ESPN Insider reviews the 2004 NFL draft. First, the Bengals selections that year:
| Pick/Round/Overall | Player | Status |
| 1/1/26 | Chris Perry | Still on the team. Multiple injuries has limited his playing time. |
| 2/2/49 | Keiwan Ratliff | Still on the team. Potential starter at the time, now Ratliff struggles to move up on the depth chart. |
| 3/2/56 | Madieu Williams | Still on the team. A very versatile player in the secondary, Williams is one of the best players on this defense. |
| 4/3/80 | Caleb Miller | Still on the team. Mostly a special teams player. Has started when injury and conduct issues plagued the linebacker corp. |
| 5/3/96 | Landon Johnson | Still on the team. An incredibly durable player that's consistent. While not a great linebacker, Johnson has shown to be a great contributor. |
| 6/4/114 | Matthias Askew | Cut from the team. While he was cut soon after his arrest, Askew struggled to find any playing time. Unknown if he joined another team or their practice squad. |
| 7/4/117 | Robert Geathers | Still on the team. Geathers came into his own in 2006 as a pass-rushing specialist. |
| 8/4/123 | Stacy Andrews | Still on the team. When drafted, Andrews was considered a "project". Three years later, Andrews has proven to be a valuable backup. |
| 9/5/149 | Maurice Mann | No longer on team. After put on the practice squad, Mann was released after training camp in 2004. He signed with Miami's active roster, but remained inactive. Has since played on Seattle's practice squad and now plays with the Vikings. |
| 10/6/183 | Greg Brooks | Still on team. Brooks, like Perry, has limited playing time due to injury. Has shown to be a good backup cornerback and special teams player. |
| 11/7/218 | Casey Bramlet | No longer on team. Bramlet was the #3 QB in 2004 and eventually the backup after Palmer went down. He was released prior to the 2005 season playing in NFLe. He was signed by the Redskins in 2006, but released after preseason completed. |
With 11 total players drafted, eight remain on the team. Williams, Johnson and Geathers have been the best contributors while Perry's potential still remains high -- provided he escapes injury. Ratliff, Miller, Brooks and Andrews are good depth guys. This draft really signified building the team after Lewis' personnel turnover project.
ESPN Insider says of the draft:
This was an exceptional draft for the Bengals, who currently are getting fine production from numerous players from this class. Second-round FS Madieu Williams is one of the better players in the league at his position. Third-round OLBs Caleb Miller and Landon Johnson are valuable members of Cincinnati's linebacker corps. Fourth-round DE Robert Geathers has recently come into his own as a pass-rusher. And fourth-round OG Stacy Andrews is a high-quality backup who is beginning to reach his potential. First-round RB Chris Perry could be a questionable pick, because Rudi Johnson already was in the fold, but when healthy, Perry has added a dimension as a pass catcher that Johnson simply can't provide. Second-round CB Keiwan Ratliff also has seen the field quite a bit since his draft day, but he cannot be considered starting material, mostly due to his marginal speed. From top to bottom, this was an extremely solid effort for the Bengals, who did an outstanding job of manipulating the board, moving down and acquiring picks that they used wisely. They received production from each player selected on Day 1 and found some gems on Day 2.
Mel Kiper said at the time:
I was a little critical of their selection of Chris Perry, but the Bengals will get a nice second option to go behind Rudi Johnson. Kieran Ratliff is a big-play corner while Madieu Williams made sense at the safety spot. Caleb Miller is a productive linebacker while Matthias Askew made some things happen at Michigan State and could be a force with some experience and coaching. Stacy Andrews is a project at tackle who could pay dividends in two years. Maurice Mann is an underrated wideout and Greg Brooks could develop into a nice nickelback. I like what Marvin Lewis did to help his defense.