The draft is over and more and more draft grades are rolling in. Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Bengals a rare A, Adam Caplan gave them a B and Pete Prisco gave them a solid B. Our very own Joe Goodberry gave the Bengals a B+.
SB Nation is handing out draft report cards as well. While they say that the biggest winners in the AFC were the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens, both earning A's, the Bengals were one of only four teams that earned a grade of B+.
The Bengals hit it well with their first four picks. A.J. Green was the best prospect available this year, and looks like he'll be a special player at the NFL level. The team got the quarterback it wanted in Andy Dalton (though it'd be to the team's benefit if, like they did with Carson Palmer, they found a way to let Dalton sit for a year). Dontay Moch was a great pick in the third round, and Clint Boling was a better pick in the fourth. This was a great draft for Cincinnati, who really needed it.
Right now the Bengals are definitely in the top quarter of their class. If they graduated today, they'd probably graduate with honors, making their mother and father very proud. Hopefully they can take that fancy draft grade and use it to compete throughout the season for the top spot in the AFC North.