A look at the last 15 years of Bengals first-round draft picks.
1988
Rickey Dixon, No. 5, DB, Oklahoma
Dixon, 37, is living with his wife and their three children in the Dallas suburb of DeSoto, Texas. Dixon is finishing his business degree and working as an assistant football coach at Skyline High School and as a teacher assistant for children with mental and learning disabilities. He played five years for the Bengals.
1989
None.
1990
James Francis, No. 12, LB, Baylor
Francis, 34, played nine seasons for the Bengals and finished his career for one season with the Redskins. He lives in Houston with his four children and will be married in September. He owns a small business but spends most of his time as a father. He says he has watched every Bengals game on TV since his departure and wishes the club nothing but the best. His oldest son, James Jr., is a high school junior and has attracted serious interest from big-time colleges as an outside linebacker.
1991
Alfred Williams, No. 18, LB, Colorado
He lives in Parker, Colo., and has owned a business, At Light Speed Communication. He played four seasons for the Bengals before finishing his career with his home-state Denver Broncos. He had 10 sacks in 1992 and, having moved to right end, 9.5 in '94.
1992
David Klingler, No. 6, QB, Houston
The first Bengals draft choice ever without the input of Paul Brown, Klingler became the unwitting poster child of the Mike Brown era. Klingler had little talent around him and was sacked a mind-numbing 83 times in parts of four Bengals seasons. He played two more seasons with Oakland before being cut by Green Bay in training camp 1998. Klingler, 34, has two young children and lives outside Houston in Katy, Texas. He is finishing work on a master's degree in theology and has worked as an adjunct instructor at a Bible college and an interim preacher at his home church.
1992
Darryl Williams, No. 28, S, Miami (Fla.)
Williams, 33, played six of his 10 NFL seasons with the Bengals, spending his fifth through eighth seasons with the Seahawks. The Bengals terminated his contract May 1, 2002. He had surgery on an injured foot to alleviate pain after his release and is hoping to play again in the NFL. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with his family and plays golf five times a week.
1993
John Copeland, No. 5, DE, Alabama
Copeland, 32, is retired from football and living in his hometown of Lanett, Ala. He started 102 of his 107 Bengals games before his 2001 release. He had 24 career sacks, nine coming in 1995, his finest season.
1994
Dan Wilkinson, No. 1, DT, Ohio State
Wilkinson, 30, played four years with the Bengals before being traded to Washington for the Redskins' No. 17 (linebacker Brian Simmons) and No. 78 (guard Mike Goff) picks in the 1998 draft. Wilkinson's best Bengals season was 1995 when he had eight sacks. He remains on the Washington roster.
1995
Ki-Jana Carter, No. 1, RB, Penn State
The Bengals traded up to No. 1 for the first time in their history, giving up the Nos. 5 and 36 selections to the Carolina Panthers. Knee, shoulder and wrist injuries made for a frustrating five seasons in Cincinnati.
1996
Willie Anderson, No. 10, OT, Auburn
One of the best selections in franchise history, Anderson has started 104 of 110 games. He has started 48 games in a row and been the constant in the Bengals' productive rush offense. He will be 28 on July 11.
1997
Reinard Wilson, No. 14, DE-LB, Florida State
He's looking to revive his career after a sub-par 2002 season. He had nine sacks in 2001 but none last year. Coach Marvin Lewis and his coaches seem determined to help Wilson achieve the consistent success that has eluded him in six NFL seasons. Lewis' defense could be a perfect fit for the speedy Wilson.
1998
Takeo Spikes, No. 13, LB, Auburn
After five seasons with the Bengals, Spikes signed an offer sheet in free agency with Buffalo that the Bengals chose not to match. In five seasons in Cincinnati, Spikes started all 79 games in which he played - the one game he missed was in 2001 when his father died. He was the leader of the defense - the most dynamic leader in the locker room - but Lewis granted Spikes his wish of leaving the Bengals.
1998
Brian Simmons, No. 17, LB, North Carolina
He will move into Spikes' old position on the outside, where he earned All-America honors in 1997. Simmons, who will turn 28 in June, is known for his speed and ability to cover receivers out of the backfield. Only a knee injury in the 2000 opener kept him off the field.
1999
Akili Smith, No. 3, QB, Oregon
He was inactive for 15 of 16 games in 2002, curiously starting one with three days of preparation against the league's best defense (Tampa Bay). That was an example of the how coaches and management have contributed to Smith's lack of success with the Bengals. He had one legitimate chance to play, in 2000, and was benched after 10 starts. Smith has said he should have performed better that year. Smith, like Wilson, has received another chance from Lewis.
2000
Peter Warrick, No. 4, WR, Florida State
Lofty, unrealistic expectations have dogged Warrick from his college days. He has averaged 58 receptions a year and has scored 14 of the 80 touchdowns scored by the Bengals since he was drafted. Warrick, who will be 26 in June, is another player who looks to benefit from coaching changes.
2001
Justin Smith, No. 4, DE, Missouri
Even though he missed all of his rookie training camp in a contract holdout, Smith had 16 sacks in his first two seasons. One of the top-conditioned players on the team, Smith is another player whose skills (speed) are well-suited for a Lewis defense.
2002
Levi Jones, No. 10, OT, Arizona State
He was a surprise pick, and national experts criticized the Bengals for reaching. Jones proved them wrong. Inserted in the starting lineup at left tackle because of the season-ending injury to Richmond Webb, Jones started 12 consecutive games and was in the lineup when the offense had six 350-yard games in a row - the longest such streak since 1986.
