After losing at Super Bowl XXIII, the Cincinnati Bengals remained solid for a couple more seasons before the wheels totally fell off in 1991, which would be the first of 14 seasons in which they would fail to make the playoffs. Much of this had to do with their sheer inability to rebuild through the draft.
To be fair, the Bengals had their share of draft busts before the 1990s — Jack Thompson and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin immediately come to mind. But as Cincy Jungle documented, the '90s were a brutal decade for Cincinnati in the NFL Draft. Quarterbacks David Klingler (No. 6, 1992) and Akili Smith (No. 3, 1999) only lasted a few seasons with the Bengals and produced pedestrian numbers behind center. Running back Ki-Jana Carter (No. 1, 1995, pictured above) showed flashes of brilliance, but injuries prematurely ended what could have been a great career. And while defensive tackle Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson (No. 1, 1994) had a solid career, as noted by The Sports Daily, he didn't quite live up to the expectations of a first overall pick. Then you've got the Bengals' busts from the early 2000s, a list that most notably includes wide receiver Peter Warrick (No. 4, 2000).
With all that said, the Bengals are very fortunate that Joe Burrow has lived up to his draft billing so far, unlike all the other names we mentioned above.
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