SB Nation's Dan Kadar went through the first round of the NFL Draft and graded each team's performance. According to him, the Bengals earned a B+, which was the second best in the division.
Cincinnati Bengals
Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
By adding Eifert, the Bengals will have some dangerous two tight end sets with Jermaine Gresham on the field. Eifert is a good weapon that will help the development of Andy Dalton. He'll be a factor in the red zone and can split out wide.
Grade: B+
Eifert isn't as much of a replacement for Gresham as he is another weapon for Andy Dalton. With the way productive offenses, like the Patriots, have used two tight ends to move the ball down the field, the Bengals have a blue print how to use Gresham and Eifert at the same time. The Bengals have been to the playoffs in three of the last four years and they have a very strong and talented core of players. They have afforded themselves the luxury of selecting the best player available, which they did Thursday night. Expect them to draft more for need in Friday's second and third rounds.
As for the rest of the division, the Ravens earned a B- for their selection of Florida Safety Matt Elam at No. 32 and the Browns earned a B for their selection of LSU outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo at No. 6.
The only team that graded higher than the Bengals was the Steelers, who earned an A+ for picking Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones at No. 17.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
The Steelers weren't flashy in the first round. They didn't trade up or down. They weren't even being talked about to move off the 17th pick. Instead, the Steelers sat back and let Jones, the most natural 3-4 pass rusher in the draft, slide to them. In the Pittsburgh system, Jones is an easy upgrade over James Harrison. He's the kind of player that can get 10 sacks as a rookie and make the Pro Bowl.
Grade: A+
Of course, Jones is James Harrison's replacement. Harrison signed with the Bengals before the draft and is expected to start at SAM.
The Bengals are considered by many to be the most complete team in the AFC North, thanks to their core of talented, young players and the amount of money they had under the cap at the beginning of the new league year. If the Bengals continue to make solid selections throughout the rest of the draft, they could find themselves with a great chance at making another postseason run.