Rookie defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow is a comp pick that delivered.
For the second straight draft the Bengals received the maximum four compensatory picks but this time got a third-rounder Friday when the NFL revealed the results of its byzantine free-agent formula.
Joining the Bengals with four were Dallas, Green Bay and Oakland as Cincinnati again stands to take home 11 picks.
A significant portion of the Bengals' free-agent strategy is based on carefully considering unrestricted free agents so signing them won't hamper draft compensation in a formula that takes into consideration players lost and gained via unrestricted free agency the previous year. It computes a weighted combination of the UFA's average yearly salary, awards, and snaps with the new team ranked against all players in the NFL on rosters at the end of season.
In exchange for losing right guard Kevin Zeitler the Bengals picked up the last pick of the third round (the 100th selection) to close out Friday night of the draft. They received only a fifth-rounder (170th pick ) for losing left tackle Andrew Whitworth even though he signed a hefty deal with the Rams and made it to the Pro Bowl because veterans of 10 seasons or more can bring no more than a fifth. The one-year signings of UFAs' Kevin Minter and Andre Smith were offset by the departures of running back Rex Burkhead (New England), end Margus Hunt (Indianapolis), and linebacker Karlos Dansby (Arizona) and translated to consecutive seventh-round picks at 252 and 253, three selections from the end of the draft. The trade for defensive tackle Chris Smith (from Jacksonville) and the trade of linebacker Marquis Flowers (to the Pats) broke them even in the seventh round. They lost their own, but gained New England's.
Even though the Bengals didn't get a third-rounder last year for losing wide receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, they got good rookie production out of two of their comp picks in fourth-rounder Ryan Glasgow at 138 and sixth-rounder Brandon Wilson, acquired by the Bengals at pick 207 when they traded up with their sixth-round comp (217) and their own seventh (227).
Glasgow, a Michigan defensive tackle, played 36 percent of the downs as an emerging run-stuffer. Wilson, a safety from Houston projected as special teams stalwart, was hurt all of the spring and most of the preseason but finished fourth in kicking game tackles despite only playing the last eight games of the year.
They also were encouraged by the training camp play of seventh-round comp (251) Mason Schreck (knee), a tight end from Buffalo that spent the year on injured reserve. They lost the extra fifth-round pick (176) when Utah center J.J. Dielman didn't make the team out of camp, went to the practice squad, and got plucked by Denver.
The extra high comp pick has been a mixed bag in the last decade. Glasgow and wide receiver Andre Caldwell (2008 at No. 97) were solid contributing guys and bracket tight end Chase Coffman (No. 98 in 2009), cornerback Brandon Ghee (No. 96 in 2010) and linebacker P.J. Dawson (No. 99 in 2015), a trio that played a combined 42 games.
But they've also picked up solid starters in that neighborhood of late, such as linebacker Nick Vigil (87 in 2016) and center Clint Boling (101 in 2011).
It's believed to be only the second time in franchise history they've had the 100th pick. They don't need a running back, but they'd love to get the equivalent of a guy like that one, Auburn running back Rudi Johnson in 2001. Johnson went on to break the club's single-season rushing record twice and his 1,458 yards from 2005 is still the mark.
