When NO traded up and grabbed Sedrick Ellis the Bengals draft board went slightly haywire. Ellis was the apple of their eye and would have filled a major need. Rivers gives them another active linebacker. Rivers is super athletic. He needs to work on maintaining football discipline. He takes questionable angles at times and often over pursues. Can run down plays, covers a lot of ground, and flies to the football. The right pick for the Bengals with the players left on the board.

Pick Grade: A

46 Jerome Simpson (46) WR Coastal Carolina

FCS level player. Has good size and hands. Excellent body control and leaping ability. Could develop into a jump ball/fade route demon.  Can go up and get the ball and was dominant at the FCS level. Needs to work on getting stronger and improve his route running. Probably taken a half round too high. However, with the problems Chad Johnson is creating it's important that they get a receiver they like since the 85 situation is very much unknown at this time.

Pick Grade : B

77 Pat Sims (77) DT Auburn

Cincy hasn't been able to stop the run in ages. They needed to address that and the answer needs to start at the DL. They've had a defection of players this year and need young blood. Sims is a guy who struggles to anchor and needs to get stronger. He also needs to improve his ability to shed blockers. He is very productive when he is able to shoot the gap. He fits best as a one gap penetrator.

Pick Grade: C

97C Andre Caldwell (97C) WR Florida

Good straight line speed. Caldwell is a good worker and will compete for the ball in a crowd. Has better route running skills than most WRs who have historically come out of FL. May see the field on fly patterns and go patterns to start off. Should compliment TJ Houshmanzadeh quite well. Has some KR ability and should see immediate action on STs. Has had some injury issues in the past so he needs to show he can stand the rigors of the NFL. Good pick value at this spot.

Pick Grade: A-

112 Anthony Collins (112) OT Kansas

All the measurables you want at tackle. Has nice long arms. Very raw. Needs to polish his technique and mechanics. Needs to get stronger and show he has the work ethic and desire to succeed at the next level. Slid slightly due to work ethic concerns. A risk worth taking at this point, but will need some time to develop. Bengals questionable locker room may not be the best environment. Levi Brown is making noise about wanting to leave so this was a need. Collins better be ready to come in and work hard.

Pick Grade: C

145 Jason Shirley (145) DT Fresno State

A disruptive inside force. Is able to clear guards and shoot a gap. Can anchor against the run and will fit into the 4-3 scheme the Bengals run. Eats up blockers. A second round value. On the downside, this kid has serious character issues. Was suspended for his first few games of his SR year at Fresno and then reinstated and promptly went out and got a drunk driving accident and fled. I don't think with all the problems Marvin Lewis has had with questionable characters he should have been taken. I believe the kid needs a second chance. However, the Bengals are the last team that should be offering it.

Pick Grade: F

177 Corey Lynch (177) S Appalachian State

Super productive at the FCS level. Good character. Has sneaky speed and good strength. The type of kid you want on your team and will do whatever it takes to make the roster. Always around the ball. Fills a need and should make an immediate impact of STs and in certain passing situations. Decent pick value at this point.

Pick Grade: B

207C Matt Sherry (207C)TE Villanova

A small school kid who did everything well at Villanova. A slight reach at this spot. Should be a practice squad candidate and needs to improve his blocking. Showed good YAC and surprising speed. Nice hands.

Pick Grade: C

244C Angelo Craig (244C) DE Cincinnati

A DE in college who will probably be asked to stand up and play OLB. Will need to show that he can drop into coverage. Is able to penetrate but too small to play DE at this level. Must show he can contribute on STs and is realistically a practice squad candidate.

Pick Grade: C

246C Mario Urrutia (246C) WR Louisville

Big WR with long arms. Has had a very productive college career. Needs to work on route running and concentration as he has had his share of drops. Needs a sense of urgency about him when it comes to working hard and mastering his craft. At 220 lbs. he is probably too light to ever move to TE or H back. Good value at this point.

Pick Grade: B

Summary:

The Bengals did a good job of filling the many holes free agency seems to produce. They went heavy on defense which has been the achilles heel of this team. They can't simply plan on putting up 40+ points a game. I am curious to see how a couple of these picks will do in the Bengals locker room. They seemed to make good value picks with the exception of a few picks, but those were slight reaches for needs and players they obviously wanted. The Shirley pick is a character reach and a measure of disfunction by the organization.

Overall Grade: C+, would have been a B if not for the Shirley pick.