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Would it be surprising if the Bengals had targeted Russell Bodine as the best center in the 2014 NFL draft?
Despite Colorado State's Weston Richburg (second round by the NY Giants), USC's Marcus Martin (third round by the San Francisco 49ers), Arkansas' Travis Swanson (third round by the Detroit Lions) and Florida State's Bryan Stork (fourth round by the New England Patriots) being drafted before Bodine, the Bengals elected to trade up 12 spots to select Russel Bodine at No. 111 overall.
"Greg Seamon, the Bengals’ East Coast scout, has high grades on Bodine and loves the nasty streak and leadership abilities he flashed at Chapel Hill," writes Geoff Hobson with Bengals.com, writing a story that argue against trading up to sacrifice selections in the mid-rounds. "Long-time Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander thinks he can play right away. Tobin, coordinating the draft from the back of the room with his laptop, his land line, and a cell phone, also has a good grade on him."
| NO. | ROUND | OVERALL | NAME | TEAM | COLLEGE | STARTS | PFF GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 43 | Weston Richburg* | Giants | Colorado State | 15 | -14.3 (130th) |
| 2 | 3 | 70 | Marcus Martin | 49ers | USC | 8 | -17.1 (65th) |
| 3 | 3 | 76 | Travis Swanson | Lions | Arkansas | 5 | +1.3 (18th) |
| 4 | 4 | 105 | Bryan Stork | Patriots | Florida State | 11 | -4.7 (45th) |
| 5 | 4 | 111 | Russell Bodine | Bengals | North Carolina | 16 | -13.8 (62nd) |
| 6 | 5 | 161 | Corey Linsley | Packers | Ohio State | 16 | +10.0 (5th) |
| 7 | 6 | 205 | Luke Bowanko | Jaguars | Virginia | 14 | -9.2 (57th) |
| 8 | 6 | 207 | Matthew Paradis | Broncos | Boise State | 0 | -- |
| 9 | 7 | 250 | Demetrius Rhaney | Rams | Tennessee State | 0 | -- |
* Played guard