Boomer or Chad? Ranking the Bengals’ 10 best second-round draft picks

The 2017 NFL draft continues tonight with the second and third rounds.

After taking Washington receiver John Ross in the first round, what will the Cincinnati Bengals do for an encore?

Hope to find a player as productive as these were for them.

SEARCH every Bengals draft pick in franchise history

Here are the 10 best second-round picks in Bengals history:

10. Pete Johnson, 1977

The man who blocked for the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in history actually had a better pro career than Archie Griffin, who was a first-round pick of the Bengals one year earlier.

Johnson ran for 5,626 yards and scored 76 touchdowns on the ground while adding six more via reception. He made one Pro Bowl and was a starter for seven seasons.

9. Carlos Dunlap, 2010

Legal troubles at Florida caused the uber-talented defensive end from Florida to slip to the Bengals, who have benefited immensely in the past seven seasons.

Dunlap has made two Pro Bowls and notched 57 sacks for Cincinnati.

8. Tommy Casanova, 1972

Although he only played six seasons after being chosen out of LSU, Cassanova made them count.

He made three Pro Bowls and logged 17 interceptions in 71 games.

Casnova averaged 8.6 yards per punt return in his career and was a first-team All-Pro in 1976 when he had five interceptions and returned two for scores.

7. Carl Pickens, 1992

A star receiver at Tennessee, Pickens was one of the bright spots of the dark decade of the 1990s.

He caught a then-record 530 passes for 6,887 yards and scored 63 touchdowns for the Bengals, who were starving for star power at the time.

He made two Pro Bowls.

Read more at Marcus Hartman’s “Cus Words Blog” 

6. Cris Collinsworth, 1981

Another receiver from the SEC, the Florida product caught 417 passes for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns in a time before the offensive explosion of the 1990s and later had begun.

He made three Pro Bowls and was part of both of the franchise’s Super Bowl runs.

5. Andrew Whitworth, 2006

The Bengals chose Whitworth out of LSU and he became one of their most reliable players for over a decade.

Regarded as a key locker room presence for much of the Marvin Lewis era, he has been selected to three Pro Bowls.

4. Andy Dalton, 2011

The Bengals handed the keys of their offense to the TCU product right out of the gate, and he has never looked back.

Dalton led the team to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons and will begin the 2017 campaign with a 56-35-2 record as a starter.

Dalton has thrown for 142 touchdowns but is still looking for his first playoff victory.

3. Corey Dillon, 1997

A power back who ran with an edge, Corey Dillon came from Washington after a rocky college career.

He was a near-immediate success, rushing for 1,129 yards as a rookie despite only starting six games. Dillon broke Jim Brown’s single-game rookie rushing record in 1997 and smashed Walter Payton’s single-game rushing record (since broken) three years later.

A four-time Pro Bowler, Dillon is the Bengals’ all-time leading rusher with 8,061 yards and 45 touchdowns.

2. Boomer Esiason, 1984

A lefty from Maryland, Esiason is the second-best quarterback in franchise history behind Ken Anderson.

He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 1988 and was named the league MVP that season.

His 27,149 passing yards are second in team history, as are his 187 touchdown passes.

1. Chad Johnson, 2001

Did anyone know what was in store when the Bengals picked this brash receiver out of Oregon State?

He took the league by storm with his talent and swagger, leading the AFC in receiving yards four straight seasons and finishing as the team’s all-time leader catches (751) and receiving yards (10,783).

Johnson made six Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro from 2001-10.

Honorable mention: Ickey Woods, Louis Billups, Ray Griffin, Eric Steinbach

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