2011 NFL Draft Round One (Part 5)
University of Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green was drafted fourth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals and is continued here. This is the fifth part of a series of articles discussing the first round draft selections in the 2011 National Football League
(NFL) Draft, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York.
Before Goodell named the Cincinnati Bengals’ fourth overall pick as A.J. Green, many were wondering if this was the time that the franchise drafted a replacement for quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer has vigorously expressed his desire to be released or
traded by the team. The Bengals’ decision to draft Green instead of Blaine Gabbert, quarterback from the University of Missouri, meant that Gabbert would most likely have fallen to the Arizona Cardinals’ fifth overall pick. But that’s not the way things panned
out for the quarterback.
But getting back to Green and the Bengals, there was a train of thought that since the Bengals are in a division with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, they would have worked on improving their defence to match the skill of the relentless Ravens
and Steelers defenders.
Current Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has one year left on his contract so was the selection of Green merely a replacement for Ochocinco? Or are the Bengals planning to extend Ochocinco’s contract and keep the two receivers together for a future term?
Because the bottom line of the story is that if you lose Ochocinco and replace one player with another, you really haven’t helped your team.
Granted, they are two very different receivers so the Bengals might be thinking of going in a different direction with Green, as opposed to where Ochocinco was taking the franchise. Green reminds many of a younger Randy Moss and he certainly has the ability
to do great things just as Moss did.
The Bengals had a 4-12 record last year and ranked last in their division, the American Football Conference (AFC) North, while their offense ranked 20th in the league and defence ranked 15th. They have also failed to win a playoff game
in over 20 years, with their last win back in 1990. Also, 35 of the players that are on their current roster were drafted by the team.
The 22-year old junior from Summerville, South Carolina recorded 57 receptions for 848 yards and nine touchdowns in his 2010 season at Georgia, all of which are career highs. In 2010, Greene was named Second Team All SEC and had 166 receptions for 2,619
yards in his career at Georgia, which is the third highest in school history. His 23 career touchdown receptions are the second highest in school history.
In conclusion, the fourth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals went to University of Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green. The remaining article about the first round draft selections in the 2011 National Football League (NFL) Draft, held at Radio
City Music Hall in New York City, New York, will be discussed in the next part of this article. Take a look!
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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