Shaping the Franchise

Most fans understand the importance of NFL teams building their teams through the draft. AS a Bengals fan I've seen everything the draft has to offer. From how a great rookie class can propel a team to greatness, and a bad class can set your team back for years. Now the Benglas will look to build through the draft like the great teams of the last decade have done.Two of the first teams that come to mind are the Patriots and Steelers, these two teams have done a great job at finding players deep in the draft year after year. The Bengals have always said they believe in following the blueprint of these successful franchises. While in the last several years the Cincinnati Bengals have done as good as good a job as any in the draft this years draft will go a long way in determining how this core group of players will perform over the next four or five years. 

Let's take a look back at the 2005 draft and you will see how one draft shapes a team for years to come. We all know the unfortunate turn of events that cut the careers' of David Pollack and Odell Thurman short. And a few years later in 2009 the passing of Chris Henry had narrowed the number of players from the 05' draft that still remained with the team to just one. That player was Johnathan Fanene and as of 2012 free agency he is now with the New England Patriots. In 2005 the Bengals finished 11-5 and won the AFC North division title. The Bengals looked as if they would be one of the better teams in the NFL for years to come due to the emergence of a young Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and the impact of an impressive rookie draft class.  The same thing can be said of the 2011 draft class, led by A.J. Green and Andy Dalton Bengals fans now have a restored hope in the franchise. With the team looking to continue building through the draft the Bengals cannot afford to have another draft slip up like the one in 2005. In the NFL one draft can have a large impact on how your team will perform for years to come. After 2005 we thought that the sky was the limit for where the team at the time go. As the 05' draft class began to fall apart so to did the  team as a whole. 

The Bengals are looking at two first round picks and with the picks at both slots 17 and 21 they should be careful who they draft. They need to fill their roster with solid players who can fit in with the young core that has been established. It is not very often when a young and upcoming team has the chance to add two first round picks to their roster and the Bengals can't afford to whiff during this year's draft.

While A.J and Andy have been a pleasant surprise after their successful rookie campaigns the team cannot afford to sit around and not draft great players to support them. With two first round picks the Bengals have a great chance to continue building around the foundation that they built last year. Without another strong draft class this year you could see this team slip back to a mediocre season hovering around .500 like they have so many times during Marvin Lewis's tenure. The team surprised a lot of people early on last season but now the league is on notice. The playoff loss to the Texans showed me that the team should draft for best player available rather than need. I say this because while the team has it's needs most glaringly at corner back, right guard, strong safety, and a number two receiver. This team needs to add a couple more play makers on either side of the ball if they want to reach the tier of great teams. This new era of Bengals football will be greatly shaped by the success or failure of the 2012 draft class due to the fact the team is now focused so heavily on building through the draft and not overpaying for free agents. The Bengals will certainly have plenty of options to choose from on draft day, no matter which direction the team decides to go with it's first round picks I promise you we will talk about this draft affecting the state of the franchise for years to come.