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Bengals' rookie class incomplete after two significant injuries

Rookie receiver Tyler Boyd has already carved out a long-term role with the Bengals. Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports

It would be cliché to grade the Cincinnati Bengals' 2016 draft class as "incomplete," but there are a lot of unknowns. First-round pick William Jackson III and fourth-round pick Andrew Billings have yet to play a snap after going on injured reserve in the preseason. Fifth-round pick guard Christian Westerman has been a healthy inactive all season. Third-round pick Nick Vigil and seventh-rounder Clayton Fejedelem have played sparingly behind established starters.

The star of the class is wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who has been a mainstay in the slot all season and received a chance to really show what he could do after A.J. Green went down with an injury. Sixth-round wideout Cody Core, mostly a healthy inactive on game days, showed promise after catching his first pass against the Eagles for 50 yards.

While the Bengals rookies could prove to be valuable down the road, they're mostly a cast of unknowns at this point. That's nothing new for Cincinnati, as the Bengals' philosophy is to build for the future.

Grade: C+

Best rookie: Boyd is further along at this point than former Bengals Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones were when they were rookies. Boyd has played all season, mostly in the slot, and entered Week 14 second on the team in receptions. The Bengals are very happy with Boyd's progress at this point. He looks like a fixture in the Bengals' receivers group in the years to come.

Most improved rookie: Core was stuck on the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart and was a healthy scratch for most of the season. He finally got his chance to play when Green got hurt and has been a bigger part of the offense for the past two games. Core's first career reception gained 50 yards, and there appears to be definite promise going forward for Core, a sixth-round pick.

Most disappointing rookie: It would be hard to label any Bengals rookie as disappointing, as the team's philosophy is to bring them along slowly. But third-round pick Vigil is the only player taken by the Bengals in the first two days of the draft who has been healthy, but hasn't played more than a few snaps.

Vigil is technically second on the depth chart at weakside linebacker behind Vontaze Burfict, but that backup position goes to Vincent Rey first. Rey took over for Burfict during his three-game suspension.

Erratic play among the linebackers and an injury to Rey Maualuga still haven't opened the door for Vigil to play much.

That's not necessarily disappointing, as the true test will come next year, but it is notable.

The jury is still out on...: The organization is very high on first-round cornerback William Jackson III. Jackson tore his pec in the preseason and went on IR before the season started. The Bengals were set to bring him back, but had to change their plans at the last minute after running back Giovani Bernard tore his ACL.

Fourth-rounder Andrew Billings also hasn't had a chance to show what he could do. He also went down in the preseason with a torn meniscus.

Undrafted rookie check-in: Wide receiver Alex Erickson is the only undrafted rookie free agent to stick around on the active roster this season. Erickson was good enough in the preseason as a kick returner to replace longtime veteran Brandon Tate, and while he has yet to break a return for a touchdown, he has shown some promise with some lengthy returns. Erickson doesn't get many snaps on offense, but he has a lot of potential as the kick returner of the future.