Doc: Ross is exciting, now fill some needs

Here’s today’s multiple choice question, kids, in the wake of Round 1 of the NFL Draft-a-palooza 2017, so big even Philadelphia barely booed it:

Who’s happiest right now with the Bengals pick of wide receiver/World’s Fastest Football Human John Ross? Is it:

1. Andy Dalton, who has been given yet another high-pick toy with whom to play? Dalton has so many playthings now (still and again), he’s changing his legal name to Santa Claus.   
2. A.J. Green, who might not have four enemy arms nagging him at all times next fall?
3. Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese, who will wear a lab coat on Tuesdays, when he puts together game plans?
4. Calvin Broadus, who might be sippin’ on some gin and juice?      

Who’s not dancing on the ceiling?

1. People wondering if Ross has a slide-step to go with that first step. Can he pass-block, too?  
2. Anyone trying to play corner in Pittsburgh. Most years, Steelers corners can’t cover a dog in fur. This has to seem cruel and unusual to them.
3. People who think the Bengals needed an elite edge rusher. People who don’t want to win every game 48-41. People who wonder if Ross comes with a good warranty. He has blown a knee in college and played more than half of last season with a torn labrum.

John Ross was a junior wideout at Washington who ran 40 yards in 4.22 seconds at the Combine. That’s the fastest 40 ever recorded there. “Eyeball popping,’’ Ross called it. “It feels good to run by people and not get caught.’’

Bengals' 1st Round: John Ross, WR, Washington

He’s not just the next Bob Hayes. (Look him up, kids.) The Bengals were as impressed with Ross’ ability to stop as to start. That makes him next-to-impossible to defend when he’s running free. He’d be altogether impossible if he weren’t 5-11 and barely 190. Bump-and-run cornerbacks might have a chance.

“A technician,’’ Zampese called Ross. That means he studies his craft, works on the finer points. In NFL-speak, he “gets in and out of breaks’’ quickly. “Not a lot of wasted motion,’’ said Zampese. That makes Ross effective close to the end zone. Those fade routes from inside the other team’s 10? He’s good at those.

At the very least, this pick will make dreamers of any Bengal-ite who loves offense. Ross and Green and Tyler Eifert, too? Plus Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd? If the Browns are nice, maybe the Bengals will loan them a wideout every now and then.

It seems like a good pick. All 1st-rounders do.

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But what about taking “best player available’’ instead of “need’’? What about the rough-tough tundra of the AFC North, where every team requires sled dogs and a 1965 mindset to win big?

For a few years, after several brilliant drafts, the Bengals truly were in the enviable position of drafting strictly on talent. They had no specific holes to patch. So they took two offensive tackles 1-2 two years ago, when they already had two solid tackles.

This isn’t 2015. The Bengals have needs. Edge pass rusher is a need, running back is a need. Offensive line, possibly. Linebacker. They drafted Best Available.

How many times have we heard you must run the ball to win in the North, where men are men and Lake Erie thaws by Labor Day? This didn’t help that.

Of course, there are six rounds to go. Quite possibly, the pass-rusher, running back or lineman the Bengals wanted was not around. Marvin Lewis said they had nine players on their draft board as potential 1st-rounders. Maybe they still get that Need player in Round 2.

Defensive end seems most pressing. The Bengals most recent forays in that direction have whiffed. Bless Devon Still, but his backstory was far better than his sack story. Margus Hunt resembled a lab experiment. Unfortunately, he played like one, too.

The Bengals have strength in numbers, with eight picks between Rounds 4 and 7. It’s sexy to believe they will build their future around those choices. It’s also wrong.

Bengals 2017 draft tracker

Teams rise and fall in the first few rounds. The Bengals are given big credit for mining later rounds. With the exception of two golden years in the last seven, they haven’t quite robbed the Federal Reserve. In Rounds 4-6 since 2010, it has been Geno Atkins, Clint Boling, George Iloka, Marvin Jones, a few special teamers and people who aren’t here now.

A Golden Kiper Award if you remember Dezmon Briscoe, Derron Smith and Paul Dawson.

We will see what happens Friday and Saturday. All we know now is the Bengals took a player who needs a set of wings. We don’t know if John Ross can fly. At the moment, the fun is in the speculating.