Bengals Bytes (4/4): Grading the 2015 NFL Draft

2015 NFL Draft: Grading the Cincinnati Bengals' picks
Looking back at the Bengals' 2015 draft: grading what went right, wrong and what could have been. There's really no question this turned into one of, if not the most disappointing draft class of the Marvin Lewis era. Unless someone like Jake Fisher can take a major step forward, this is going to be a class that haunts Cincinnati for at least one more year.

Players looking for a heads-up
Bengals safety Shawn Williams on the NFL's new helmet rule: "Just let us play. We’ll try to keep it safe the best we can, but at the end of the day you still have to make tackles.” The one that bans lowering the head to initiate contact with the helmet, which had Williams and Vigil still flummoxed on Monday, six days after it became law.

Top 10 A.J. Green plays of 2017 season
Check out the best plays from Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green from his 2017 season. While the Bengals' offense struggled mightily at times, Green still had plenty of highlight-reel plays that make this a fun highlight package to watch for Bengals fans.

AFC North Bytes

Ravens set to hold pre-draft press conference on Wednesday - Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens are set to hold a pre-draft press conference on Wednesday, April 4 at 11:45 a.m. ET. General Manager Ozzie Newsome will be accompanied by Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta, Head Coach John Harbaugh, and Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz.

Steelers dine with Leighton Vander Esch before the Boise State Pro Day
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent some extra time with Leighton Vander Esch prior to his Pro Day. Vander Esch is a compelling figure, and many have strong opinions as to why they love, or hate, him as a potential prospect.

What the Cleveland Browns are saying about the top QBs in the draft
With the draft just weeks away, we share what the Browns had to say about top prospects Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield. The Browns conducted private workouts with Mayfield and Rosen in addition to attending their pro days. They will not hold private workouts with Allen or Darnold, but they did attend both quarterbacks' pro days.

Examining the real holes in the Steelers’ defensive roster
Time to take a realistic look at the real holes in the Steelers roster. Ryan Shazier was supposed to be ‘the man’ for the Steelers’ defense, and until that Monday night game in Cincinnati, he was just that for the Pittsburgh defense. What's next?

Random Bytes

Quavo’s Huncho Day celebrity football game
Quavo of the Migos kicked off his 27th birthday by giving back to children and fans at Berkmar High School in Norcross, Georgia, an area becoming known as “The Nawf.” The closed-to-the-public event was for teachers, faculty and students of Berkmar High School. Held on Easter Sunday, it started with an Easter egg hunt, face painting, contests and bounce houses before Team Huncho faced off against Team Julio in touch football. Coach 2 Chainz led Team Huncho with a stacked deck of hip-hop artists and athletes, from Quavo, Offset and 21 Savage to Alvin Kamara, Von Miller, A.J. Green and Todd Gurley. Team Julio, coached by Julio Jones, had Ezekiel Elliott, Martellus Bennett, Jacquees, and Josh Norman, among others.

Baker Mayfield’s Motivation: Anger Against Slights
Criticism has constantly served as fuel for the reigning Heisman winner. But some—including two NFL superstars and a famous draft bust—believe that’s not the way to go about it in the NFL.

Will the Bills have the NFL's worst quarterbacks in 2018?
The Bills' brass might say that they'd be comfortable at quarterback with AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman. The numbers on that don't look great. If the Bills keep the status quo and do not select a quarterback high in the draft, they would have statistically one of the NFL's worst starters (McCarron) and possibly the league's worst backup (Peterman). Both offer youth and upside, but history among late-round quarterbacks suggests an uphill battle for either to become a viable long-term NFL starter.

NFL Teams Would Be Wise Not to Overpay for Odell Beckham Jr. on Trade Market
Over his first three seasons with the New York Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. posted the most receptions (288) and was the most-targeted receiver (457) in NFL history. However, a myriad of issues should have teams weary of giving up a lot of assets for him.

Stedman Bailey: I'll show world 'I can't be stopped'
Stedman Bailey faces long odds of returning to the NFL after being shot in the head in 2015. The former Rams receiver, however, isn't giving up hope his comeback story will have a happy ending.