Colin Cowherd criticizes Bengals for drafting John Ross

Colin Cowherd is at it again. It is no secret that Cowherd isn’t a big fan of the Bengals or Andy Dalton, to the point he even he admitted on his show he has gone too far with criticizing the quarterback, but has gone on to continue criticizing Dalton regardless.

The Bengals are also still in his sights for criticism as he attacked the Bengals, Chargers and Titans for their first round round wide receiver selections in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Of the three teams mentioned, he was by far the most critical of the Bengals and Dalton’s weak arm, which he doesn’t believe will cater well to Ross’ strengths. Cowherd mentions Corey Davis (the Titans’ Round 1 pick) having issues with drops, and he asks whether that move will put the Titans over the top. He doesn’t even really say anything negative about the Chargers he just says “they draft good players”, despite being the team that took the first wide receiver off the board in the top 10.

“Wide receivers are the convertible sports cars of the NFL,” Cowherd says. “Once it gets cold and windy, you’ve gotta put it in the garage and football in this league is controlled post-Thanksgiving... And most first round wide receivers, they’re speed guys. That’s why they go high. Because they’re flashy and look good on tape... I don’t think wide receivers translate to wins and I think there’s lots of them.”

The addition of Ross is actually a bigger deal for this offense than Cowherd alludes to. Cowherd often is critical of Dalton needing talent around him, and this move ensures Dalton has all the talent he needs surrounding him. The deep threat Ross provides actually opens up the offense for everyone else as well. Not to mention, he is far more than just a deep threat.

Cowherd gets paid to make some pretty hot takes, but this one is just wrong. His whole argument seems to be based on two things. The first, the Patriots don’t draft receivers in the first round. He even cites them trading a first round pick for Brandin Cooks. Can you guess when Cooks was drafted? The Saints traded up to the 20th pick in the 2014 draft to select him. Also, the Patriots build their team very differently than the Bengals. They are far more active with trading for players and bringing in outside free agents. They are just as human as the rest of the league as far as drafting, and to treat them as if everyone should do what they do is silly.

The second, first round receivers don’t have playoff success. He goes back to the 2014 class where guys like Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., Kelvin Benjamin and ironically enough, Cooks, went in the first round. Then, he said how only one of those players’ teams made the playoffs in 2016. This is hand picking stats to support his claim when there are obvious instances to disprove it. The most obvious is Julio Jones and the Falcons. All we heard during the playoffs was how dominant Jones was. Would the Falcons have made it to the Super Bowl if they didn’t trade up to take Jones in the top 10? Probably not.

Cowherd may feel first round receivers don’t make an impact, but, they are like any other position. Some make a huge impact (A.J. Green, Jones) and some players will fail to meet expectations. But let’s ask The Texans, Cowboys and Giants how valuable DeAndre Hopkins, Dez Bryant, and Beckham are. Not to mention, we feel pretty good about the Green Round 1 pick from 2011, too.

Cowherd’s hot take is really just an attempt to stir the pot and praise the Patriots, while trolling the rest of teams who opt to draft Round 1 wide receivers.