NFL Draft 2015: First-round grades and what they're saying

Paul Alexander expecting greatness from Ced
"I went through it with him when he was here. I said, ‘Now listen, Cedric,’" Alexander said. "My first tackle was Willie Anderson — All-Pro. My next tackle was Levi Jones, knocking on the door to the Pro Bowl. Then Stacy Andrews was the highest paid offensive tackle in the history of football when he left here. Then we got Andrew Whitworth in the Pro Bowl. Andre Smith is knocking on the door. Those are my tackles. Those are the tackles that have played for me. Then I told him I expect you to be just like them. And he got all fired up."

College Football Focus likes Bengals' pick
Could this have worked out much better for the Bengals? They don’t need Ogbuehi to start for at least a year and could swoop to pick up a guy who surely would have gone sooner but for concerns over a torn ACL. Instead they get to work him back at his own speed, likely as a backup in case something happens to Andrew Whitworth or Andre Smith before their contracts run out in 2016 while giving him some snaps as a sixth lineman as they’ve been known to.

Ogbuehi has the tools every offensive line coach would love to work with. He’s got great feet and mirrors extremely well in pass protection. He demonstrates patience in pass protection and while he doesn’t always play with the kind of fire you might like in a tackle, he’s the prototypical old school left-side guy. Ironing out some kinks should see him become a very good pass protector at the very least and it’s never a bad idea to have those around when pressure kills a quarterback’s efficiency. -- Khaled Elsayed

2015 NFL draft: Thumbs up, thumbs down analysis for first-round picks
A torn left ACL didn’t deter the Bengals from drafting Ogbuehi, who contends his recovery will be complete by training camp. A highly rated player, the move still falls flat for a team that’s desperate to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Ogbuehi’s addition won’t help the Bengals do that, primarily because he won’t play this season with Pro Bowler Andrew Whitworth getting the bulk of the snaps at left tackle, and Andre Smith playing right tackle. Thumbs down. -- Coley Harvey

Hobson's Choice: cashing house money
They were playing with house money in the first round. The tough rounds are going to be 2-4 as they try to find a regular tight end, a situational linebacker, and fast wide receiver.  But in the first round they could take what fell to them and the offensive tackles were the safest picks at the position with the most value. The Bengals simply gave the tackles the higher grades than the pass rushers.

Bengals tackle the future
The Bengals must have had Texas A&M left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi graded quite high Thursday night before the NFL Draft began. We know that because three top 10-type pass rushers were on the board when the Bengals went to pick at No. 21, including Kentucky defensive end Bud Dupree, nabbed by the Steelers at No. 22. "We were going to pick the next-best player, the next highest player we had graded in our order," said head coach Marvin Lewis.

Lewis, Alexander, Ogbuehi, Draft News Conference Transcript
"We are very pleased to be able to draft Cedric Ogbuehi. He has great upside in his play. Obviously we’ve got to get him healthy from the (knee) injury, but we really felt was a guy with tremendous potential and a tremendous future, and an opportunity to be very, very good. Being there at Texas A&M, he’s played both sides of the line — both tackles and guard — so there’s a lot of flexibility in his play in the past. He’s just a huge man, with big, long length and a huge (wing) span. You watch how he protects all the time, and he’s violent as a run-blocker. So we’re very, very pleased that he was there when we picked."

Draft News Conference Round 1: Lewis
Marvin Lewis Draft news conference for Round 1

Draft Day Call: Cedric Ogbuehi
ith the 21st pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Coach Marvin Lewis calls Cedric Ogbuehi to let him know he's the newest addition to the Bengals.

Draft News Conference Round 1: Alexander
Paul Alexander NFL Draft news conference for Round 1

2015 NFL draft analysis of every team's first-round pick
Andrew Whitworth has insisted that he’ll be able to maintain his starting left tackle job, but the 33-year-old’s career could be prolonged by a move to guard, where he was absolutely dominant filling in on the left side late in 2013.

2015 NFL Draft Results and Analysis: Round 1
Ogbuehi is recovering from a torn ACL, but he has very good natural tools for the offensive tackle position. He has an outstanding combination of length and quickness, including excellent mobility as a zone blocker, and he has very good awareness.

Leonard Williams' fall and other Day 1 observations from NFL Draft
One tackle option no longer available for Carolina is Cedric Ogbuehi. The Texas A&M standout was taken at No. 21 by Cincinnati. A source told FOX Sports that Ogbuehi would have been a top-five selection if not for a knee injury suffered late last season. Renowned Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander called Ogbuehi the draft's best pass protector and said he will initially be worked onto the field as a tight end in Cincinnati's jumbo packages.

Grades: 2015 NFL Draft Round 1
They said all along that they would pick a player who would not start this year. And they followed that plan. Ogbuehi now has time for him to recover from the ACL injury.

NFL Draft grades 2015: Results mixed but teams at the top score well
Had Ogbuehi not gotten injured in Texas A&M's bowl game, how high would he have gone in the draft? While he struggled some when playing left tackle for the Aggies last year, he excelled on the right side in 2013. He could eventually overtake Andre Smith for that job, assuming he adds some strength and bulk to his frame. The grade would be higher if I thought he'd be a factor earlier in his career. Grade: B-

2015 NFL draft: Cincinnati Bengals pick Cedric Ogbuehi
Ogbuehi was in the same Texas A&M recruiting class that brought the Aggies Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, and he's played guard and tackle at a very high level. There is concern about the ACL injury he suffered in A&M's Liberty Bowl win in December, but Cincinnati's in a position to redshirt Ogbuehi if need be and develop him into the team's next franchise left tackle.

Bengals draft offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi at No. 21
"I freaking love him," offensive line coach Paul Alexander said. "This guy has rare feet and athleticism that you see in the very best offensive lineman in the league. No chance we get this guy if he doesn't get hurt." Ogbuehi (Oh-bway-hee) played defense until late in his high school career and eventually manned four different positions at A&M. The Bengals believe that with his rare athleticism, he could play any of the five spots on the line in the NFL. He arrives as the eventual heir apparent to one of the tackle positions long term.

2015 NFL draft: Cincinnati Bengals pick OT Cedric Ogbuehi at No. 21
With a deep roster that features 20 returning starters, the Bengals were in the enviable position this year of not needing to draft for immediate impact players in the first round. As a result, their focus primarily needed to be on shoring up depth at a position they will need to replace in coming seasons. For that reason, taking Ogbuehi, who was tabbed one of the draft's top tackles despite dealing with an ACL injury, makes sense.

Bengals take tackle Cedric Ogbuehi with 21st overall pick
The Bengals felt they were in position to take a player in the first round who may not even play for them next season. Cincinnati was thinking long-term with the 21st overall pick in the draft on Thursday night, choosing offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi from Texas A&M even though he's coming off reconstructive knee surgery and is still months away from being able to play.