The Bengals made waves in the 2011 NFL draft when they were able to pick wide receiver A.J. Green with the No. 4 overall pick and then they hung in there without trading up and got their quarterback, Andy Dalton, in the second round. Of course those two players went on to start a combined 31 games and they led the Bengals offense all the way to the playoffs and both players are likely in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
But what about the rest of the draft picks? There were six other players that the Bengals selected and even though a couple of them contributed to the team's 2011 season, they did little to nothing compared to Green and Dalton. Here's how their seasons went.
Third-Round Pick (No. 66): Linebacker Dontay Moch
There was high hopes for Dontay Moch, who was selected out of the University of Nevada. Many were somewhat surprised about the pick but when people learned of his athleticism, his ridiculous speed and his potential to be an outstanding pass rusher, many were excited. Unfortunately, Moch suffered a foot injury in the team's preseason opener and wasn't able to return to practice until October. Due to his foot injury and suffering from migraines, Mock wasn't actually able to practice enough to be active for a game until the last two weeks of the season. Mock didn't accumulate any stats at all in his rookie season but hopefully he is fully healthy and able to make in on the field in 2012 and develop into an effective pass rusher in the NFL.
Fourth-Round Pick (No. 101): Guard Clint Boling
Clint Boling came into an interesting situation in Cincinnati. Starting right guard Bobbie Williams was suspended for the first four games of the 2011 season because of a violation of the league's performance enhancing substances policy and Boling was the favorite to start. Boling started the first three games but he was pulled in the third game in favor of Mike McGlynn. He took a total of 171 snaps in 2011 and had a final ProFootballFocus.com rating of -1.8 in pass blocking and -3.9 in run blocking. He didn't allow any sacks but he did allow five quarterback pressures. Once Williams came back, Boling was inactive for most of the season until Williams went out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle. Boling was back on the active game-day roster after Williams went on IR, but McGlynn got all the snaps. The guard position needs to be upgraded in the offseason and Boling will have another shot in 2012 to prove that he deserves to be a starter.
Fifth-Round Pick (No. 134): Safety Robert Sands
Robert Sands was inactive through the majority of the season. After logging 10 tackles in the preseason, but he was inactive through the first 11 games of the season as he was behind Reggie Nelson and Gibril Wilson on the depth chart. He was activated for the team's Week 13 game in Pittsburgh and played on special teams but didn't accumulate any stats. Sands was then inactive for the rest of the season. Like the guard position, the safety position needs an upgrade. Sands will be given another shot to compete for a bigger role in the team's secondary in 2012.
Sixth-Round Pick (No. 167): Wide Receiver Ryan Whalen
Of all the 2011 draft picks not named Andy Dalton or A.J. Green, Ryan Whalen probably got the most attention, especially at the end of the season. Whalen was stuck behind Green, Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell, Andrew Hawkins for most of the season and he was behind Jordan Shipley early in the year. He was active in Week 3, but didn't accumulate any stats. He didn't catch a pass until the last few games of the season after Andre Caldwell was placed on IR. He finished the season with six catches for 51 yards including two catches in the playoff game. He can be an effective slot receiver and it will be interesting to see what the Bengals do with him when Jordan Shipley comes back in 2012.
Seventh-Round Pick (No. 207): Cornerback Korey Lindsey
Korey Lindsey was released by the Bengals after the preseason. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals and was active for the first four games of the season.
Seventh-Round Pick (No. 246): Running Back Jay Finley
Finley was also released after the preseason. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks but wasn't active for any games.
Hopefully the Bengals are able to get some production out of guys like Clint Boling, Dontay Moch, Robert Sands and Ryan Whalen in 2011 and it would be nice if they were able to get late-round draft picks in the 2012 draft that can produce for the team.