The mixed history of the Cincinnati Bengals drafting No. 21 overall

Should the Cincinnati Bengals sit tight and not trade out of their current first-round position on Thursday night at No. 21 overall, it will mark the fifth time in franchise history that they are selecting a player at that spot.

The results have varied, from two Pro Bowlers who battled injury to a role player to a selection that has yet to live up to expectation.

Let's take a look at the Bengals' history at No. 21:  

1986

With their second, first-round pick that year the Bengals took wide receiver Tim McGee out of Tennessee. The 5-10, 183-pound Cleveland native played seven seasons for the Bengals (1986-92) before a brief sojourn to Washington for the 1993 season. He came back to play 14 games in 1994 and retiring after that season.

In his eight total years with the Bengals, McGee caught 282 passes for 4,703 yards (16.7 average) with 25 touchdowns.

He found his footing in the Bengals’ Super Bowl campaign of 1988, catching 36 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns and had a career year in 1989 with 65 receptions for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns – all career highs he never came close to matching again.

In five playoff games, he caught seven passes for 60 yards.

McGee was the second receiver selected in that draft behind Mike Sherrard, who went No. 18 to Dallas.

Tackle Will Wolford was selected by Buffalo at No. 20, and he played 16 seasons for the Bills, Colts and Steelers and made three Pro Bowls.

Interestingly, Tampa Bay picked cornerback Rod Jones at No. 25 and he would play seven years for the Bengals from 1990-96.

Of the players taken after McGee in the first round, Chicago running back Neal Anderson proved to be the best player at No. 30, making four Pro Bowls and rushing for over 1,000 yards three times in an eight-year career.

2010

The Bengals drafted tight end Jermaine Gresham No. 21 overall out Oklahoma, as the 6-foot, 5-inch, 261-pound tight end was going to give Carson Palmer a playmaker that could take advantage of linebackers and safeties. In five years with the Bengals, Gresham played 74 games and caught 280 passes for 2,722 yards and 24 scores. He made the Pro Bowl in 2011 and 2012, posting a career-high 65 catches and 737 yards in 2012. Three times he caught at least five touchdowns.

Injuries and questions about his effort plagued the end of his tenure with the Bengals, and he signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Arizona in 2015. In three seasons with the Cardinals, he has caught 88 passes for 936 yards and five scores.

Ex-Bengal Gresham no longer the villain

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon went to Atlanta at No. 19 and corner Kareem Jackson went to Houston at No. 20. But five-time Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas went No. 22 to Denver, Bryan Bulaga, a staple at right tackle for Green Bay, was picked No. 23 and three-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro Dez Bryant was picked by Dallas at No. 24.

2013

The Bengals couldn’t pass up on Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert at No. 21, despite having Gresham coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons. Eifert has missed 41 of a potential 80 games since, playing 15 games as a rookie and then 13 in 2015, his lone Pro Bowl campaign.

He signed an incentive-laden, one-year deal to remain in Cincinnati for 2018.

San Francisco took Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid at No. 18, the New York Giants took tackle Justin Pugh at No. 19 and the Chicago Bears took Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long at No. 20. After Eifert, there was a run on defenders. Atlanta took Pro Bowl corner Desmond Trufant at No. 22, Minnesota took defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd at No. 23 and All-Pro corner Xavier Rhodes at No. 25. Indianapolis took defensive end Bjoern Werner at No. 24. Houston scooped up two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins at No. 27.

2015

According to many, and definitely in the draft room at 1 Paul Brown Stadium, Cedric Ogbuehi would have been a top 10 pick out of Texas A&M if he didn’t tear an anterior cruciate ligament in his final college game. Ostensibly that injury dropped Ogbuehi and the Bengals couldn’t pass up his talent and selected the heir apparent to Andrew Whitworth at No. 21. He appeared in five games that season as an extra lineman and then was handed the right tackle job in 2016. He was dropped into a rotation after just four games, benched entirely and flipped back to the left side for a game and then ended the year on injured reserve.

Given the left tackle job to start 2017, he was dropped into a rotation after two games and again ended his season in IR. The Bengals essentially moved on this offseason with a trade for left tackle Cordy Glenn, who has three years left on his deal. The Bengals will not pick up Ogbuehi’s fifth-year option, making him the first, first-round pick the club has not elected to do that with since the new CBA was signed in 2011.

Kansas City took two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro corner Marcus Peters at No. 18, Cleveland took center Cameron Erving at No. 19 and Philadelphia took receiver Nelson Agholor at No. 20. Pittsburgh selected linebacker Bud Dupree at No. 22, Denver took defensive end Shane Ray at No. 23 and Arizona took tackle D.J. Humphries at No. 24.

It’s fair to note that no Pro Bowl players were selected between Peters and New York Giants safety Landon Collins at No. 33 to date.

Grading the Bengals' 2015 draft

Time will tell if Thursday's pick at No. 21 will separate himself from this pack.

Of note...

In their 50-draft history heading into this week, the Bengals have selected in the early 20s quite often. Yet the Bengals have never picked at No. 20.

Here is a quick look at the team’s seven picks from 22-25:

No. 22

1977: TE Mike Cobb

One of three, first-round picks that season, Cobb played one year for the Bengals and did not catch a pass in 13 games. Played another four years in Chicago.

No. 23

1974: DE Bill Kollar

Played three years for the Bengals, playing 37 games from 1974-76. Played five more years for Tampa Bay.

No. 24

1976: RB Archie Griffin

Played seven seasons and in four playoff games, rushing for 2,808 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 192 passes for another 1,607 yards and six scores. Never rushed for more than 700 yards in a season.

2006: CB Johnathan Joseph

Played five seasons for the Bengals (67 games) and intercepted 14 passes and scored three touchdowns off them. Signed a $48.75 million free agent contract with Houston in 2011. In his seven seasons with the Texans, Joseph has made two Pro Bowls and intercepted 14 passes, three of which he’s returned for scores.

2014: CB Darqueze Dennard

Currently playing under his fifth-year option and a candidate for an extension this summer, Dennard finally came into his own as a slot corner in 2017 after an injury-plagued first three seasons. Has played 55 games (10 starts) and intercepted three passes with 11 passes defensed.

2016: CB William Jackson III

After missing his entire rookie season due to a torn pectoral muscle, Jackson III emerged as one of the better pure cover corners in the game early in 2017. He is now entrenched as a starter on the outside for the Bengals after recording one interception he returned for a score, making one sack and breaking up 13 passes last season.

No. 25

1985: LB Emmanuel King

The club used its second, first-round pick on the linebacker out of Alabama. He played four years for the Bengals, recording 15 sacks. His best season was in 1986 with nine sacks and a fumble recovery in 16 games. He played one year for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989 before retiring.

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