The Cincinnati Bengals hit paydirt with their first two picks of last April’s NFL Draft.  Injuries limited some other rookies who could help them out in the very near future.  Here is a look at what the Bengals’ rookie class did in 2011:

23-year old WR A.J. Green was picked in the first round by the Bengals.  He played in 15 games for the Bengals last year and he caught 65 passes for 1,057 yards (16.3 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Green also carried the ball 5 times for 53 yards (10.6 ypc) last year.  Green is on the fast track to being one of the best WRs in the NFL.

24-year old QB Andy Dalton came to the Bengals in the 2nd round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He started all 16 games for the Bengals last year and he completed 300 of 516 passes (58.1%) for 3,398 yards with 20 TD passes and 13 INTs (80.4 QB Rating).  Dalton also carried the ball 37 times for 152 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run in 2011.  Look for Dalton to continue to improve in 2012 after his impressive rookie season.

23-year old LB Dontay Moch was picked in the third round of the NFL Draft.  His missed his rookie season to a foot injury.  The Bengals like his upside if he can just stay in one piece.

22-year old OG Clint Boling was picked in the fourth round by the Bengals.  He played in 5 games (3 starts) as a rookie in 2011.  He has a nice upside and he can be a full time starter in the very near future.

22-year old safety Robert Sands was a 5th round pick by the Bengals.  He played in 1 game for the Bengals last year as a rookie but he didn’t make any tackles.  He will need to improve quickly if he wants to keep getting paid to play football.

22-year old WR Robert Whalen was picked in the 6th round by the Bengals last April.  Whalen played in 4 games for the Bengals last year and he caught 4 passes for 27 yards (6.8 avg).  Whalen is a possession type receiver who will be behind Jordan Shipley next year.

22-year old CB Korey Lindsey and 23-year old RB Jay Finley came to the Bengals in the 7th round last April.  Lindsey (Cardinals) and Finley (Seahawks) didn’t make the cut for the Bengals, but they also didn’t get into any games for their new teams.

GRADE FOR THE 2011 SEASON:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

23-year old rookie QB Andy Dalton has brought his team back to beat the Bills and Jaguars in the last two weeks as he is really proving to be a leader on the team already.  Dalton has played in all five games for the Bengals so far this year and he has completed 93 of 157 passes (59.2%) for 1,047 yards with 6 TD passes and 5 INTs (78.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 20 yards (3.3 ypc) so far this year.  Let all of the “experts” keeping yapping about the 1-4 Cam Newton of the Panthers, because Andy Dalton is already 3-2 as a starting QB in his NFL career.

23-year old rookie WR A.J. Green caught 4 passes for 118 yards (29.5 avg) last weekend in the win against Buffalo.  It was his 2nd 100+ receiving game of the year for the Bengals already!  Green has now played in four games for the Bengals this year and he has caught 19 passes for 312 yards (16.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He is already Andy Dalton’s go to man in the passing game and both of these guys have very bright futures.

The Cincinnati Bengals reloaded on offense while also added a couple of bodies to the D last April.  WR A.J. Green is a true #1 WR and the Bengals had him rated as the best offensive player in this draft.  This pick likely seals the fate of Chad Ocho Cinco in Cincy.  The Bengals were ecstatic to see QB Andy Dalton fall to them in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft.  Dalton will likely be the starting QB for the Bengals when the 2011 season begins as Carson Palmer’s days in Cincy appear over.  OG Clint Boling was an outstanding pick for the Bengals and WR Ryan Whalen is another possession type receiver to add to the offense.  OLB Dontay Moch and S Robert Sands could help out the defense down the road.

PROJECTED GRADE:  A

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.

The Cincinnati Bengals took 23-year old OLB Dontay Moch out of Nevada with the 66th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Moch is 6’1″, 238 pounds and he can run like the wind (4.39 40)!  Moch played in 14 games (all starts) at Nevada last year and he had 64 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks and he broke up 2 passes.  Moch played in 53 games (40 starts) in his four years with Nevada and he had 188 tackles, 63 tackles for a loss, 30 sacks and he broke up 10 passes.  The Bengals will be sending Moch after the talented QBs that litter the AFC North.  I like this pick for them.