ESPN's John Clayton Says Bengals are Biggest Draft Day 1 Losers

During the NFL Draft, there are winners and there are losers. Somebody has to have to worst draft ... according to the experts.

According to ESPN's John Clayton, that was the Cincinnati Bengals:

The Bengals did well under the circumstances, but they didn't get the defensive tackle (Sedrick Ellis) they coveted. Cincinnati tried all offseason to get a defensive tackle, but trades for Shaun Rogers and Dewayne Robertson fell through, and Ellis went to the New Orleans Saints when they traded up to No. 9. Cincinnati got a break when the Patriots traded down and didn't take linebacker Keith Rivers, who was a great choice for the Bengals. But they needed a defensive tackle.

I like Keith as the pick in the first round. I understand that everyone wanted Ellis, but he was gone before their pick. I do see the reasoning to be angry since the Bengals just couldn't do that little extra to deal up to get Ellis ... or finish off those trades for Rogers or Robertson. I still doubt that it makes the Bengals draft a bad one.

I do feel that this put them over the top. They really, really reached on WR Jerome Simpson. With the kind of names left on the board and the fact that no one valued him that high, using a 2nd rounder on Simpson was bad.

When looking at Clayton's Day 1 losers, most are because of deals they didn't make and not an indictment on who the teams actually selected.

He wasn't the only one. Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Mark Curnutte feels the exact same way ... even saying the Bengals were "bamboozled"