Before the 2012 NFL Draft officially begins, let me take you back for a moment…

Around this time every year, people become obsessed with sounding like knowledgeable geniuses about who should go in the first round of the NFL draft. In reality, only hindsight seems to know the difference between drafting Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. (I know, I know… That was a cheap and easy shot.) When all is said and done, it often feels like you are just as right to trust voodoo, magic tricks, lucky charms, incantations and that weird janitor down the hall that only talks to you when you are inside your office’s bathroom.

Alas, my Cincinnati Bengals are no different. Since entering the draft in 19681, the Bengals have taken some winners and some “not so winners” in the first rounds. Perhaps, not surprisingly, you could argue they have had more success with their draft picks in the second and third rounds.

Don’t believe me?

First Round Pick Winners:
1. Anthony Munoz
2. Willie Anderson
3. Johnathan Joseph (Oh yeah, he was a winner AGAINST the Bengals as a Texan!)
4. A.J. Green (Too early to call?)

First Round Pick “Not So Winners”:
1. Bob Johnson
2. Archie Griffin (As in his NFL career and not his college career)
3. (Kenneth) Ki-Jana Carter (You gotta respect that lil ole ACL, huh?)
4. Carson Palmer (Now we all know that USC doesn’t make quarterbacks, right?)
5. David Pollack

Not Picked in the First Round Winners:
1. Reggie Williams (He gets credit for before, during and after football.)
2. Chris Collinsworth (Minus that whole “fumble in Super Bowl XVI” thing)
3. Boomer Esiason
4. Chad Johnson (As in before the whole “Ocho Cinco” reality TV drama persona)
5. Andy Dalton (Too early to call?)

I guess the point I want to make is that what happens on draft day probably doesn’t matter. We can spend hours and hours scouring the internet for any tidbit of information that helps us guess what the best choice is for the Bengals. At the end of the day, however, it takes more than draft picks to make a championship team. That’s why it’s called a “team.” If anybody is listening though… The Bengals need a RUNNING game and the Bengals’ fans need a championship team! #thatisall

Now, after all the fuss I just made… I’ll still be glued to NFL.com watching the draft! #hypocrite

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Bengals_draft_history

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Written by ChocLadyBengal

There was first grade, and there was understanding a first down. That’s Valencia’s earliest memory of “learning” about football while watching games with her dad and brother. Over the years, her passion for football has grown. She is now a self-professed Bengals fan though occasionally forced into a prayer closet for that type of confession. As a Southerner, she always has love for Georgia red clay and those Dawgs all day! Likewise, she is a proud alumnus of Florida A&M University and bleeds orange and green for life!!!

When she is not scheming on ways to win her fantasy football league championship, a perfect day for her is a lazy Sunday afternoon on the couch in comfy PJs while watching the NFL on a large flat screen TV and eating wings. The best part would be finishing the day with some ESPN Sports Center and Reese’s peanut butter cups for dessert.

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