From SI pro football writer Peter King (former Enquirer Bengals beat writer) on cnnsi.com:

        I can't believe Cincinnati didn't get value for its pick at No. 10. Sad. If the Bengals knew how to work the league, they'd have been able to trade down a few slots, pick up an extra choice somewhere and still get tackle Levi Jones. Good player. Everyone agrees about that. But the key is to get maximum value out of your pick -- and Cincinnati got minimal value. It figures with that franchise.

FANS SOUND OFF

NFL experts ripped the Bengals' first pick (Story). So did Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty (Column). Enquirer columnist Tim Sullivan called it a sensible pick. (Column). More than 150 fans responded to our invitation to sound off. See what they had to say.

DRAFT POLL

What do you think of the Bengals' draft strategy?

What do you think of the Bengals' draft strategy? Click at the bottom if you just want to view the results without voting.   Looking good   Could be better   This is awful View current results

        From Mel Kiper on ESPN.com:

        Jones is a good football player, potentially. But at No. 10? He was 17th on my board. Plus, the Bengals had bigger needs elsewhere; offensive tackle was not a crying need. They could have gotten Jones if they had traded down. Cornerback Phillip Buchanon was still on the board, as well as defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth and Wendell Bryant and tight ends Jeremy Shockey and Daniel Graham. To me, they needed to draft Buchanon or trade down.

        Don't get me wrong: Jones is a talent who could be a solid left tackle. He was a former walk-on and defensive tackle who emerged as a quality left tackle for the Sun Devils and impressed at the Senior Bowl. But I disagree with the pick. The Bengals had better options. A trade down would have been huge. Why lock on to Jones at No. 10 when they could have picked up valuable picks later in the draft and still gotten Jones later? I question Jacksonville as well for picking Henderson instead of trading down, but not as much as Cincinnati.

        David Moore on FoxSports.com:

        What would the draft be if the Bengals didn't leave people shaking their heads? Jones is a good player, but here? Why take the third best offensive tackle in the draft instead of the top receiver (Donte Stallworth), the top tight end (Jeremy Shockey) or the second best cornerback (Phillip Buchanon). If the Bengals didn't want any of those players, they should have traded down. Maybe president Mike Brown should take a trading class from Jerry Jones.

        Len Pasquarelli on ESPN.com:

        The Bengals took Levi Jones much too high, but the bigger issue is that Cincinnati was set at tackle, and had more pressing needs. Left tackle Richmond Webb is 36 years old and probably needs to be replaced in the next year or two. Right tackle Willie Anderson is one of the best players in the league at that position. Jones is all but certain to replace the venerable John Jackson as the No. 3 tackle, but one expects to get more from the 10th overall player in the draft.

Good draft can help Bengals right away New kicker should give Rackers the boot What do you think of the Bengals' picks With Bledsoe on Bills, Bengals need backup QB Bengals foes reload in draft Draft Notebook: Jones gets first lesson Surprise, Bengals take tackle Experts rip Bengals pick DAUGHERTY: Bengals spoil the party again SULLIVAN: Bengals' timing might be right Jones combines brains and brawn Nose for ball Thompson's key strength Trade yields TE Schobel 6th: Marquand Manuel 7th: Joey Evans Draft picks by team Draft picks by number First round goes to linemen Harrington surprised by Detroit

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