Build through the draft ?? Seriously ??

[BengalMedic]

This is not bashing the though of building through the draft, rather looking at how that has worked out for the Bengals since the waiving of 2nd rounder Kenny Irons. So what I did was go back and take a look at the draft picks for the Bengals in the first 3 rounds since 2000. Here's what we've got...

2000
1. Peter Warrick (GONE)
2. Mark Roman (GONE)
3. Ron Dugans (GONE)

2001
1. Justin Smith (GONE)
2. Chad Johnson (Still here)
3. Sean Brewer (GONE)

2002
1. Levi Jones (Still here)
2. Lamont Thompson (GONE)
3. Matt Schobel (GONE)

2003
1. Carson Palmer (Still here THANK GOD)
2. Eric Steinbach (GONE)
3. Kelley Washington (GONE)

2004
1. Chris Perry (Still here)
2. Keiwan Ratliff (GONE)
2. Madieu Williams (GONE)
3. Caleb Miller (GONE)
3. Landon Johnson (GONE)

2005
1. David Pollack (GONE)
2. Odell Thurman (GONE)
3. Chris Henry (GONE)

2006
1. Johnathan Joseph (Still here)
2. Andrew Whitworth (Still here)
3. Frostee Rucker (Still here)

2007
1. Leon Hall (Still here)
2. Kenny Irons (GONE)

So, in looking at this, we have had 25 picks in the first 3 rounds going back to 2000 and out of those 25 picks, only 8 are still here. I can't see how any organization could even try to compete after having back to back drafts like we did in 2004 and 2005. In that span of the first 3 rounds, we are 1 for 8 with Chris Perry being the lone standing pick.

Once again, this isn't to bash the "build through the draft" thought, but rather look at why we have had some of the issues we have had. Couple that with injuries and HOLY HELL !!! This team has a glut of 2nd day picks that have (thank God) played above expectations. Without that, the lost decade of the 90's would be more than just a decade...

That was some painful research right there !!!

[Bengalsrocket]

Yah, if we had all of our first day talent work out the way they were projected, we would be in a much better position.

Funny thing, if we lose chad when his contract is up, we're gonna be down to Levi / Palmer / Chris Perry from 2000-2005.

In fact its surprising how good our team is in relation to how bad we've drafted recently.

Heres a little challenge for you, of the 17 draft picks you posted that we lost, which one do you think stings the most? For me its gotta be Thurman. I think Steinbach was a better player than Thurman but with Thurman we'd have a respectable defense going into 08 I think.

[BengalMedic]

Heres a little challenge for you, of the 17 draft picks you posted that we lost, which one do you think stings the most? For me its gotta be Thurman. I think Steinbach was a better player than Thurman but with Thurman we'd have a respectable defense going into 08 I think.
Good question... It's hard to pick just one because Thurman was a beast his rookie year, Steinbach would solve some of the problems we are having in regards to Willie vs Stacey, and I'll even throw Henry in there for what he brought to the WR corp when he wasn't busy being the dumbest human being alive.

I think this could be best answered by looking no further than the two 2nd rounders and two 3rd rounders of 2004 and the 1st and 2nd rounders of 2005. Those are 6 HUGE defensive picks that make zero impact on the team only 4 years removed from being drafted. Those picks have absolutely crushed the development of this defense.

[themaninblack]

Losing Pollack and Thurman were easily the two most painful. They were the type of players you could build your D around.

Looking at our drafts recently though we have picked some pretty darn good players but we've been unlucky with injury and stupid with drafting low character guys.

[BengalMedic]

I agree that Pollack had the chance to be something special for our defense, but I did not agree with moving him to the LB position when he was easily the most dominant DE in college football that year and playing in the tough SEC.

I just ache when I think of the loss of those two drafts of 2004 and 2005 from a defensive standpoint...