2008 NFL Draft Re-Do: Bengals Select Chris Johnson

NFL Draft re-do's mean next to nothing, well they actually mean nothing. However, they are fun to read and talk about. In this version by NFL.com's Elliot Harrison, the Bengals select current Tennessee Titans running back, Chris Johnson with the ninth overall pick.

The 2008 draft netted the Bengals Keith Rivers in the first round. Rivers has had a solid career, but was expected to make more of an impact coming out of Southern California. Chris Johnson has certainly made the impact that few expected coming out of East Carolina. Johnson was taken by the Titans with the 24th overall pick, going higher than many expected. Johnson made headlines when he ran a 4.24 forty at the Scouting Combine, the fastest forty time ever recorded. In this re-do, the Bengals select Johnson, who is the first running back off the board. In the actual 2008 draft, Raider running back Darren McFadden was the first back selected.

If the Bengals had selected Johnson with the ninth pick in 2008, things would likely be a lot different. Johnson would mean that the Bengals would not have to use a high pick in this years draft on a running back, something they are likely to do. The Bengals would certainly have big running plays, something that lacked last year. Of course, there is also the possibility that Johnson would not have succeeded in Cincinnati. Even if he did have the same amount of success that he has had in Tennessee, would the Bengals have given him the big contract that the Titans gave him? The Titans recently gave Johnson 30 million guaranteed. Unless you are in possession of a time machine, there is no way in knowing how different things would have been with Johnson. For now, let's focus on the team getting better during the 2012 draft.