AP

Bengals owner Mike Brown has been the recipient of considerable praise lately, given the success of his team, the impact of rookies A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, and the fleecing of the Raiders for a first-round pick and at least a second-round pick for quarterback Carson Palmer.

But the Bengals almost didn’t get Dalton in round two. And not because another team was close to leap-frogging them. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Brown wanted Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett instead of Dalton. Schefter says that offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was “instrumental” in selling Brown on Dalton.

It’s no surprise that Brown wanted Mallett. Like the Bengals have done so many other times, they were drawn to first-round prospects who plummeted for reasons unrelated to their on-field abilities.