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+

The Bengals have lost rookie inside linebacker Rey Maualuga for the rest of the season due to a fractured left ankle.  He played really well as a rookie for the Bengals this season.  Maualuga played in 15 games for the Bengals this season and he made 63 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, forced 3 fumbles, defensed 2 passes and he had 1 sack.  He will be a player the Bengals build the defense around in the future.  Lucky for the Bengals that they still have 26-year old Rashad Jeanty around and he will repalce Maualuga in the starting line-up the rest of the year.  He has played in 14 games for the Bengals this season and he has made 12 tackles.  He has now played in 52 games in his four years with the Bengals and he has made 207 tackles, defensed 5 passes and he has forced 5 fumbles.  The Bengals’ D shouldn’t suffer much with Jeanty in the starting line-up.

The Bengals have placed rookie TE Chase Coffman on the Injured Reserve List with bone spurs.  The Bengals took Coffman in the third round out of Missouri with the thought that he could fill the black hole they have had at TE for a couple of years now.  But, he has been a complete bust so far as he was not active for ONE game in his rookie year.

It looks as if the Bengals found themselves some solid players in last April’s NFL Draft.  OT Andre Smith (1st round, #6 overall) might not be one of them as he has not got onto the field yet this season.  He has bust written all over him.  LB Rey Maualuga (2nd round, #38 overall) makes up for the pick of Smith.  He has 30 tackles, 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles and he has defensed 1 pass.  The best is yet to come from Maualuga who is a very solid inside linebacker.  DE Michael Johnson (3rd round, #70 overall) will start getting more playing time with Antwan Odom out for the year so he will have to show what he can do.  Johnson has 12 tackles and he has defensed 3 passes so far this season.  TE Chase Coffman (3rd round, #98 overall) has been a bust so far this season as he hasn’t caught any passes despite the need for a TE that can catch some passes.  C Jonathan Luigs (4th round, #106 overall) has played in 5 games (0 starts) so far this season.  He looks like he will be a decent backup for now and maybe more down the road.  Punter Kevin Huber (5th round, #142 overall) has started since the day he became a Bengal.  He didn’t have to go to far to play in the NFL as he was a Cincinnati Bearcat in college.  Huber has punted the ball 37 times for 1,604 yards (43.4 avg) this season.  He has only 2 touchbacks (5.4%) and he has pinned the opposing team inside the 20-yard line 12 times (32.4%) this season.  Huber has also carried the ball 1 time this season and he has 1 tackle.  CB Morgan Trent (6th round, #179 overall) has 10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he has defensed 1 pass this season.  RB Bernard Scott (6th round, #209 overall) has been solid as a rookie for the Bengals.  He has carried the ball 16 times for 62 yards (3.9 ypc) and he has also caught 1 pass for 14 yards.  Scott has also returned 2 kickoffs for 55 yards (27.5 avg) and he has 1 tackle.  RB Fui Vakapuna (7th round, #215 overall), DE Clinton McDonald (7th round, #249 overall) and WR Freddie Brown (7th round, #252 overall) have not played for the Bengals this season.  Maualuga, Huber and Scott make this draft a success for the Bengals.  But, Smith, Johnson, Trent and Luigs could make this a outstanding draft if they help the Bengals down the road.

The Bengals will be without 1st round pick Andre Smith for a while after he fractured his foot in his 2nd day of practice in a non-contact drill.  The Bengals gave Smith a $42 million dollar contract on Sunday.  The Bengals are depending on Smith bolstering the offensive line so they need him back as soon as possible.