The Bengals tried to trade up into the first round to draft quarterback Andy Dalton out of TCU. Instead, they waited and were rewarded when Dalton fell into their lap with the third pick of the second round (No. 35 overall) on Friday night.

With Dalton and first-rounder A.J. Green, the Bengals didn’t waste time in finding replacements for quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

If you’re a Bengal fan, you have to be happy right now because this is as good as anyone could have expected the first two rounds to go for the team. Dalton (6-2, 215) is by no means a sure thing, but one could say that about any of the four first-round quarterbacks as well. And all of them were taken in the first 12 picks.

Dalton was a four-year starter at TCU, and is known for his accuracy and solid decision-making. He doesn’t have poor arm strength by any means, but doesn’t have a cannon. He’s also a sneaky-good runner.

As for Palmer, now the question is whether the stubborn Mike Brown will quit shooting himself in the foot and will trade the disgruntled QB. Teams are reportedly offering a 2012 first-round pick for Palmer and I think the Bengals absolutely need to make that deal. Especially now with Dalton in the fold.

Also, with the Bengals going offense with the first two picks, what does this mean for Johnathan Joseph? Will the Bengals sign the cornerback to a long-term contract once (if?) the new CBA is reached? He is a restricted free agent under the old agreement and was signed to the highest tender, meaning a team would have to give the Bengals a first and a third-round pick if Cincinnati doesn’t match the offer. So, chances are good Joseph will be a Bengal in 2011. But what about beyond that?

The team also has Leon Hall who is signed for another two years, but hopefully they can sign both Joseph and Hall.

Anyway, major props to the Bengals’ front office for the way it played the first two rounds of the draft. We never shy away from ripping the Bengals front office, so it’s only fair to point out when they get things right.

Now let’s hope the third round goes well later tonight.

Oh, by the way, guess who else is happy right now? New Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. He thought Dalton was the second-best QB in the draft behind Cam Newton. Gruden will also have a nice, young WR corps at his disposal. Should be interesting to watch Dalton and the youthful wideouts (and tight ends) grow together.

The Cincinnati Bengals attempted to land the Green Bay Packers’ first-round draft pick (No. 32 overall) last night, but the trade fell apart while the Packers were on the clock.

Presumably, the Bengals were trying to get TCU quarterback Andy Dalton.

That tells me the Bengals aren’t very confident Dalton will be there when they make the No. 35 overall pick of the draft tonight. They probably figure the Buffalo Bills will nab him with the No. 34 pick, or perhaps a team will trade up in front of the Bengals to get him.

Should be interesting to see what happens. I’m sure hoping Dalton will be there when the Bengals pick and will be the choice, but if he’s not, there will still be some good options available.

Not at quarterback, but good options nonetheless.

If Dalton’s not there, I think the Bengals best move would be to take running back Ryan Williams from Virginia Tech, or defensive end Da’Quan Bowers from Clemson.

With the No. 4 overall selection of 2011 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected wide receiver A.J. Green out of Georgia.

The 6-foot-4, 211-pound Green will immediately assume the No. 1 wide receiver role with the departure of Chad Ochocinco, who was drafted 10 years ago in the second round.

Green, 2008 second-round pick Jerome Simpson, 2010 third-round pick Jordan Shipley and ’08 third-round pick Andre Caldwell will be the Bengals’ top-four receivers this season.

The team also has 2010 first-round pick Jermaine Gresham at tight end.

Now the question is who the Bengals will get at quarterback. Will they trade back into the latter portion of the first round to take TCU’s Andy Dalton. Or will they roll the dice and hope a good QB will be available with the third pick of the second round?

As for Green, I think it was a solid pick for the Bengals. They needed a No. 1 WR of the future and they found him. He was clearly one of the best players left on the board and he fills an immediate need. I'm not a big fan of drafting based on need, but one could easily argue that Green was the BPA (best player available). In fact, only cornerback Patrick Peterson (who went No. 5 to the Arizona Cardinals) was rated higher by any respected draft analysts, and some had Green over Peterson.

So, kudos to the Bengals. You didn't screw it up for a change.

The NFL Draft is almost upon us and the biggest question for the Cincinnati Bengals is what to do with the No. 4 overall pick.

My guess is they will forego the "best player available" strategy and will instead reach for a quarterback to fill a need. And that would be a shame because there is going to be several excellent players to choose from that might not necessarily be "need" picks (like cornerback Patrick Peterson from LSU or defensive tackle Nick Fairley from Auburn, for example).

If my theory is right, that means either Cam Newton (yikes) or Blaine Gabbert (yuck) will be the new quarterback of the Bengals. Neither of them are worthy of the No. 4 overall pick, but that's never stopped the Bengals before. Mike Brown still makes the final call on draft picks -- especially first rounders -- and this is the same man that took David Klingler and Akili Smith early in the first round. He likes him some quarterbacks. And not necessarily good ones.

Why not trade back then and try and get a QB in the middle part of the first round? Well, it's not that easy. Teams don't like giving up a bunch of picks to move up a few spots in the first round. It used to happen a lot. It doesn't any longer.

A better move for the Bengals would be to take the BPA in the first round Thursday night, whoever that might be, and then come back on Saturday in the second round and take the best QB left on the board. Perhaps someone like Andy Dalton from TCU. The Bengals have the third pick of the second round, so there is definitely going to be a decent QB available there.

For the record, if they do go quarterback in the first round, I would take Gabbert over Newton. However, while Gabbert has a rifle for an arm, he played in a gimmick offense at Missouri where he was always in the shotgun-spread formation. In other words, he didn't do anything that he will have to do in the NFL -- even simple things like take a snap from under center.

Gabbert would be a solid pick in the middle portion of the first round in my opinion, I just don't feel he's worthy of the No. 4 overall pick.

For the Bengals, I would prefer someone like Peterson, or linebacker Von Miller from Texas A&M, or defensive lineman Marcell Dareus from Alabama (although he's the one player I think will definitely be gone when the Bengals pick), or wide receiver A.J. Green from Georgia. However, while the Bengals say they use the BPA theory, they almost-always draft based on need in the first round. So, I'm bracing myself for a QB selection Thursday night. You probably should, too.

Let’s see: The Reds just lost a four-game series at home against the Pirates, Mike Leake was arrested for shoplifting $60 worth of T-shirts from a department store, Edinson Volquez (the supposed “ace” of the pitching staff) is a complete mess, and Mike Brown has decided running a football team into the ground isn’t enough and is the new owner of the Reds.

Alright, just seeing if you were paying attention on that last one, but overall, things aren’t looking good for the Redlegs to say the least. After starting the season 5-0 – their best start since the 1990 World Series championship team – they now stand at merely 9-7. They’re still in first place in the NL Central, but they’re not taking advantage of their weak early-season schedule.

Will that change starting tonight against the visiting Diamondbacks? We shall see, but the Reds seem to have more problems than solutions right now. Volquez’s pitching is worse than his hair, set-up man Nick Masset is like the bizarro Kosuke Fukudome (Masset sucks early in the season and is great late; Fuk-U is excellent early, then falls off the map late), and Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs still have poor approaches at the plate with 18 and 19 strikeouts, respectively.

However, believe it or not, there is some good news as well (in addition to Joey Votto being one of the biggest weapons in MLB).

Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto each recently had impressive minor league rehab starts and should be available to join the Reds by the first of May at the latest. That’s if they don’t “forget” to pay their Macy’s tab. (Too soon?)

Also, relief pitcher Jose Arredondo is on the way back from his elbow injury and is another candidate to join the team next month if needed. Pitching for the AA Carolina Mudcats, Arredondo has, get this, fanned 7 batters in just 3.2 innings pitched (3 appearances). He’s given up two hits, walked one and has an ERA of 2.45. There is a lot to be excited about there if he can remain healthy.

It’s a long season and there will always be peaks and valleys during the 162-game stretch, so there is no need to panic. However, the Reds need to get back on the right track against the D-backs starting tonight.

Juan Francisco has absolutely no concept of what a good at-bat is. He rarely makes the pitcher work and goes up there flailing at the first thing he sees. I had very high hopes for him, but you have to wonder if he’s ever going to be a starting caliber player in MLB.

Francisco finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout on Thursday. Three times he was retired on the first pitch and he never hit the ball hard. He makes it so easy on opposing pitchers it’s disgusting (unless you happen to be said pitchers).

What is very likely to happen in the near future is Edgar Renteria will get spot starts at third base when Scott Rolen needs a day off. The team can’t keep putting Francisco out there if he’s going to look like a disaster at the plate. Offense is supposed to be his strength. We already know he’s bad defensively.

So, the smart move would be to start Renteria at 3B when Rolen needs a rest. And Renteria will of course continue to get a lot of starts at shortstop in what is a pseudo-platoon with Paul Janish.

I expect to see Francisco optioned to Triple-A Louisville before long, just like last year when he made the Reds’ Opening Day roster.

The good news? Renteria was clearly one of the bargains across MLB in the offseason. Not only could he still hold his own as an everyday shortstop, he is going to be excellent for the Reds as a guy that can spell Janish at SS (a lot) and Rolen at 3B (a little). And even if Brandon Phillips needs a day off at second, Renteria can play there.

The really good news? Even with the disappointing 3-2 loss to the Astros on Thursday, the Reds are still 5-1 going into their road trip (which includes three games at Arizona and then three in San Diego).

If the Cincinnati Reds are able to win their series-opener against the visiting Houston Astros tonight, it will mark the club's first 4-0 start since 1990 -- when they began 9-0 and went wire-to-wire en route to the World Series championship.

I follow the Reds very closely and I had no idea it had been that long since the team started 4-0. I got the note out of this story that was posted on Yahoo.com, previewing tonight's Reds-Astros game.

Mike Leake will take the mound for the Reds tonight, and then the rotation will flip back to Opening Day starter Edinson Volquez on Wednesday.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Aroldis Chapman for the second straight game. He looked very impressive in the sweep-clinching win over the Brewers and the team had a day off yesterday. Chapman battled control problems in the spring, but he was on point in his first appearance of the season. Of course, there was no pressure on him, but he was flat nasty (and very accurate for his standards).

The Cincinnati Reds started the 2011 season in style with a 3-0 sweep of the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

It was important for two key reasons: It enables the Reds to get off to their best start since 2005, and gives them an early three-game lead over the team many believe (myself included) is Cincinnati’s biggest threat in the NL Central.

Each of the three games had a different feel – but all resulted in a win for the home team. The Reds scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to win on Opening Day, 7-6. After taking a day off, the teams got back at it on Saturday and the Reds used a dominating pitching performance from Travis Wood to win 4-2. And in Sunday’s finale, the Reds jumped all over Brewers starter Randy Wolf and clubbed their way to a 12-3 victory.

Here are some random thoughts about the Reds through the first three games:

* Catching tandem – still unbelievable: The Reds’ catching tandem of Ryan Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez is a huge asset for the club. Sunday marked the first two-home run game of Hanigan’s career, and also marked his first four-hit game.

Hernandez won the season-opener with a walk-off three-run homer. He is dealing with a sore knee and Hanigan started the final two games of the series. Having these guys together is like having one of the best catchers in baseball. They were excellent last year and have thus far carried it into this season. It’s also important to point out they get along very well and each of them have embraced the platoon situation.

* Four-man rotation … for now: The Reds will go with a four-man pitching rotation for the time being, and Sam LeCure will be the No. 5 if needed. The good news is that both Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey threw on Sunday and each could be back soon. However, since they will need to make minor league starts, I would say the end of the month would be the best-case-scenario for both of them. There is no need to rush them this early in the season and I’m sure the Reds won’t.

Mike Leake will get the start on Tuesday when the Reds welcome the Houston Astros to town for a three-game series.

* Missile launch: It was good to see Arolids Chapman have an impressive outing on Sunday. He threw a perfect inning to close the game. Of course, there was absolutely no pressure on him leading by nine runs, but he still looked great. He was clocked as high as 103 MPH. Chapman is the hardest-thrower of all time after registering 105 on the gun last season.

Chapman didn't pitch the first two games of the season, so it was fairly obvious he was going to get the call at some point on Sunday. And he didn't disappoint the crowd one bit.

* Platoon at SS? So, is Paul Janish really the “everyday shortstop” as the Reds said entering the season? I don’t think so – looks more like a platoon with veteran Edgar Renteria to me.

Why else would Renteria have started the second game of the season? Yes, he was 4-of-8 lifetime against Brewers starter Shaun Marcum, but if you have a true “everyday shortstop” you don’t bench him the second game of the season. In fact, Renteria likely never would have been signed if the Reds really thought Janish was going to be starting 130-140 games.

Janish was back in there on Sunday and I I won’t be surprised to see him start the series opener against Houston on Tuesday. But overall this season, I fully expect a platoon at SS with Janish and Renteria.

The Cincinnati Reds have set their starting pitching rotation, and third baseman/left fielder Juan Francisco has made the 25-man roster to open the 2011 season.

With Homer Bailey (shoulder impingement) and Johnny Cueto (shoulder inflammation) on the Disabled List to begin the campaign, the Reds’ rotation will be, in order: Edinson Volquez, Travis Wood, Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake and Sam LeCure.

The bullpen will consist of: closer Francisco Cordero, Jared Burton, Bill Bray, Aroldis Chapman, Matt Maloney, Nick Masset and Logan Ondrusek. Maloney beat out Dontrelle Willis for the long-reliever spot.

Also, the promising Jose Arredondo will begin the season on the DL as he continues to come back from right elbow surgery.

Left fielder Fred Lewis – expected to platoon with Jonny Gomes, no matter what manager Dusty Baker was saying publicly – will also start the year on the DL with a strained right oblique.

That opens the way for Juan Francisco to come north, er, northeast with the team out of spring training for the second straight year. The young slugger might stick this time though. The Reds are in need of a left-handed bat and Francisco has been getting reps in left field to increase his versatility and value to the team. Since the Reds are already used to dreadful defense in LF following years of Adam Dunn and now Gomes, as long as Francisco can catch the ball as well as your average beer-league softball outfielder, he’ll fit in just fine defensively.

The Reds are definitely banged up to begin the season, but the good news is that none of the injuries appear serious.

Thursday’s season-opener against the Brewers at Great American Ball Park can’t get here fast enough. And I think it will be these two teams that will battle for the NL Central title all year. I am picking the Reds to repeat as Central champs, but the Brewers have put together an impressive roster and will be an annoyance throughout the season.

The Cincinnati Reds have one of the top minor league systems in Major League Baseball. Yes, the organization has come a long way from the dark ages (which weren’t too long ago) of basically ignoring its minor league system and refusing to invest in players from the Caribbean/Latin America.

The Reds appear to be set up for years of success and here is one man’s opinion on the top 25 prospects in the organization (“prospects” being defined as anyone that would be considered a rookie in MLB this season):

1. Aroldis Chapman – LHSP/LHRP
2. Yorman Rodriguez – CF
3. Devin Mesoraco – C
4. Billy Hamilton – SS/2B
5. Yonder Alonso – 1B
6. Juan Francisco – 3B/LF
7. Dave Sappelt – CF/LF
8. Yasmani Grandal – C
9. Zack Cozart – SS
10. Donnie Joseph – LHRP
11. Todd Frazier – INF/OF
12. Neftali Soto – 3B/1B
13. Ismeal Guillon – LHP
14. Ryan LaMarre – CF
15. Brad Boxberger – RHP
16. Ronald Torreyes – 2B
17. Sam LeCure – RHSP
18. Daryl Thompson – RHSP
19. Kyle Lotzkar – LHSP
20. Juan Duran – OF
21. Chris Valaika – 2B
22. Junior Arias – SS
23. Jordan Hotchkiss – RHSP
24. Henry Rodriguez – 2B
25. Danny Dorn – OF