center Jonathan Luigs (4th round, #106 overall) out of Arkansas played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Bengals as a rookie last season.  He could also be a starter down the road for the Bengals.  The Bengals didn’t have to look far for punter Kevin Huber (5th round, #142 overall) as he played for the Cincinnati Bearcats in college.  He played in all 16 games for the Bengals last season and he punted the ball 86 times for 3,713 yards (43.2 avg).  He also had 10 touchbacks (11.6%) and he pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 24 times (27.9%).  Huber looks like a keeper for the Bengals.  CB Morgan Trent (6th round, #179 overall) out of Michigan provided the Bengals with nice depth at corner.  He played in all 16 games for the Bengals as a rookie and he made 28 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, had 1 sack and he defensed 4 passes.  RB Bernard Scott was a true find for the Bengals in the 6th round (#209 overall) out of Abilene Christian.  Scott played in 13 games for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 74 times for 321 yards (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 67 yards (13.4 avg).  Scott helped out on special teams for the Bengals last season as he returned 16 kickoffs for 504 yards (31.5 avg) with 1 TD return.  The Bengals had three picks in the 7th round and none of them played in any games for them last season.  RB Fui Vakapuna (#215 overall, BYU), DE Clinton McDonald (#249 overall, Memphis) and WR Freddie Brown (#252 overall, Utah) were the 7th rounders for the Bengals last April.

GRADE FOR 2009:  C+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+