If you stayed with us all weekend you got a ton of information shoved down your throats. We not only talked about each draft pick in depth but we updated you on the lockout, we discussed the coaches feelings over each draft picks, the early draft picks press conferences and even wrote about where the Bengals might turn next when the lockout comes to an end.
All in all, we ran over 100 articles from the beginning of the draft weekend to the end. We know that's a lot, but you have to understand how exciting draft weekend is for us. If you missed something, and there's almost a 100 percent chance that you have, here's a quick recap of the weekend.
First we wrote that Georgia's A.J. Green was on top of the Bengals' big board and then, of course we broke the news that the Bengals selected the wide receiver in the first round of the draft. After the news of the Green selection broke, we found out another interesting tidbit of information: a trade between the Bengals and Falcons fell through at the last second. The Falcons wanted A.J. Green but when the deal fell through, they traded picks with the Browns to select Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones. Joe Reedy later Tweeted that the trade fell through because the Bengals felt what the Falcons were offering was undervalued. Even though the Bengals didn't trade down with the Falcons like many people felt like they should, they still got the player they wanted in Green.
Before the second round the draft began, we wrote a few articles speculating who the Bengals would select. We talked about Ryan Mallett's quote that he would reward the team that drafted him, about A.J. Green's arrival in Cincinnat and how he's a man of few words. We also discussed the possibility of the Bengals selecting Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the third round, that the Bengals had Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller high on their draft board and why the Bengals would likely pass on Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers in the second round.
We also reported about Even Mathis' Tweeting that he wasn't happy in Cincinnati, we discussed the theory of selecting value over need in the draft and discussed Andre Caldwells role with the team and how Green's selection affects him. We also wrote about the possibility that Mike Brown could soften his stance on trading Carson Palmer, that Green could be a better receiver than Jones because of his hands and we updated you on the NFL labor situation. We also broke the news that the Bengals attempted to trade up into the first round with the Packers so they could select TCU quarterback Andy Dalton.
Then of course we broke the news that the Bengals did indeed select TCU quarterback Andy Dalton but we wondered who in the organization made the call to select him with the No. 35 overall pick. After we rejoiced that the Bengals got the quarterback they wanted, we dampened the mood with the news that the NFL lockout was back in effect. But, just in time, Dalton let us know that he is a good leader and knows what it takes to push guys.
In the third round, we broke the news that the Bengals selected Nevada outside linebacker Dontay Moch, and we wrote that he could instantly improve the Bengals pass rush. We learned that seven Bengals showed up at Paul Brown Stadium in the period of time that they were allowed before the lockout when back into effect, that Marvin Lewis is confident that Dalton could be the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season, especially since the team plans to move on without Carson Palmer.
Before the third day of the draft began, we wrote a whole slew of articles about different draft analysts and their feelings on the Bengals first three draft picks. Vic Carruci believed that the Bengals panicked when selecting Dalton, Pete Prisco gave the Bengals a B-, Gil Brandt felt the Bengals selection of Dalton was the best pick in the draft, Mel Kiper was excited about the Bengals picks, and John Clayton said that the Bengals were the winners of the second day of the draft. Then came the news that the Bengals selected Georgia guard Clint Boling in the fourth round of the draft.
That's when the Bengals picks started to fly by. We barely had any time to analyze the Boling pick (we liked it a lot) before we found out that the Bengals selected West Virginia safety Robert Sands in the fifth round. We didn't know much about Sands at first but John Thornton believes that he can be a starter in 2011.
In the sixth round, we broke the news that the Bengals selected Stanford wide receiver Ryan Whalen, and we talked about how he will improve the depth of the receivers corps but we wondered how he would fit into the Bengals depth chart.
With their first pick in the seventh round, the Bengals selected Southern Illinois cornerback Korey Lindsey and we wrote how he will improve the depth of the cornerback position in Cincinnati. Then, with their last pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected Baylor running back Jay Finley. Before the grades rolled in, we wrote that the new youthful Bengals will bring excitement to Bengals fans.
While we handed out our own draft awards, experts began to give out their draft day report cards. Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Bengals a rare A. Todd McShay said the Bengals did a good job in not reaching for a quarterback. Adam Caplan gave the Bengals a B. Our own Joe Goodberry gave the Bengals a B+. Pete Prisco gave the Bengals a B.
The day after the draft changed our focus to analysis of the future of the Bengals. We wrote that the Bengals have shifted their focus to the future and not the past, that it's imperative that the Bengals re-sign running back Cedric Benson, we talked about the possibility that the Bengals may think about signing a veteran quarterback and we even threw a few QB names out there that the Bengals may think about. We also speculated that the Bengals may believe that they can and will re-sign Johnathan Joseph since they didn't address the quarterback position high in the draft.
Finally, we reported that Jordan Palmer wants his shot at competing for the starting quarterback job on the Bengals offense and Josh made his prediction for the 2012 Bengals draft pick.
If you stuck around with us throughout the entire draft, we thank you and you're a trooper. If not, I hope this recap helped. Also, if you attended Cincy Jungle's first NFL Draft party, thanks for supporting us and I hope you had fun. We'll have a Draft Party recap post up soon.