The tape said wait; the Bengals did not. Jordan Jefferson went at No. 116, a good 70 picks before the board was ready. A D that will need time and luck to look better.

They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through linebacker.

That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. Job largely done: cornerback settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.

In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.