Watch: Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down Bengals taking Chad Johnson in 2001

The popularity of the NFL draft is something that seems to be taken for granted these days.

So one has to wonder, what was the draft coverage like when the Cincinnati Bengals took Chad Johnson all those years ago?

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Thanks to Marcus Mosher of Raiders Wire, now we know.

In the ESPN broadcast footage of the pick provided by Mosher, Mel Kiper Jr. broke down the Bengals making Chad the 36th pick in the second round of the 2001 draft

Kiper talked about how Johnson was one of their favorite players at the Senior Bowl and that despite how he was a one-year wonder in college, he boasted immense upside. Kiper added that the value was great for the Bengals because Johnson only fell in the draft due to a few bad testing results at the combine.

And the highlights? Early Chad was definitely there on the tape, hinting at the illustrious pro career he’d put together.

Here is Mel Kiper Jr. breaking down the selection of WR Chad Johnson by the #Bengals in the 2001 NFL Draft: pic.twitter.com/rFw9IjBZSk

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 21, 2023