The trade table was where it all came apart. The Bengals shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill. Hard to defend, and the D- reflects that.

Whatever Fernando Mendoza becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. For all the activity, cornerback went untouched, which is hard to explain. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.

Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.