The Bengals could have reached on a wide receiver in the first round, but wisely went with cornerback William Jackson. With an aging secondary, he should get a lot of playing time early in his career. Boyd may not be a superstar playmaker for the Bengals, but he's the dependable wide out the team needs opposite A.J. Green. He's going to be a dependable pass catcher for Andy Dalton. Vigil is a solid athlete for the position who could push for a starting job early in his career. Billings will push for playing time early in his career. He can push offensive linemen around from the nose tackle position. Getting him in the fourth round was an incredible value. He's not a pass rusher, but he doesn't need to be. His play against the run is impressive. Fifth-round pick Christian Westerman is a powerhouse blocker up front.
—Dan Kadar, SB Nation
The pick is seen by some as a surprising one, given the fact that cornerback was not being discussed as one of the team's biggest needs heading into the draft. However, the Bengals are known for picking the player who they feel is the best available when they're on the clock. If Jackson is the player they felt was the most talented and best fit for the team, it probably shouldn't be seen as a surprise at all.
Boyd has a strong work ethic and is a competitive player. He has great body control and ability to move around in space and has experience on the outside as well as in the slot. Boyd is known as a solid route runner who reads defenses well. Some of his weaknesses include lacking power to resist tackles and run blocking. His size, 6-foot-1, 197 pounds has been a concern for some scouts ... With this pick, the Bengals have filled the biggest need of the offseason in finding a long-term replacement for Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu who left in free agency. What's left to be seen is how effectively Boyd can fill that hole. It's sure to be one of the biggest questions of the offseason.
Vigil finished his college career at Utah State with 160 tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, two interceptions, five pass deflections and six forced fumbles in three seasons. Vigil gained first team All-Mountain West honors in his final two seasons at Utah State. Interestingly enough, the linebacker also played five games at running back in his freshman season, scoring three rushing touchdowns in the process.
Initially, Billings (6'2", 310 pounds) was looked at as a first round prospect, with many mock drafts pegging him to the Bengals at No. 24 overall. As the first two days of the draft passed, rumors began to circulate about a knee issue that wasn't made publicly known. But, Ian Rapoport noted after Cincinnati made its selection that it was Billings' label as "a two-down defensive tackle" causing his slide to the back end of the fourth round. Marvin Lewis also noted his 6-foot-1-inch height as a reason he dropped.
Much like the team's current starting center Russell Bodine, Westerman is known as a weight room machine. Reports had him bench pressing 225 pounds 41 times before his senior year, and he put it up 34 times at the NFL Combine. Westerman has the traditional stocky build and tenacious demeanor teams look for in interior offensive linemen and he should fit in nicely with Paul Alexander's coaching style.
Core was a converted defensive back who only began playing receiver full time in 2014. He finished with 21 tackles in his college career, 16 of which coming over his first two collegiate seasons. It's possible the Bengals think Core still has more room to grow and develop than the other receivers at this point, which is why he ended up being selected over more higher-rated receivers.
The Cincinnati Bengals have selected their seventh and final player of the 2016 NFL draft, snagging Illinois safety Clayton Fejedelem.