In 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals were coming off a 4-12 season and were hitting the reset button a bit. They landed a star wide receiver in A.J. Green with the fourth overall pick and grabbed their future quarterback in TCU’s Andy Dalton in the second round.
Dalton would go on to have a solid nine-year career with the Bengals and is still hanging around the league in 2025, entering his third season with the Carolina Panthers. However, there is an alternate world in which Dalton doesn’t even make it to the Bengals in the second round.
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In a recent re-draft from 2011 from Pro Football Focus, the Bengals don’t even get the chance to grab Dalton. The Red Rifle ends up going much higher in the draft and, ironically, would get to continue donning a purple jersey. The TCU quarterback lands with the Minnesota Vikings at No. 12 overall. Their original pick of Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder didn’t exactly pan out.
“Quarterback Christian Ponder, Minnesota’s original selection, played just four seasons with a 53.4 career PFF overall grade. The Vikings instead opt for Andy Dalton here, who is still playing in 2025. The current Panthers backup made three Pro Bowls during his time with the Bengals and is the most valuable player from the 2011 NFL Draft, according to PFF WAR.”
While it’s true the Bengals didn’t have much playoff success with Dalton (0-4 postseason record), Dalton still became a serviceable quarterback for almost a decade before the Bengals landed Joe Burrow. Ponder was out of the league by 2015 with a 14-21-1 record.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals miss Andy Dalton in a bold 2011 NFL redraft
Reporting by Billy Riccette, Bengals Wire / Bengals Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
