In the 2010 draft, the Bengals used their third-round pick on cornerback Brandon Ghee out of Wake Forest. The selection of Ghee gave the Bengals some more depth at the cornerback position as the Bengals staff had surely hoped that Ghee would be able to contribute right away. That's not an unrealistic expectation to have of a third-round pick. After all, the team's other four draft picks, Jermaine Gresham, Carlos Dunlap, Jordan Shipley and Geno Atkins, in the first four rounds all contributed immediately and all of them, with the exception of Shipley, still are.
Things didn't work out that way for Ghee, though. In 2010 he only played in six games, taking his snaps on special teams, and suffered several minor injuries. In 2011 he suffered through a couple injuries in the preseason and was placed on the practice squad through the first half of the season. He was eventually brought to the active roster in the last half of the season, making one special teams tackle. Finally, in 2012, Ghee suffered a wrist injury and was placed on injured reserve, missing the entire season.
Ghee has one more chance. Along with Shaun Prater, Ghee will be looking to actually get on the field and make a name for himself in the secondary. The Bengals are strapped at depth in the secondary. There's Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick, who missed the majority of his rookie season due to injuries, but Adam Jones and Terence Newman are both free agents.
The Bengals are likely going to try to re-sign both Jones and Newman, but Ghee should still have a chance to compete early in camp for a spot on the field. If he plays well and has a good season, the Bengals could bring him back for the 2014 season and beyond and have a solid secondary for the next few years. However, if Ghee is injured again or if he struggles on the field, he'll likely be released and then fade away as just another player who didn't quite hash out.
2013 is a big year for Ghee. When players are put in his situation where it's do or die, the good players do. Hopefully Ghee is one of those players.