Cincinnati Bengals: Grading the team's performance in the 2015 NFL Draft.

You can’t grade a draft immediately after it concludes. We won't be doing that on April 29 this year. That’s the mantra preached by personnel executives and they are right. You need three years to truly judge where a team succeeded and failed in the draft.

That’s why I’ve done this annual re-grade of drafts from three years prior. These have produced mostly shining results for Cincinnati, but this one wasn't quite so pretty.

The 2015 draft goes down as one which set the Bengals back organizationally not only for the failures at the top, but not producing a regular starter out of a wealth of selections.

They were given a compensatory third-round pick (No. 99) and fourth-round pick (No. 135) when Tampa Bay signed away Michael Johnson and Anthony Collins to lucrative deals the previous offseason. The Bengals were set up to supplement significantly a roster that was about as deep as it has been in the Marvin Lewis Era.

Instead, six picks in the top 135 yielded negligible production, no stars and gaping holes on the offensive line the Bengals are still scrambling to fix. It cost people jobs.

Among the team’s top needs at the time were offensive line, receiver, tight end and safety. Contracts were coming up on Andrew Whitworth, Andre Smith, Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Reggie Nelson and George Iloka. Jermaine Gresham was a free agent the team was ready to move on and Tyler Eifert didn’t have much behind him on the roster. They needed the next generation in all those spots.

You could argue they are still looking for the next generation in all four.

Across the league, the draft lacked pizazz, but there were quality players to be had. They could have hypothetically come away with safety Landon Collins, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett as well as linebackers Jordan Hicks and Kwon Alexander.

They didn’t. Let’s take a deeper look.

Overall draft grade: D-

Hits: One (Tyler Kroft)

Whiffs: Six (Cedric Ogbuehi, Jake Fisher, PJ Dawson, Marcus Hardison, Derron Smith, Mario Alford)

OK: Two (Josh Shaw, C.J. Uzomah)

Best pick: Kroft. That’s saying something when three years in the best pick in a draft is the backup tight end. No disrespect to Kroft who has matured well, but he’s far from a game-changer.

Worst pick: P.J. Dawson. Tough to choose, but Dawson was a high enough pick in the end of the third that getting zilch out of him to the point he couldn’t even touch the field as a linebacker before disappearing to the waiver wire trumps even the first-round miss.

Let’s take a pick-by-pick look at what was and what could have been.

First round, No. 21 overall: OT Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M

Grade: F

Why: In two seasons as a starter Ogbuehi was benched at right tackle midway through. Given a fresh start at left tackle last year he could never work his way out of a rotation. The team believed in him and that’s why they allowed Andrew Whitworth to head off to Los Angeles. They ended up with egg on their face and having to trade with the Bills for Cordy Glenn. It’s been a disaster in every sense of the word.

Hindsight: None of the offensive tackles from the first round really panned out. Andrus Peat (New Orleans), Ereck Flowers (NY Giants) and DJ Humphries (Arizona) all joined Ogbuehi on the struggle bus. Looking back, taking Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins would have been a great play and cleared money to allow Illoka to go in free agency the next year.

Second round, No. 53 overall: OT Jake Fisher, Oregon

Grade: D

Why: There’s still hope for Fisher, who could be a better fit under new offensive line coach Frank Pollack. Or at least the Bengals think. But it’s been rough. He never secured the starting spot last year, and instead rotated with Andre Smith before he ended the year on IR with an irregular heartbeat. The line actually settled down once he went on the shelf. Still, he hasn’t been able to justify the chip placed on him to this point.

Hindsight: Linebacker Jordan Hicks (Lakota West HS) has put together a fine career for the Eagles. He could have solidified the linebacker position for years to come, instead of what happened later in the third round.

Third round, No. 85 overall: TE Tyler Kroft, Rutgers

Grade: B

Why: No tight end from this draft class has more touchdowns that Kroft’s eight. Only Clive Walford (recently released by Oakland and signed by the New York Jets) has more yards than Kroft’s 625. This just didn’t pan out as a great year to need a tight end. Kroft has proven a high-end TE2 and could develop into more if he can take another step this year.

Third round, No. 99 overall: LB PJ Dawson, TCU

Grade: F

Why: Dawson’s motivation and character concerns were the reason he slid to late in the third round despite one of the most productive college careers of anybody in the draft. The Bengals couldn’t crack that code. He never earned the trust of coaches to grace the field and was cut, re-signed, put on the practice squad and let go again before even making it to this ranking. Zero impact. Worst case scenario for pick 99.

Hindsight: In a year they were looking for receivers, Jamison Crowder was on the board and went to Washington six picks later. Crowder racked up 2,240 yards (third-best in the draft class) and 12 receiving touchdowns (fourth best) working the slot for Washington the last three years. With him, the Bengals wouldn’t have been as needy for Tyler Boyd in the second round the next season.

Fourth round, No. 120: DB Josh Shaw, USC

Grade: C

Why: Shaw’s versatility has proven helpful as the Bengals search for answers and injury replacements in the secondary in recent years. He’s not developed into a starting level player to this point at either spot, though. Not bad for a fourth-round pick but in a round where they have found stars before he hasn’t been that.

Hindsight: Again the Bengals holes at linebacker could have been filled. Kwon Alexander went to the Bucs four picks later. He made the all-rookie team and was a Pro Bowler last season.

Fourth round, No. 135: DL Marcus Hardison, Arizona State

Grade: F

Why: Hardison flashed potential in a few preseason games, but injuries persisted and he never developed to make any contribution with the club. Officially washed out in camp last year.

Hindsight: Only two picks later the Falcons took Grady Jarrett. A Geno Atkins clone in terms of build, he’s done well for Atlanta, particularly in the Super Bowl where he had three sacks of Tom Brady.

Fifth round, No. 157: TE C.J. Uzomah, Auburn

Grade: C

Why: For a fifth-round project at tight end in a slim tight-end draft, he’s been OK. Hasn’t developed into a great player, but enjoyed a few moments where you could see the potential. Perhaps his time is still coming here, though, the clock is nearing midnight in the final year of his deal.

Sixth round, No. 197: S Derron Smith, Fresno State

Grade: D

Why: Enjoyed a few moments where it seemed he could be a special team and reserve contributor. Yet, the Bengals thought enough of his progress to cut him midway through the season last year. He landed with Cleveland.

Seventh round, No. 238: WR Mario Alford, West Virginia

Grade: F

Why: The Bengals waited too long to address receiver in this draft, so they took a chance on the speedy Alford. He wasn’t able to bring the rest of his game around and never made it to 2016 with the club.