Football fans will get their first whiff of NFL action in just a few days, as the 2022 NFL Draft is set to kick off on April 28.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a pretty basic draft this year, possessing a pick in every round. And even two in the seventh. The Bengals will surely be looking to strengthen their already Super Bowl-caliber roster and will try to continue their stretch of successful drafting.
In the last few years alone, the Bengals have drafted players that already seem like the cornerstones of the franchise:
- 2021 Ja’Marr Chase
- 2020 Joe Burrow
- 2020 Tee Higgins
- 2018 Sam Hubbard
And while the Bengals have seen recent draft success, it, unfortunately, has not always been that way.
As we get ready for the 2022 NFL Draft, here are some Cincinnati Bengals draft facts that you can bust out at your watch party. Now that Bengals dream free agents have been signed, the next step is to have another successful Draft.
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The Bengals sure do like their kickers
Since 1964, when the first kicker was ever drafted, the Bengals have drafted 13 total kickers — which is tied for the most kickers taken in NFL Draft history. The only other team to draft as many kickers as the Bengals are the New England Patriots.
The most recent kicker taken by the Bengals was Evan McPherson. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. McPherson had a phenomenal rookie year last season, so it may be a while before the Bengals add a fourteenth kicker to their tally.
The earliest draft pick the Bengals have ever used on a kicker came in the 1976 draft, where they selected Chris Bahr. Barr was a kicker out of Penn State and their second-round pick (51st overall).
Bahr went on to only kick four years for the Bengals, where he made just 57.9% of all his field goals.
The Bengals lone Hall of Fame player
The Bengals have drafted over 600 players in their storied history, and only one has gone on to become a Hall of Famer. Anthony Munoz, the Bengals’ first-round pick in 1980, is the only Bengal draftee to dawn the coveted gold jacket, being inducted in 1998.
The nine-time all-pro is one of the best offensive linemen of all time, making 11 pro bowls and even scoring four touchdowns throughout his 13-year career.
No other Bengal native has made the Hall. But youngsters Joe Burrow and Ja’marr Chase will surely be looking to end that trend.
First-round loyalty may not really exist
Only four of the Bengals’ last 13 first round picks (since 2010) are still on the team:
- 2021 Ja’marr Chase
- 2020 Joe Burrow
- 2019 Jonah Williams
- 2012 Dre Kirkpatrick
While this isn’t very motivating, it should be noted that the last three years’ first-round picks are still on the team. So, maybe a new trend is generating right in front of our eyes.
The last to do something first
The Bengals are the last team to have drafted a running back with their first overall pick. With the first overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Ki-Jana Carter, the running back out of Penn State.
Carter ran for only 264 yards in his rookie campaign and followed that up with a 464-yard sophomore season. Carter only played on the Bengals for four seasons, until going over to Washington for a season in 2001, and the Saints for two years in 2003 and 2004.
Speaking of first-round picks
The Bengals have had the first overall pick in the NFL Draft four times.
- 1994 Dan Wilkinson
- 1995 Ki-Jana Carter
- 2003 Carson Palmer
- 2020 Joe Burrow
We’ve already gone over the Ki-Jana Carter disaster, but the remaining first overall picks tell a bit of a different story.
Dan Wilkinson went on to have a long and successful (albeit not with the Bengals) career, playing on four different teams through 13 seasons.
Carson Palmer is one of the best quarterbacks in Bengals history. And Joe Burrow is actively coming for that crown and has already led the boys in orange to the Super Bowl.
Barring a trade, it doesn’t look like the Bengals will have another first overall pick anytime soon. At least that’s what Bengals fans are hoping.
