With the 17th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame.
Rarely does the best player available also fill a team's biggest need this late in the draft. But lady luck must be on the Bengals side for a change as this could go down as one of the best selections of the first round.
The Jags, Phins, Panthers, Bills, Seahawks and Cardinals all passed up on Floyd despite a serious need and Floyd's 6'3", 220 frame and 4.47 forty time. With Floyd falling this far, the Bengals get what is very likely a top five choice on their draft board without having to use one of their stockpiled picks to trade up (which they feasibly could do come the actual draft day if Floyd makes it out of the top 10). Adding Floyd to fold with A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham and a healthy Jordan Shipley would easily give Cincy the best young receiving core in all of the league. Andy Dalton has to be salivating at the sound of that.
The San Diego Chargers are now on the clock. Jose Romero will make the selection.
Previous picks:
1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
9. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina.
10. Buffalo Bills: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
11. Kansas City Chiefs: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi
12. Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina
13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, S, Alabama
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
16. New York Jets: Andre Branch, DE, Clemson.