2011 NFL Draft Results: A.J. Green Picked No. 4 By Cincinnati Bengals
With the fourth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have taken Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green. And it’s a good fit for the massive Bulldogs wideout.
No matter what happens to Cincinnati’s offense, which has been in flux since 2010 with concerns about Carson Palmer and the likely departure of Terrell Owens, Green gives the Bengals a go-to target. Green was regarded as the best wide receiver in this NFL Draft class, but also one of the best in some years, and he should be productive as long as he avoids injury. If Chad Johnson’s still got something left in the tank, Cincy could be downright loaded wide receiver.
Green had an undeniably outstanding college career at UGA, but did feel like an unrealized dream at times. He was suspended four games in what should’ve been his national spotlight-stealing junior season and missed three games in 2009 due to injury. But when he was on the field, he was almost always the best player in sight. As Mocking The Draft puts it, his performance is just too good for anybody to worry about a few missed games.
Totaling 2,724 yards from scrimmage in three seasons, Green impacted his entire offense like few players in the country could. The Dawgs went 1-4 against FBS opponents without Green in the lineup, if that tells you anything.
There are plenty of Green highlight videos out there, but here's a clip of probably the best catch I've ever seen. It came in Green's first game back from suspension when he was covered by Jalil Brown, who might be picked as early as Friday:
For reaction and analysis of the Bengals taking A.J. Green, please visit SB Nation’s NFL Draft hub and our NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft
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