The Bengals' days of drafting Akili Smith, Ki-Jana Carter, David Klinger and the rest of Cincinnati's first-round busts are long gone. In recent years, the Bengals have quietly re-written the narrative, drafting long-term starters in the early rounds of nearly every Draft since 2010.
Since 2010, the Bengals have been undeniably effective in the first two rounds of the Draft. How effective have they been?
14 of their projected 2016 starters were first or second round picks--15, if you're counting Karlos Dansby. And of those 15, 12 selections were made by the Bengals.