Bengals Bytes (5/5): Looking back

Strong side
Word is Andrew Billings is going to wear No. 75 for the Bengals, which is just about right, isn’t it? Before the Bengals took the Waco Weigh Station in the fourth round Saturday, he had already heard about two of their defensive tackles. Friday night’s discussion in Texas about Pro Bowler Geno Atkins had helped ease his concerns about slipping to the fourth round and he was aware how well former Bengal Devon Still wore the number during his daughter’s heroic conquest of cancer.

Bengals' Adam Jones graded William Jackson III draft's best CB
Jalen Ramsey impressed Adam Jones two weeks ago when Jones, the veteran Cincinnati Bengals cornerback, pulled up his college game tape ahead of the NFL draft. By comparison though, William Jackson III's game tape was so scintillating to Jones that he would practically jump up every time he saw the Houston Cougars cornerback bat away a pass. Once he saw the frequency with which Jackson was around the football, Jones became convinced of this: Jackson was the best cornerback in this NFL draft class.

Grading Bengals' 2013 draft
Everyone wants to grade the draft. This team failed. That team receives an A. Everyone feels good about themselves. It grabs clicks and offers base-less assessments of what happened this past weekend. Well, let’s not forget those words of wisdom among the tornado of draft grades spinning the NFL Internet to rubble.  One of the mantras constantly heard from front offices in the days after the draft is you can’t grade it immediately after Mr. Irrelevant. Any true grade of the draft can’t be judged until at least three years down the road.

Re-grading Bengals draft classes since 2009
Grades were handed out for this year's Bengals draft from numerous outlets, including by me on Local12.com, but those are only snap judgments of a player's potential at the time of the selection and the value of the pick. The accurate grades come when looking back a few years to see how those players panned out.

Random Bytes

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis
Everyone and their uncle has an opinion about their favorite team's draft class, but what did the media cognoscenti think about every team's weekend in Chicago? As we do every year, we have compiled snap reaction grades from several reputable draftniks for our review on which teams generated the best, worst, and most polarizing feedback following the draft. Previous NFL Draft Report Card Reports can be found here: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, and 2004.).

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians: "This will be my last job"
Part of the reason Bruce Arians seems to be enjoying himself so much is that he’s been liberated from worrying about the future. Having been through so many moves and coaching changes in his career, the 63-year-old Arians has a rare sense of self-awareness about his current situation, which allows him to appreciate the moment he’s in.

Johnny Manziel Turns Himself in on Domestic Violence Charge: Details, Mugshot
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel turned himself in to police Wednesday afternoon after he was indicted on an assault charge stemming from an alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend, according to Fox 4 News.   Fox 4 relayed Manziel's mugshot shortly after he posted $1,500 bond.

Rise of the AFC South: NFL's Most Ridiculed Division Might Soon Become Its Best
For a seven-year period between 2004 and 2010, the NFC West was the divisional laughingstock of the NFL . The division posted a .400 winning percentage during that span, with three of its four teams losing at least 16 more games than they won...

Pet tigers and Bentleys -- How NFL players mess up money from the start
Smooth rides, sharks, tigers, iced-out watches and fish tanks. Those are just a few examples of what guys in the NFL throw money at. And for the young players, the rookies, it can drain that bank account quickly.

Adrian Peterson of Minnesota Vikings donating more than $100K to flood-relief efforts in hometown of Palestine, Texas
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is donating more than $100,000 to relief efforts in his hometown of Palestine, Texas, after flash flooding destroyed dozens of houses and killed six people there over the weekend.

Cleveland Browns QB Robert Griffin III surprises high school team
Talk about a quarterback sneak. New Browns QB Robert Griffin III posed like a statue before surprising some unsuspecting high school football players Tuesday after the group was told they had just received $25,000 from the NFL team for new helmets and uniforms.