CINCINNATI — The Bengals have a number of different needs they could fill when they make their selection at No. 28 on April 27. With so much cap space being chewed up by Orlando Brown Jr. and the coming extensions of Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson, the Bengals aren’t going to be able to spend a lot on other areas of need.
This is why it’s critical to watch how the Bengals handle the first three rounds this year. All eyes will be on the first round this year, and for very good reason. Do the Bengals take the best player on the board or do they take the best player at the highest valued position? Or do they grade out a player and follow a hybrid path of the two?
Darnell Wright, Tennessee. At 6-foot-5, 333 pounds, the four-year senior would be a great fit going forward at the position. He had a great game against Alabama’s Will Anderson and didn’t allow a sack last season. This could be great value at a position and too great for the Bengals to pass up.
Joey Porter Jr. Penn State. At 6-foot-2, he has great length for the position and ideal for press-man coverage. He is likely gone by the time the Bengals pick but if, for some reason, he slides, this could be a top corner for years to come in the secondary, and Lou Anarumo has said on numerous occasions, you can never have enough good corners in today’s NFL. It remains a premium draft position.
Bijan Robinson, Texas. One of the best all-around talents in the draft class, Robinson has experience in Steve Sarkisian’s RPO and could easily make the transition to the Bengals offense and be the kind of explosive weapon the Bengals need at the position, again if Mixon (and his $12.8 million salary) is not on the roster. He projects as a ready-made NFL back.
Michael Mayer, Notre Dame. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, this makes the most sense if he is on the board. He’s the top tight end at a position of need. Again, he projects as a ready-made contributor and could replicate the seam routes that Hurst was able to run in the second half of last season and in the playoffs. He’s a local product of course, hailing from Covington Catholic High School and a cousin of Cincinnati Reds catcher Luke Maile. Caught 67 passes for 809 yards and an average of 12.1 yards per catch. Caught nine touchdowns and had just four drops in 2022.
Myles Murphy, Clemson. At 6-foot-4, 258 pounds, Murphy is considered one of the better edges in the upper part of the draft. He reportedly visited with the Bengals and could be on their radar. He’s always had the raw ability but scouts see the need for him to develop secondary moves to complement his power and burst, which definitely project to a future NFL starter. How he develops his craft and his counter moves will determine how productive he could be. Would the Bengals like the chance to have Marion Hobby get his hands on him and mold him into a stud?
Some assumptions here:
If the Bengals decide to formally announce an extension for Tee Higgins, they are not going to spend first-round capital on the wide receiver position. Could they draft a backup plan for Tyler Boyd in later rounds? Sure, but it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to spend that juice on a player who would likely not see the field except in return situations.
Building depth behind DJ Reader and B.J. Hill would never be a bad thing, especially if it gives Lou Anarumo some impact players who could rotate in and give Reader more rest while not losing too much production on the field. The Bengals have Josh Tupou and Jay Tufele and 3-tech specialists Zach Carter and Domenique Davis in the rotation behind Reader and Hill.
The linebacker room seems set with the re-signing of Germaine Pratt, a likely extension for Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither on the roster already. There’s Joe Bachie, Markus Bailey and Keandre Jones. And Clay Johnston remains unsigned and could return at a moment’s notice. Drafting a linebacker doesn’t seem likely with the likely value coming on Days 2 and 3.
“Best Available Player” strategy almost always takes priority in Round 1, i.e. drafting the highest graded remaining available player regardless of position. The Bengals will have an interesting choice to make if there are multiple players across multiple positions. What will be the determining factors? Character? IQ? Versatility? “Love of ball” as head coach Zac Taylor puts it? That’s why those “Top 30” visits can be so valuable to teams (if they’re not using them to throw off a scent) because it helps them get a grasp on the intangibles that a player may or may not possess.
The Bengals, as of April 11, had a roster that sits at 68 players under contract. That allows them 22 spaces for their seven draft selections (one each round for now), free agents and undrafted rookie free agents.
QB: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
RB: Joe Mixon, Trayveon Williams, Chris Evans
WR: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Trent Taylor, Stanley Morgan, Trenton Irwin, Kwamie Lassiter II
TE: Irv Smith Jr., Devin Asiasi, Tanner Hudson, Nick Bowers
LT: Orlando Brown Jr., Jackson Carman, D’Ante Smith, Devin Cochran
LG: Cordell Volson, Max Scharping, Nate Gilliam
C: Ted Karras, Trey Hill, Ben Brown
RG: Alex Cappa, Hakeem Adeniji
RT: Jonah Williams, La’el Collins, Cody Ford
LDE: Sam Hubbard, Cam Sample, Jeff Gunter, Owen Carney
NT: DJ Reader, Josh Tupou, Domenique Davis
DT: B.J. Hill, Zach Carter, Jay Tufele
RDE: Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, Tarell Basham, Raymond Johnson III
LB: Germaine Pratt, Joe Bachie, Markus Bailey
MLB: Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Keandre Jones
LCB: Chido Awuzie, Allan George, Chris Lammons
SS: Nick Scott, Tycen Anderson, Yusef Corker
FS: Dax Hill, Brandon Wilson, Michael Thomas
RCB: Cam Taylor-Britt, Sidney Jones IV, Marvell Tell III
NB: Mike Hilton, Jalen Davis
K: Evan McPherson
P: Drue Chrisman
LS: Cal Adomitis
