Big things will be expected of whomever the Bengals select with the 21st pick of the draft next month, but until then, here is a look back as we rank the 16 first-round picks of the Lewis era:
16. Chris Perry
Position: Running back
Year: 2004
Overall pick: 26
Next three drafted after him: Jason Babin, defensive end (Houston), Chris Gamble, cornerback (Carolina), Michael Jenkins, wide receiver (Atlanta).
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Next three drafted at his position: Kevin Jones, 30th (Detroit), Tatum Bell, 41st (Denver), Julius Jones, 43rd (Dallas).
Games played: 35
Starts: 9
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Compounding the disappointing numbers Perry produced was the fact the Bengals could have had Steven Jackson but instead traded with St. Louis, moving down from 24 to 26. The Rams took Jackson at 24 and the Bengals settled for Perry at 26 while converting the extra third-round pick they got in the deal to offensive lineman Stacey Andrews. It remains one of the bigger draft day blunders in franchise history.
15. Cedric Ogbuehi
Position: Tackle
Year: 2015
Overall pick: 21
Next three drafted after him: Bud Dupree, linebacker (Pittsburgh), Shane Ray, defensive end (Denver), D.J. Humphries, tackle (Arizona).
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Next three drafted at his position: Humphries, Donovan Smith, 34th (Tampa Bay), Jake Fisher, 53rd (Cincinnati).
Games played: 33
Starts: 25
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Ogbuehi has been given every chance to succeed, but he continues to tiptoe along the edge of the bust precipice. He goes into his contract year with the hope that new offensive line coach Frank Pollack can get the best out of him, but he also enters 2018 as a backup on the depth chart.
14. John Ross
Position: Wide receiver
Year: 2017
Overall pick: 9
Next three drafted after him: Patrick Mahomes, quarterback (Kansas City), Marshon Lattimore, cornerback (New Orleans), Deshaun Watson, quarterback (Houston).
Next three drafted at his position: Zay Jones, 37th (Buffalo), Curtis Samuel, 40th (Carolina), JuJu Schuster-Smith, 62nd (Pittsburgh).
Games played: 3
Starts: 1
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: It's still too early to know what John Ross is or can be after injuries derailed is rookie season.
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13. David Pollack
Position: Linebacker
Year: 2005
Overall pick: 17
Next three drafted after him: Erasmus James, defensive end (Minnesota), Alex Barron, tackle (St. Louis), Marcus Spears, defensive end (Dallas).
Next three drafted at his position: Barrett Rudd, 36th (Tampa Bay), Kevin Burnett, 42nd (Dallas), Lofa Tatupu, 45th (Seattle).
Games played: 16
Starts: 6
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Many questioned the Pollack pick when it happened because of the team's desire to transform him from a defensive end to linebacker, and then the horrific neck injury ended his career the following year. Who knows how good Pollack would have been had it not been for that catastrophic hit on Cleveland running back Reuben Droughns.
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12. Keith Rivers
Position: Linebacker
Year: 2008
Overall pick: 9
Next three drafted after him: Jerod Mayo, linebacker (New England), Leotis McKelvin, cornerback (Buffalo), Ryan Clady, tackle (Denver).
Next three drafted at his position: Mayo, Curtis Lofton, 37th (Atlanta), Jordan Dizon, 45th (Detroit).
Games played: 74 (35 with Bengals)
Starts: 50 (33 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Who knows what Rivers' career would have looked like had Hines Ward not broken his jaw seven games into his rookie season. It wouldn't be fair to call him a bust, but he also doesn't deserve a spot near the top of this list.
11. William Jackson III
Position: Cornerback
Year: 2016
Overall pick: 24
Next three drafted after him: Artie Burns, cornerback (Pittsburgh), Paxton Lynch, quarterback (Denver), Kenny Clark, defensive tackle (Green Bay).
Next three drafted at his position: Burns, Xavien Howard, 38th (Miami), Mackensie Alexander, 54th (Minnesota).
Games played: 15
Starts: 5
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: After missing his rookie season with a pectoral injury, Jackson had the kind of breakout year in 2017 that makes him look like a star in waiting and someone who could eventually work his way into the top 3 of this list by the team his career is finished.
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10. Darqueze Dennard
Position: Cornerback
Year: 2014
Overall pick: 24
Next three drafted after him: Jason Verrett, cornerback, (San Diego), Marcus Smith, defensive end (Philadelphia), Deonne Buccanon, linebacker (Arizona).
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Next three drafted at his position: Verrett, Jimmie Ward, 30th (San Francisco), Bradley Roby, 31st (Denver).
Games played: 55
Starts: 10
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Another first-round pick who saw injuries delay the start of his career, Dennard has rebounded to start giving the Bengals the type of production they had in mind when they drafted him. Dennard, who will be a free agent in 2019, could push Dre Kirkpatrick for the starting job this season.
9. Dre Kirkpatrick
Position: Cornerback
Year: 2012
Overall pick: 17
Next three drafted after him: Melvin Ingram, defensive end (San Diego), Shea McClellin, defensive end (Chicago), Kendall Wright, wide receiver (Tennessee).
Next three drafted at his position: Janorious Jenkins, 39th (St. Louis), Casey Hayward, 62nd (San Diego Chargers), Trumaine Johnson, 65th (St. Louis).
Games played: 80
Starts: 48
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: His career got off to a slow, injury-filled start, but Kirkpatrick has started 43 games the last three years while developing into a solid corner, although big penalties have been more prevalent than the big plays.
8. Jermaine Gresham
Position: Tight end
Year: 2010
Overall pick: 21
Next three drafted after him: Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver (Denver), Bryan Bulaga, tackle (Green Bay), Dez Bryant, wide receiver (Dallas).
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Next three drafted at his position: Rob Gronkowski, 42nd (New England), Ed Dickson, 70th (Baltimore), Tony Moeaki, 93rd (Kansas City).
Games played: 119 (74 with Bengals)
Starts: 107 (67 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 2
Summary: Gresham never developed into the type of game-breaker the Bengals had hoped for when they took him 21 picks ahead of Gronkowski. Still, he went to two Pro Bowls and caught 24 touchdowns in five seasons in Cincinnati.
7. Andre Smith
Position: Tackle
Year: 2009
Overall pick: 6
Next three drafted after him: Darrius Heyward-Bey, wide receiver (Oakland), Eugene Monroe, tackle (Jacksonville), B.J. Raji, defensive tackle (Green Bay).
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Next three drafted at his position: Monroe, Michael Oher, 23rd (Baltimore), Eben Britton, 39th (Jacksonville).
Games played: 99 (95 with Bengals)
Starts: 85 (81 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Smith never overcame early weight and injury issues in the eyes of many fans, but he was part of an offensive line that went to the playoffs six times in eight seasons and arguably was the best tackle on the team last year at age 30.
6. Tyler Eifert
Position: Tight end
Year: 2013
Overall pick: 21
Next three drafted after him: Desmond Trufant, cornerback (Atlanta), Sharrif Floyd, defensive tackle (Minnesota), Bjoern Werner, defensive end (Indianapolis).
Next three drafted at his position: Zach Ertz, 35th (Philadelphia), Gavin Escobar, 47th (Dallas), Vance McDonald, 55th (San Francisco).
Games played: 39
Starts: 30
Pro Bowls: 1
Summary: Eifert is a tricky one to rank because when he's healthy, he looks like a brilliant pick because he's one of the top tight ends in the game. But he's missed 22 games the last two years and 51 in his career.
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5. Leon Hall
Position: Cornerback
Year: 2007
Overall pick: 18
Next three drafted after him: Michael Griffin, safety (Tennessee), Aaron Ross, cornerback (New York Giants), Reggie Nelson, safety (Jacksonville).
Next three drafted at his position: Ross, Chris Houston, 41st (Atlanta), Eric Wright, 53rd (Cleveland).
Games played: 142 (121 with Bengals)
Starts: 108 (105 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: Hall gave the team nine solid seasons and twice fought his way back from ruptured Achilles injuries. But he lacked the flash that defines so many great first-round picks. Try to make a list of the three of four biggest plays in his career, and it might take you a while.
4. Kevin Zeitler
Position: Guard
Year: 2012
Overall pick: 27
Next three drafted after him: Nick Perry, defensive end (Green Bay), Harrison Smith, safety (Minnesota), A.J. Jenkins, wide receiver (San Francisco).
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Next three drafted at his position: Josh Leribeus, 71st (Washington), Brandon Brooks, 76th (Houston), Tony Bergstrom, 95th (Oakland).
Games played: 88 (72 with Bengals)
Starts: 87 (71 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 0
Summary: The Bengals could have selected David DeCastro at 21 but traded down six spots for an extra third-round pick and took Kevin Zeitler at 27. Zeitler was everything the Bengals hoped he would be, but the fact that DeCastro has been to three Pro Bowls with the Steelers and the extra third-round pick ended up being Brandon Thompson slightly diminishes the value of the Zeitler pick.
3. Johnathan Joseph
Position: Cornerback
Year: 2006
Overall pick: 24
Next three drafted after him: Santonio Holmes, wide receiver (Pittsburgh), John McCargo, defensive tackle (Buffalo), DeAngelo Williams, running back (Carolina).
Next three drafted at his position: Kelly Jennings, 31st (Seattle), Jimmy Williams, 37th (Atlanta), Cedric Griffin, 48th (Minnesota).
Games played: 172 (67 with Bengals)
Starts: 161 (58 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 2
Summary: The Bengals hit it out of the park with the Joseph pick (look at the three corners who went after him). But Joseph entered free agency when the Bengals were coming off a disastrous 4-11-1 campaign in 2010 and the NFL lockout forced the franchise into a roster reboot, resulting in Joseph starring for the Texans the last eight years.
2. Carson Palmer
Position: Quarterback
Year: 2003
Overall pick: 1
Next three drafted after him: Charles Rogers, wide receiver (Detroit), Andre Johnson, wide receiver (Houston), Dewayne Robinson, defensive tackle (Kentucky).
Next three drafted at his position: Byron Leftwich, 7th (Jacksonville), Kyle Boller, 19th (Baltimore), Rex Grossman, 22nd (Chicago).
Games played: 182 (97 with Bengals)
Starts: 181 (97 with Bengals)
Pro Bowls: 3
Summary: The way Palmer's tenure in Cincinnati ended should have no effect on grading the quality of the pick, although almost every other team would have made the same pick. Palmer was a can't-miss prospect who helped transform the Bengals franchise from laughingstock to one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. There were only two playoff appearances in in the seven seasons he played, but he has to be considered one of the best first-round pick in the Lewis era.
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1. A.J. Green
Position: Wide receiver
Year: 2011
Overall pick: 4
Next three drafted after him: Patrick Peterson, cornerback (Arizona), Julio Jones, wide receiver (Atlanta), Aldon Smith, defensive end (San Francisco).
Next three drafted at his position: Jones, Jon Baldwin, 26th (Kansas City), Titus Young, 44th (Detroit).
Games played: 102
Starts: 102
Pro Bowls: 7
Summary: Green still would be at the top of the list if it went beyond the Marvin Lewis era, only ranking beyond Anthony Munoz among first-round greats in franchise history.
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