NFL Draft review — The time is now for the Cincinnati Bengals

Over the course of their franchise history, the Cincinnati Bengals have rarely been relevant in terms of the playoffs or winning seasons.

Lately though, the team has had a major turnaround making the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. This turnaround is largely credited to the offensive play of Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green and quarterback, Andy Dalton.

In the three seasons the two have been on the Bengals, they have improved their record each season going 9-7, 10-6 and finally 11-5 this past season. Despite the regular season success they’ve had, the Bengals have failed to win a playoff game. In fact, the franchise hasn’t won a postseason game in almost 25 years.

Could 2014 finally be the year Andy Dalton leads the Bengals to a playoff win?  By emeybee (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

The 2014-2015 season will mark the fourth year of the Dalton era. While the signal caller has played well during the regular season, he and the rest of his team have faltered come playoff time. The Bengals front office has shown general improvement in getting productive players onto the field. What success the Bengals have had can be attributed largely to the draft. The 2014 NFL Draft was no different as the Bengals drafted very well, yet again.

Draft Picks

The Bengals’ first pick (Round 1, 24th overall) was cornerback, Darqueze Dennard, aka “No Fly Zone,” from Michigan State who will most definitely shore-up their secondary. The defensive backfield has been the only thing keeping the Bengals from being a top-five defense.

In the second round (55th pick overall), the Black and Orange made a surprising selection by taking LSU running back Jeremy Hill. Hill’s combination of ground-and-pound style of running and speed will make for a great duo with Giovani Bernard. The Bengals’ entire draft can be seen here, but the most intriguing draft pick was the fifth-round selection of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron.

Coming into the draft it was speculated the Bengals would select a quarterback in case Dalton messed-up again in the postseason. McCarron won two titles while at Alabama and is considered one of the smartest and most accurate passers in the draft. The Bengals got a steal of a player at quarterback by selecting McCarron in the fifth round and he will play with a chip on his shoulder after dropping so low.

Outlook on the 2014-2015 season

The Bengals won the AFC North division in 2013-14, but repeating won’t be an easy task. The Ravens, Browns and Steelers all improved their teams from a season ago and the Bengals play a tough schedule. Their October could be considered the month of death for the Bengals as they play at New England, at home against Carolina, at Indianapolis and finally home against Baltimore. Despite it being early in the season, that month could determine the Bengals’ fate as it pits them against three top teams in the AFC.

Although the Bengals play a tough schedule, they are playing it for a reason and that is because they are a good team. Based on whom they play and where they play the games, my prediction for the Bengals is an 11-5 record for the second straight year. They have their bye week early-on in the season (week 4) so the end of the season will be a grind, but maybe this is the year that they finally win a playoff game for the first time since 1990.