To wrap up the 2011 NFL Draft, three random -- and some extended -- thoughts on what each of the AFC North teams accomplished over the weekend and where they might go from here. I'll refrain from actual grades for a couple reasons, one being you can't truly judge a draft for 2-3 years and the other being different teams have different goals in mind for their drafts. If I've done well, you'll be able to gather what my grade would have been.
On the Bengals...
1. A.J. Green appears to be a home run at No. 4. And for as much as the Bengals and so many other teams apparently loved Andy Dalton, staying put and getting him at No. 35 has to be considered a coup as well. It's easy during the honeymoon period to think Dalton is the perfect fit for Jay Gruden's offense and is poised enough to immediately be the starter, but the fact is Dalton and the Bengals have lots to figure out. I still believe Carson Palmer will be playing football and playing for the Bengals, and I won't be surprised by any outcome with Planet Chad. But the Bengals are better now for the long-term regardless of the outcomes with Palmer and Chad, and Green could be a big-time player immediately.
2. The tricky part for the Bengals continues to be that Marvin Lewis and a bunch of pretty good players might not be around in three years, when we'll know for sure if this Green-Dalton start to the draft was really a slam dunk. The Bengals still want to win now, and if the defense is healthy and plays to its potential they'll have a chance to. Not taking a running back until the seventh round is a sign they think Cedric Benson will be back, and not taking a defensive lineman at all means they believe in the group they have.
3. To win in the AFC North, the Bengals need to be able to run to set up the throw, they need to win the turnover battle and they need to cover like crazy and get to opposing quarterbacks. Third-rounder Dontay Moch could help the pass rush, and the Bengals feel like they added to the secondary as well. Of course being able to re-sign Johnathan Joseph is the biggest issue facing the secondary; when the Bengals were winning in '09, Joseph and Leon Hall were one of the best cornerback duos in the league. There's still a lot to sort though, but a team that's often left its fan base scratching its collective head in the aftermath of draft weekend delivered some good players and reason to hope that this group, if it can cut through the distractions, can end up a winner.
--Zac Jackson
