Mel Kiper Re-Grades The 2011 Draft

You can’t control the injury to Moch, but any time you get 2 starters (much less pro bowl talent) then its a very good draft class. Boling didn’t look good, but he may develop into a starter.

Moch was hindered by a health issue throughout the majority of the season

i wonder how much Moch was injured, since he did practice throughout the season. i’m guessing it may have been more a move to keep him w/o playing him than an actual “injury” per se.

took the time to post a zimmer profile since he’s a HC candidate for the fins

http://www.thephinsider.com/2012/1/11/2699165/miami-dolphins-head-coach-candidates-mike-zimmer#storyjump

For some reason I couldn’t get the article to show. Then I realized it was an Insider article. Oh well….you brought up the only part that mattered!

Were all considered either steals (especially Boling in the 4th) to very solid picks for their draft spots. I am still holding out hope for them. If that group could add one starter and at least a couple of heavy rotation bench players, that would have to be considered a phenomenal draft and one that could be the begining of a marked shift in the history of the Bengals franchise.

Right now we’re grading it high b/c it produced 1 pro-bowl WR and 1 pro-bowl alternate QB. That is probably spot on. As was commented above, it is rare to get 2 rookie pro-bowl players out of the draft; however, the true grade for this draft hinges on the middle to late round picks. You have to grade it from top to bottom and here is what we have after Green and Dalton.

Moch – A guy with huge potential who has an issue with migraines. Migraines can be tricky. Either they find the cause and he is fine or they never find the trigger, in which case he never sees the field.
Boling – Another guy with huge potential but in Bolings case he failed to show it when given the opportunity to start. He fell back on the depth chart and couldn’t even suit up on game days. You have to wonder if he hit his ceiling in college or is there room for improvement. Again, a question mark.
Sands – Again, the Bengals draft an athletic guy with huge potential but he never saw the field. I like to think this is a product of learning Zimmer’s system and how Zimmer expects you to play. With Crocker leaving, we should find out the future of Sands in 2012.
Whalen – Finally made the field at the end of the year. Was Andrew Luck’s #1 target in college. Not fast and doesn’t have a huge vertical, but he runs crisp, precise routes, reads the defense well and catches everything thrown to him. Whalen may be the answer at #2. I think 2012 will tell us a lot.
Finley – I think Finley is the wildcard. He was a stud at Baylor and really took that team on his shoulders after RG III injured his knee. Finley showed signs in practice of being that game breaker the Bengals need but it didn’t translate to the field in preseason. Finley may simply have been a victim of the numbers game at RB. In 2012 with Ced gone and Scott’s future in doubt it is time for Finley to shine. I really don’t think we can discount the fact that our future RB may have been on the PS all year.

You wonder about the future of many draft classes, but I think the Bengals 2011 draft will have a clear future during the 2012 season. Either these guys will be on the team and contributing or they’ll be gone.