Provided they reach a contract agreement in principle, which should be achieved well in advance of the NFL draft his weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals have settled on Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer as the first overall selection, ESPN.com has learned.
The choice of Palmer, who won the Heisman Trophy after a strong senior season, is hardly surprising. He has been rumored for weeks to be the front-runner as the No. 1 pick, but wasn't necessarily the unanimous choice of Cincinnati's coaching staff.
Recently, the Bengals continued to create the perception the decision had not been resolved, and maintained a dialogue with the agents for Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich and Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/columnist?id=1542102
I don't think they should've taken a QB in the 1st round. Maybe their luck will change after the last 3 tries.