The Cincinnati Bengals took a chance on their first round draft pick when they selected Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi with the 21st overall pick. Ogbuehi is coming off of an ACL injury sustained five months ago in the Aggies bowl game in December.
The Bengals could be looking at Ogbuehi as a prospect to be groomed behind Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith. He could eventually be the left tackle tasked with protecting Andy Dalton while he blows the Bengals chances at playoff victories for years to come.
Ogbuehi has been compared to the Jets’ D-Brickashaw Fergson and was projected to go in either the first or second rounds. Seems like some teams just don’t shy away from a player coming off of an injury like an ACL tear.
The Bengals top draft needs were described as offensive line, wide receiver, safety and tight end. I guess with A.J. Green you can afford to draft a player recovering from injury and not expected to play right away with your first round pick.
This is the difference between drafting for right now and drafting for the future. Ideally, you want your team to find the perfect balance of both; a player who can come in and contribute right away and be a mainstay with the team for the future.
With Ogbuehi it seems the Bengals got their wish although it might be a long time to judge how successful this pick actually was. Can’t see him going up against Cam Heyward or Stephon Tuitt right away but there may be some battles there in the future.
What do you think of the pick Steeler Nation? You think it’s smart to pick a player with injury problems already in the hopes he can be groomed to be your player in the long run?
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