The Cincinnati Bengals have the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It’s the 17th time in franchise history that the club has owned a top-five selection in the draft.
Cincinnati struck gold on its two most recent top five picks. Wide receiver A.J. Green was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2011 draft and the club selected quarterback Joe Burrow with last year’s No. 1 overall pick. But who are the Bengals’ five best top five picks in team history? The Enquirer explores.
Best top five picks in Bengals history:
Wide receiver A.J Green
Draft year: 2011
Pick number: 4
Drafted out of Georgia in the 2011 NFL Draft, Green quickly emerged as standout NFL wide receiver. He made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year and continued to do so for six more seasons.
Green is the only NFL wide receiver since the 1970 merger to start his career with seven consecutive Pro Bowl nominations.
The 6-foot-4 wideout ranks second in franchise history in most major receiving categories. He’s amassed 649 receptions, 9,430 receiving yards and 65 touchdowns all in a Bengals uniform. His 33 100-yard receiving games are the most in Bengals history.
Green, who spent a decade in Cincinnati, signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals in March.
Tackle Anthony Muñoz
Draft year: 1980
Pick number: 3
Muñoz is the most accomplished player in Bengals history, and justifiably he’s part of the team’s inaugural ring of honor class.
The No. 3 overall pick out of USC made a franchise record 11 Pro Bowls. Muñoz was a nine-time first-team All-Pro and named a second-team All-Pro twice. He played in both the Bengals’ Super Bowl appearances.
On NFL Network's “The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players” list, Muñoz was ranked No. 12. He was the highest-ranked offensive lineman on NFL Network’s player rankings. He’s regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in NFL history.
Muñoz is the only Bengals player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Center Bob Johnson
Draft year: 1968
Pick number: 2
The Bengals were awarded 40 veteran players in the AFL allocation draft, but Johnson was the first player drafted by the expansion franchise in 1968.
Johnson, the No. 2 overall pick out of Tennessee, played 12 seasons with the Bengals. The center earned an AFL All-Star game selection in 1968.
Johnson’s No. 54 is the Bengals’ only retired uniform number.
Quarterback Carson Palmer
Draft year: 2003
Pick number: 1
Palmer is one of the best quarterbacks in Cincinnati history. He ranks in the top five in Bengals history in most major passing categories.
The 2003 No. 1 overall pick out of USC passed for 22,694 yards, tossed 154 touchdowns and 100 interceptions all in a Bengals uniform. His 62.92 completion percentage is the best among any Bengals QB with at least 500 attempts.
Palmer made two Pro Bowls as a member of the Bengals, including in the 2005 season when he had a league-leading 32 touchdown passes and 67.8 completion percentage. In that 2005 campaign, he led the Bengals to their first winning season in 15 years.
Palmer had a messy divorce in Cincinnati which culminated in a 2011 trade to the then-Oakland Raiders. He played the final five years of his career in Arizona with the Cardinals where he reached the 2015 NFC Championship Game.
Defensive end Eddie Edwards
Draft year: 1977
Pick number: 3
Edwards was part of a trio of first-round picks by the Bengals in the 1977 NFL Draft. The No. 3 overall pick out of Miami began his Bengals career at defensive tackle before moving to defensive end.
The Bengals defensive lineman is the franchise’s career sack leader. Edwards sits on top of the team’s record book with 83.5 career sacks.
Edwards played for the Bengals for 12 seasons from 1977 until his retirement in 1988. He was a member of both teams that reached the Super Bowl. He is one of the best pass rushers in franchise history.
Honorable mention
Quarterback Joe Burrow
Draft year: 2020
Pick number: 1
Burrow’s only played in 10 career NFL games, but he did just enough in those contests to warrant an honorable mention.
The LSU product had one of the top statistical rookie seasons in Bengals history. Burrow compiled 404 pass attempts, 264 completions, a 65.3 completion percentage, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions, resulting in an 89.8 passer rating in 10 games.
Burrow’s 264 completions are the most ever by an NFL quarterback through their first 10 career games. His 404 pass attempts are the second most ever by a QB in their first 10 contests.
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick was on the shortlist of NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates at the time of his season-ending left knee injury versus the Washington Football Team. Burrow is expected to be back in action in a Bengals uniform in 2021.
*List is in alphabetical order
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