Cincinnati Bengals
Battle card · first-round draft history, season-by-season record, and how Bengals top picks have shaped the franchise.
R1 Picks
67
Hall of Famers
1
1.5% hit rate
Avg pick slot
14.0
Highest pick
#1
Dan Wilkinson · 1994
All-time record
402–470–4
0.461 win %
Playoff seasons
16
of 56
The Story
- Cincinnati Bengals have made 67 first-round selections and produced 1 Hall of Famers (1.5% hit rate).
- Their highest selection on record is #1 overall in 1994, when they took Dan Wilkinson.
- Across 56 seasons in this dataset they have a 402-470-4 record (0.461) and reached the playoffs 16 times.
- In seasons after holding at least one top-10 pick, Cincinnati Bengals added an average of 1.8 wins versus the prior year (24 such seasons in the data).
- Their most-drafted position group is DL, taken 15 times in Round 1.
- Alabama is their go-to talent pipeline, supplying 5 first-round picks.
- Their best season was 1975: 11-3-0 (+94 point differential).
- Their worst was 2002: 2-14-0 (-177 point differential).
Wins per Season
R1 Pick Slot by Year
Position Breakdown
Point Differential by Season
Impact of Top-10 Picks (Next-Season Wins Delta)
| Draft Year | Pick | Player | Prior-Year Wins | New-Year Wins | Delta | HoF? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | #2 | Sherman White | 4 | 8 | +4 | |
| 1977 | #3 |
Eddie Edwards
+ #8 Wilson Whitley
|
10 | 8 | -2 | |
| 1978 | #8 | Ross Browner | 8 | 4 | -4 | |
| 1979 | #3 | Jack Thompson | 4 | 4 | +0 | |
| 1980 | #3 | Anthony Munoz | 4 | 6 | +2 | HoF |
| 1981 | #10 | David Verser | 6 | 12 | +6 | |
| 1984 | #7 | Ricky Hunley | 7 | 8 | +1 | |
| 1988 | #5 | Rickey Dixon | 4 | 12 | +8 | |
| 1992 | #6 | David Klingler | 3 | 5 | +2 | |
| 1993 | #5 | John Copeland | 5 | 3 | -2 | |
| 1994 | #1 | Dan Wilkinson | 3 | 3 | +0 | |
| 1995 | #1 | Ki-Jana Carter | 3 | 7 | +4 | |
| 1996 | #10 | Willie Anderson | 7 | 8 | +1 | |
| 1999 | #3 | Akili Smith | 3 | 4 | +1 | |
| 2000 | #4 | Peter Warrick | 4 | 4 | +0 | |
| 2001 | #4 | Justin Smith | 4 | 6 | +2 | |
| 2002 | #10 | Levi Jones | 6 | 2 | -4 | |
| 2003 | #1 | Carson Palmer | 2 | 8 | +6 | |
| 2008 | #9 | Keith Rivers | 7 | 4 | -3 | |
| 2009 | #6 | Andre Smith | 4 | 10 | +6 | |
| 2011 | #4 | A.J. Green | 4 | 9 | +5 | |
| 2017 | #9 | John Ross | 6 | 7 | +1 | |
| 2020 | #1 | Joe Burrow | 2 | 4 | +2 | |
| 2021 | #5 | Ja'Marr Chase | 4 | 10 | +6 |
Hall of Fame Selections
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | #3 | Anthony Munoz | T | USC |
Every First-Round Pick
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College | HoF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #7 | Mike Reid | DT | Penn St. | |
| 1971 | #15 | Vern Holland | T | Tennessee St. | |
| 1972 | #2 | Sherman White | DE | California | |
| 1973 | #15 | Isaac Curtis | WR | San Diego St. | |
| 1974 | #23 | Bill Kollar | DE | Montana St. | |
| 1975 | #14 | Glenn Cameron | LB | Florida | |
| 1976 | #11 | Billy Brooks | WR | Oklahoma | |
| 1976 | #24 | Archie Griffin | RB | Ohio St. | |
| 1977 | #3 | Eddie Edwards | DE | Miami (FL) | |
| 1977 | #8 | Wilson Whitley | DT | Houston | |
| 1977 | #22 | Mike Cobb | TE | Michigan St. | |
| 1978 | #8 | Ross Browner | DE | Notre Dame | |
| 1978 | #16 | Blair Bush | C | Washington | |
| 1979 | #3 | Jack Thompson | QB | Washington St. | |
| 1979 | #12 | Charles Alexander | RB | LSU | |
| 1980 | #3 | Anthony Munoz | T | USC | HoF |
| 1981 | #10 | David Verser | WR | Kansas | |
| 1982 | #26 | Glen Collins | DE | Mississippi St. | |
| 1983 | #25 | Dave Rimington | C | Nebraska | |
| 1984 | #7 | Ricky Hunley | LB | Arizona | |
| 1984 | #16 | Pete Koch | NT | Maryland | |
| 1984 | #28 | Brian Blados | T | North Carolina | |
| 1985 | #13 | Eddie Brown | WR | Miami (FL) | |
| 1985 | #25 | Emanuel King | LB | Alabama | |
| 1986 | #11 | Joe Kelly | LB | Washington | |
| 1986 | #21 | Tim McGee | WR | Tennessee | |
| 1987 | #17 | Jason Buck | DE | BYU | |
| 1988 | #5 | Rickey Dixon | DB | Oklahoma | |
| 1990 | #12 | James Francis | LB | Baylor | |
| 1991 | #18 | Alfred Williams | DE | Colorado | |
| 1992 | #6 | David Klingler | QB | Houston | |
| 1992 | #28 | Darryl Williams | DB | Miami (FL) | |
| 1993 | #5 | John Copeland | DE | Alabama | |
| 1994 | #1 | Dan Wilkinson | DT | Ohio St. | |
| 1995 | #1 | Ki-Jana Carter | RB | Penn St. | |
| 1996 | #10 | Willie Anderson | T | Auburn | |
| 1997 | #14 | Reinard Wilson | LB | Florida St. | |
| 1998 | #13 | Takeo Spikes | LB | Auburn | |
| 1998 | #17 | Brian Simmons | LB | North Carolina | |
| 1999 | #3 | Akili Smith | QB | Oregon | |
| 2000 | #4 | Peter Warrick | WR | Florida St. | |
| 2001 | #4 | Justin Smith | DE | Missouri | |
| 2002 | #10 | Levi Jones | T | Arizona St. | |
| 2003 | #1 | Carson Palmer | QB | USC | |
| 2004 | #26 | Chris Perry | RB | Michigan | |
| 2005 | #17 | David Pollack | LB | Georgia | |
| 2006 | #24 | Johnathan Joseph | DB | South Carolina | |
| 2007 | #18 | Leon Hall | DB | Michigan | |
| 2008 | #9 | Keith Rivers | LB | USC | |
| 2009 | #6 | Andre Smith | T | Alabama | |
| 2010 | #21 | Jermaine Gresham | TE | Oklahoma | |
| 2011 | #4 | A.J. Green | WR | Georgia | |
| 2012 | #17 | Dre Kirkpatrick | DB | Alabama | |
| 2012 | #27 | Kevin Zeitler | G | Wisconsin | |
| 2013 | #21 | Tyler Eifert | TE | Notre Dame | |
| 2014 | #24 | Darqueze Dennard | DB | Michigan St. | |
| 2015 | #21 | Cedric Ogbuehi | T | Texas A&M | |
| 2016 | #24 | William Jackson III | CB | Houston | |
| 2017 | #9 | John Ross | WR | Washington | |
| 2018 | #21 | Billy Price | C | Ohio St. | |
| 2019 | #11 | Jonah Williams | G | Alabama | |
| 2020 | #1 | Joe Burrow | QB | LSU | |
| 2021 | #5 | Ja'Marr Chase | WR | LSU | |
| 2022 | #31 | Daxton Hill | DB | Michigan | |
| 2023 | #28 | Myles Murphy | DE | Clemson | |
| 2024 | #18 | Amarius Mims | OL | Georgia | |
| 2025 | #17 | Shemar Stewart | DE | Texas A&M |