The Bengals took RB Jay Finley out of Baylor with the 246th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Finley is 5’10″, 198 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40.  Finley is a one trick pony as he’s a good outside runner.  Finley played in 13 games (12 starts) for Baylor last year and he carried the ball 195 times for 1,218 yards (6.2 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also caught 9 passes for 76 yards (8.4 avg) last year.  Finley played in 46 games (22 starts) in his four years at Baylor in which he carried the ball 478 times for 2,660 yards (5.6 ypc) with 21 TD runs.  He also caught 40 passes for 416 yards (10.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs at Baylor.  Finley’s production at Baylor merited him getting a shot in the NFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals picked cornerback Korey Lindsey out of Southern Illinois with the 207th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Lindsey is 5’10″, 181 pounds and he runs a 4.53 40.  Lindsey played in 11 games for Southern Illinois last year and he had 41 tackles, he broke up 7 passes, had 1 interception and he had 2 tackles for a loss.  He played four years at Southern Illinois and he had 162 tackles, broke up 16 passes, had 14 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), had six tackles for a loss and he had 1/2 a sack.  Lindsey also returned 41 punts for 221 yards (5.4 avg) and 3 kickoffs for 85 yards (28.3 avg) in college.  Lindsey is going to have troubles adjusting to the speed and level of competition in the NFL.  He also is very soft as a tackler, so teams are going to run right at him when he’s on the field.

UPDATE:  (9/5/2011) – The Bengals have lost Korey Lindsey on waivers to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Bengals took 22-year old WR Ryan Whalen out of Stanford with the 167th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Whalen is 6’1″, 204 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40.  Whalen is a lot like Jordan Shipley, who the Bengals took last year in the NFL Draft.  Whalen has outstanding hands as he catches any ball that touches them.  He also believes that the ball is his once it’s in the air and he goes after it.  Whalen is also a good run blocker and he will likely help the Bengals out on special teams too.  Whalen played in 11 games (10 starts) for Stanford last year and he caught 41 passes for 439 yards  (10.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He played in 48 games (27 starts) in his four years with the Cardinal and he caught 140 passes for  1,884 yards (13.5 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  The Bengals didn’t really need another WR, but Whalen was the best player available, so the Bengals took him.

The Bengals picked 21-year old safety Robert Sands out of West Virginia with the 134th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Sands is  6’4″, 220 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  Sands projects as a strong safety in the NFL because he lacks the skills to cover guys deep because of his speed.  But, he is a good hitter as he’s very aggressive and physical.  He also has good hands which is pretty rare for a defensive back.  Sands played in 13 games (all starts) for West Virginia last year and he had 53 tackles, 1 interception and he forced 1 fumble.  He played in 39 games (31 starts) in his three years with the Moutaineers and he had 151 tackles, he broke up 8 passes, had 6 interceptions, forced 2 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  This was another solid pick for the Bengals as they needed help at safety.

The Bengals picked 22-year old OG Clint Boling out of Georgia with the 101st overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Boling is 6’4″, 310 pounds but he could get a little stronger at the point of attack.  That being said, Boling is a great puller and trapper as he is very light on his feet for a man his size.  He is a solid run blocker but an outstanding pass blocker because of his quick feet.  Boling played in 13 games (all starts) for Georgia last year.  He played in 51 games (49 starts) in his four years with the Bulldogs.  Boling was projected to be a 1st or 2nd round pick by a lot of draft experts, so the Bengals got outstanding value with this pick.  He could be a starter as early as Day #1 of his NFL career.