![]() ![]() ![]() There were 18 linebackers last year with at least 90 tackles and 50 stops (tackle for offensive failure). The real eye-popper, however, was that among 23 linebackers last season with at least 90 tackles, Wilson led the NFL with a 4 percent missed tackle rate. He graded in the top 10 among all defenders from his draft class last season, by PFF. People consistently overlook how well Wilson played last year. Those types of attributes paying off with Burrow-Higgins-Wilson set precedent for why the Bengals continue to go back to them. Also, another captain and culture fit to go along with the theme of this draft and seemingly every draft since. He would combine with Germaine Pratt to fix a position broken for years in Cincinnati. Upon selecting Higgins, there was little thought Wilson would still remain on the board at 65, but sometimes the draft dice are rolling in your favor. Grade: A+ Third round (65): Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming ![]() His future salary is about to reflect that. Outside of Jalen Hurts at 53 overall, you’ll have a tough time convincing me there was a more impactful player selected outside the first round that year. Higgins’ selection is an intersection of great process and great results. The discipline shown in realizing Higgins’ fit and resisting the overwhelming urge to move back in what turned out to be a blah second round is what makes this pick even better, in retrospect (and adds to benefit of the doubt in the future). They did it three drafts in a row, didn’t have any extra picks and needed to stockpile talent. There was a prominent thought the Bengals would use one of their favorite moves and trade back in the second round, having all day to field calls. They weren’t disillusioned by poor testing at Higgins’ pro day which connected to an injury and pandemic concerns to get it in, as well as grasping he didn’t need to run at a top speed to be a premier target for Burrow. But they were targeting the notable receiver depth of this class. Green would return to form on the franchise tag and held a glimmer of hope John Ross could find his No. The Bengals badly needed an off-ball linebacker and offensive line help. All you had to do was use the turn signal, stop at the red light, obey the speed limit and make the layup. It was just merely one of the biggest moments of your young life. This wasn’t hard then and isn’t hard looking back on it now. Then all you had to do was hop in the car with the designated judge from the BMV and drive around the block. You completed the classes, logged practice hours, and the written test answers were essentially given to you if the instructor was worth his salt. Remember when you took the test to get your driver’s license? Nothing about it was hard in retrospect. Time to offer grades, superlatives and takeaways relating to the 2023 draft looking back on a defining three days for the Zac Taylor-Duke Tobin partnership. In fact, I’ll argue this was the best Bengals draft class since the 2011 CBA reset the rookie wage scale. The two drafts and free agency periods since became unparalleled hauls across the league that used the momentum from Burrow to reach the Super Bowl and an AFC Championship Game.īut it all started here in a draft where pieces and personalities fell perfectly into place. With one year to assess the landscape - or in this case, rubble - of a 2-14 season and organizational rebuild deeper than they imagined, these two months marked where the new coaching staff and front office needed to emerge and prove they not only know what they are doing but also are capable of executing it to the point of setting a leaguewide example. This organization found its new sense of self over these three days. That’s not the case this year (well, don’t worry, I’ll still point out a few missteps) because this draft will forever be remembered for two reasons.Ģ. I typically enjoy filling the column with pithy jokes about whiffed picks, Pro Bowlers passed on and enough sliding-door moments to rethink nearly every decision since.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |