The Cincinnati Bengals took 23-year old QB Andy Dalton out of  TCU with the 35th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Dalton is 6’2″, 213 pounds and he runs a 4.96 40.  Dalton doesn’t have a strong enough arm to pound the ball down the field, but he’s a winner.  Dalton played in 13 games (all starts) for TCU last year and he completed 209 of 316 passes (66.1%) for 2,857 yards with 27 TD passes and only 6 interceptions.  Dalton played in 50 games (49 starts) in his four years at TCU and he completed 812 of 1,317 passes (61.7%) for 10,314 yards with 71 TD passes and 30 INTs.  Dalton is likely going to be thrown to the wolves right away if Carson Palmer does indeed retire,  and I think he will do a decent job.  I think Dalton was a safe pick for the Bengals as he was a four year starter with TCU and he was a big time winner there.

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted 23-year old WR A.J. Green with the 4th overall pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Green is a big guy at 6’4″, 205 pounds and he runs  a 4.4 40.  Green catches the ball away from his body with his hands as he rarely drops a pass that hits any of his fingers.  Green played in 9 games (8 starts) for Georgia last year and he caught 57 passes for 848 yards (14.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Green played in 32 games (27 starts) in his three years with the Bulldogs and he caught 166 passes for 2,619 yards (15.8 avg) with 23 TD grabs.  Green is by far the best WR in this draft which will allow the Bengals to cut ties with Chad Ocho Cinco soon.

Rebuilding is often an ugly word but that’s where the Bengals are right now.  Carson Palmer has vowed to retire if the Bengals don’t trade him, so they need to find a QB to replace him and the first round is likely where they will find that guy.  Here is a look at how I saw the Bengals doing in my mock draft:

1st round (#4 overall) – Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn

2nd round (#35 overall) – Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami (FL)

3rd round (#66 overall) – James Brewer, OT, Indiana

4th round (#101 overall) – Joseph Barksdale, OT, LSU

5th round (#134 overall) – Jaiquawn Jarrett, S, Temple

6th round (#167 overall) – Jordan Cameron, TE, USC

7th round (#207 overall) – Maurice Hurt, OG, Florida

7th round (#246 overall) – Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville

In going with Newton, the Bengals are likely to have some growing pains.  That means they will likely want to run the ball more in 2011 which is why I have them loading up on the O-Line.  The extra TEs came as a result of them being the best player available instead of filling a team need.

The Cincinnati Bengals did pretty well in the NFL Draft last April.  They netted at least three future starters and possibly 4 or 5 in this draft.  Here’s a look at how the rookies for the Bengals did last year:

Jermaine Gresham:  In the first round the Bengals used the 21st pick on 22-year old TE Jermaine Gresham out of Oklahoma.  Gresham played in 15 games for the Bengals last season and he caught 52 passes for 471 yards (9.1 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also had 2 tackles last season.  Gresham is the best TE the Bengals have had in a long, long time.  I think his role will continue to grow starting in 2011.

Carlos Dunlap:  The Bengals took 21-year old DE Carlos Dunlap out of Florida with the #54 overall pick (2nd round).  Dunlap played in 12 games for the Bengals last season and he had 24 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 9.5 sacks (led team), 3 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery.  Dunlap is already the best D-Lineman on the Bengals and he’s going to keep getting better.

Jordan Shipley:  25-year old WR Jordan Shipley came to the Bengals in the 3rd round (#84 overall) out of Texas.  He played in 15 games for the Bengals last season and he had 52 catches for 600 yards (11.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Shipley gave the Bengals a nice option in the slot last season, but he has the potential to be much more down the road.

Brandon Ghee:  23-year old CB Brandon Ghee was the 96th overall pick (3rd round) out of Wake Forest.  Ghee played in 6 games for the Bengals last season and he had 9 tackles before his season ended due to a groin injury.

Geno Atkins:  22-year old DT Geno Atkins came to the Bengals in the 4th round (#120 overall) out of Georgia.  Atkins played in 16 games for the Bengals and he had 16 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  Atkins could develop into a starter in the near future for the Bengals as he is tough to block inside.

Roddrick Muckelroy:  The Bengals used the 131st pick (4th round) of the NFL Draft on 24-year old linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy.  Muckelroy played in 14 games for the Bengals last season and he had 10 tackles and 4 forced fumbles.  He has a nice upside because he gets the other team to turn the ball over.

Otis Hudson:  The Bengals took 24-year old OG Otis Hudson in the 5th round (#152 overall) out of Eastern Illinois.  The Bengals kept him on the Practice Squad the whole 2010 season.

Dezmon Brisoce:  The Bengals took 21-year old WR Dezmon Briscoe with the 191st overall pick (6th round) out of Kansas.  The Bucs signed him off the Bengals’ Practice Squad.  He played in 2 games for the Bucs and he caught 6 passes for 93 yards (15.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Reggie Stephens:  The Bengals took 23-year old C/G Reggie Stephens in the 7th round (#228 overall) out of Iowa State.  He was on the Bengals active roster quite a bit but he didn’t get into any games.

GRADE FOR THE 2010 SEASON:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

The Bengals have placed 23-year old cornerback Brandon Ghee on the Injured Reserve List with a groin injury.  Ghee played in 6 games for the Bengals this year and he had 9 tackles.  Ghee was a third round pick out of Wake Forest so the Bengals expected more out of him.  Maybe he will turn things around next year for the Bengals.

WR Jordan Shipley (3rd round out of Texas) and TE Jermaine Gresham (1st round out of Oklahoma) have given Carson Palmer two solid targets other than Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens.  Shipley has been doing the dirty work over the middle of the field for the Bengals so far this year.  He has played in 10 games so far this year and he has 40 catches for 518 yards (13.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Jermaine Gresham has given Palmer a big, physical target.  He has played in 11 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has 44 catches for 366 yards (8.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this year.  Shipley & Gresham are going to be big parts of the Bengals’ offense both now and in the future.

The Bengals have picked OG Reggie Stephens with the 228th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  He is a massive man at 6’2″, 322 pounds but he is not much of a athlete as he has next to no athletic ability.  Stephens played in 12 games (all starts) for Iowa State last season and he played in 43 games (40 starts) in his four years there.  If the Bengals can get Stephens in better shape and they can coach him up Stephens might get some P.T. down the road for them.

The Bengals have picked WR Dezmon Briscoe with the 191st overall pick (6th round) in the NFL Draft.  Briscoe has great size at 6’3″, 200 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40.  Briscoe is a outstanding possession receiver with the power to run over defensive players.  He is not a burner by any means but most draft experts had him going in the 2nd or 3rd round so the Bengals got outstanding value with this pick.  Briscoe played in 11 games (10 starts) for Kansas last season in which he caught 84 passes for 1,337 yards (15.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He played in 37 games (33 starts) in his three years in college and he caught 219 passes for 3,240 yards (14.8 avg) with 31 TD grabs.  This was a solid pick for the Bengals as Briscoe has a nice upside.

The Bengals have picked OT Otis Hudson with the 152nd overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Hudson was likely a reach by the Bengals as most draft experts didn’t think he would get drafted.  He will need coached up as he played his college ball against inferior competition at Eastern Illinois.  Hudson does have outstanding size at 6’5″, 331 pounds so maybe down the road he will be able to help the offensive line.

The Bengals have picked OLB Rod Muckelroy with the 131rd overall pick (4th round) of the NFL Draft.  Muckelroy is a good athelte at 6’1″, 236 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40.  Muckelroy plays all out as he has a very high motor which should get him on the field quickly for the Bengals.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for Texas last season in which he had 102 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, he broke up 5 passes and he had 1 interception.  Muckelroy played in 42 games (30 starts) in his time with the Longhorns in which he made 283 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, he had 5.5 sacks, broke up 9 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  This was a good pick for the Bengals as Muckelroy could develop into a starter down the road and maybe be a special teams ace from day #1.