The preseason is waning and the regular season is on the horizon! I wanted to take one more look at the Bengals draft class to lay out how i think they did filling their needs and adding to the roster.
Oh What Might Have Been Round 1:
Year two of the late in the round draft experience and i’m still in the adjustment phase. Doesn’t it seem like the Ravens had pick 28 five years in a row and somebody unthinkable always fell right in their laps? As i was watching the first round unfold, i was thinking, who would i be really happy with? I couldn’t come up with an answer. None of the really intriguing offensive weapons at need positions (TE, RB) fell to them. None of the OT’s fell. As far as CB’s, Gonzalez took a mini tumble down the board that had me starting to get ideas, but he didn’t end up coming close. Cam Smith and Joey Porter were available but i wasn’t too excited about them at 28. I wasn’t in on any of the receivers this early even before the run at 20 through 23.
Jahmyr Gibbs was the biggest round 1 gut punch for me even though it happened at 12. I thought the RB value crunch might push him into range and his speed combined with elusivity, receiving ability, and just enough size and running talent to pose as an inside threat positioned Gibbs uniquely as a guy that could unlock a new dimension to the Cincinnati offense. I think he could turn out to be the top offensive weapon in this class. But Dan Campbell squashed my dream before it drifted even a whiff towards reality.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Utah) was the one other intriguing offensive skill player that had me bullish on adding new dimensions to the offense, but Buffalo swooped in and snatched him up.
OT Anton Harrison falls in the category of having been rumored to be high on the Bengals’ board and i was curious to see what they’d do if he was there. The Jaguars grabbed him one pick before we got the chance to find out.
The moral of the story… MAN this was a flat draft. There were the quarterbacks, Tim Anderson, and then… what?.. plateau for like the next 40 picks? Sure there were guys people loved more than others, but amongst the range of possible outcomes there wasn’t a huge gap between the ceilings of the various players. Certainly once you get past Skoronski at pick 11, almost every other first round pick i could envision sliding to 31.
Absent of a no-brainer selection, the Bengals opted for the trenches. When in doubt draft big, strong, fast people! Who else was available that stands out?
Michael Mayer TE Notre Dame - Bengaldom longed to see the Covington kid join the orange and black. I just didn’t see enough athletic upside to think his game is going to translate. Plenty of other people feel differently.
Joey Porter Jr. CB Penn State
There are probably less than 5 humans on the planet that would annoy me strictly based off their parentage if they joined the Bengals roster. Joey Porter is one of them.
Nolan Smith Edge Georgia
The twitchy edge rusher was getting all kinds of mid first round hype leading up to draft day. I know everyone is praising Philadelphia for landing the next Haasan Reddick to play as his backup. I just liked Reddick way more coming out (actually, I thought he was one of Cincy’s top options when they made the John Ross pick). Smith seems too lean and disappears at times watching game clips.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah DE Kansas State
Going the developmental edge rout, i’m worried this one might come back to haunt Bengals brass. He seems a little less buttoned up than Murphy but sometimes in a good way.
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 1:
Rd 1 (28) Myles Murphy DE Clemson
6’5” 268
4.51 40 (1.59 10 yd split),
3 cone 7.22 pro day only
Sure the Bengals could have reached a little and added depth that is likely to be more immediately useful with a TE, CB, RB, or G. Instead they did what they often do (Sometimes to a fault), they did the smart thing. High end pass rushers don’t grow on trees. Soon they will no longer be able to afford the luxury of dipping into free agency to solve their non QB/WR problems. What are the most important roles they’ll have to triage to stay afloat as a high end contender? Pass rush, OT, and cover CB. Draft picks are the best way to fill those needs and barring a disaster that leads to Trevor Simien being heavily involved in a future season, they aren’t going to be able to snag a prospect at those positions where there isn’t some assembly required.
Prospects are like volcanoes. Sometimes they’re red hot watching their college games. There’s flares of molten lava flying out of the screen as they terrorize the villagers on the field with them. Other times you can see the lava bubbling and there’s just like these little burps of lava erupting. And then there’s the Myles Murphys of the world that you can see bubbling and you’re just like oh man if that thing erupts watch out, but who knows if it’s going to happen.
Not too many 270 lbs DE’s run a 4.51 40. Murphy gets off the line quickly at the snap and flashes impressive strength with power pass rush moves and holding up against the run.
With his athletic profile you’d expect volcanic flares all over the place, but it’s not quite there. There’s something harnessed about his game. He isn’t exactly stiff, but he just doesn’t bend around the edge like he’d need to do to really punish offensive tackles. There’s something missing. He needs to be unleashed... Not the greatest thing to write about your first round pick, but if they’re going to fill a need at a premium position with pick 28, that’s the game they have to play. Polished-game-wrecker DE’s that move like that are long gone by late round 1. They need a succession plan at DE. Bargain bin hunting for veteran ring chasers is always an option, but it’s probably better that it’s plan B than plan A.
The other side of this pick that has me a little uneasy is what it means to add a guaranteed roster spot at a position that already boasts entrenched starters along with developing young players already in the pipeline: Cam Sample, Joseph Ossai, Jeff Gunter.
It feels daunting trying to find room for all of these guys, but it’s part of transitioning from the beginnings of a rebuild to the next phase where drafting involves strengthening deeper slots on the depth chart. Instead of scrambling when players inevitably go down to injury, the Bengals are building in contingencies in all the right places.
So what is the ceiling for Myles Murphy? Big strong athlete that doesn’t so much bend around the edge as he sticks his nose in and forces his way though. He’s going to make his money forcing tackles to respect his strength wide and then shifting to the inside and bullying his way to the quaterback. Who does that sound like? Think Trey Hendrickson. For now he’s going to fill in as a rotation guy to try to keep the starters fresh. He also has the size and strength to move inside on passing downs. That’s the million dollar question that has circulated amongst Bengals fans 1000 times since the draft. Are they going to replicate the old New York Giants NASCAR package?? I’m not sure they’ll go there too frequently, we’ll see.
That sums up this pick. I was hoping for a more exciting player out of the box, but maybe Murphy will get there.
We’ll see.
Maybe Marion Hobby and Laboratory Lou can unleash the volcano.
We’ll see.
What Might Have Been Round 2:
This was the “too rich for my blood” round. Even the players i liked seemed like they were going a round or two early. Cody Mauch G, Jayden Reed WR, Keanu Benton NT, Zach Charbonnet RB, O’Cyrus Torrence G. I’m not sure who i thought was going to get picked in this range instead, but i didn’t like a lot of the round 3 value. There was just a big hole in this draft class in round 2.
For the second year in a row the tight ends flew off the board with five going before the Bengals really had a shot at taking one. Mayer was never going to fall to 60 even though i saw him as more of a mid day 2 player anyway. Teams snatched up four other tight ends between picks 28 and 60.
No real heartbreakers here though.
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 2:
Rd 2 (60) D.J. Turner CB Michigan
5’11” 178 lbs.
4.26 40 (1.47 10 yd split),
38.5” vertical
For the second time that i remember, the Bengals snagged the fastest player from the combine. Don’t cringe though. I expect this pick to go better than the last one. Sometimes track times don’t translate, but watching Turner’s college games, greasy fast speed and quickness jump off the screen. His fluidity is impressive. He turns and runs with receivers with ease, but he can also put his foot in the ground and break on the ball FAST. The catch is his physicality. It’s not a red flag, but he’s going to struggle against physical receivers until he bulks up a little, and even then length is always going to be an issue. He’ll make an effort defending the run, but he needs to improve to reach his full potential.
Overall i like this pick. They needed to upgrade their CB depth and as long as Cam Taylor-Britt continues to progress they should have a reasonable succession plan in place if they can’t bring back Awuzie next year.
Contrasted to last year, this feels like a stronger get. I like Taylor-Britt, but i had a sense they got caught a little in the “late 2 is basically a 3” side of things. Turner at 60 feels stronger. In a round that featured a desert of value, the Bengals might have found something here.
What Might Have Been Round 3:
If watching round 2 felt lucky (seeing player after player that i wasn’t too interested in come off the board), watching round 3 felt like someone was pelting me with small hard objects over and over.
Jailin Hyatt (Tennessee) was my number 1 rated receiver in the class. I think he fell because of concerns about his ability to handle press coverage, but for a team like Cincinnati who cares? They don’t need him to be a WR1. Let the physical freaks on the outside handle the press. Line up Hyatt in the backfield if you have to. Move him all over the formation and just torture people. He is electric. Probably too much of a luxury to take in round 2, and he didn’t really come close to lasting long enough in the third, but MAN that would have been exciting.
I was hoping for Tucker Craft (TE South Dakota State) as a day 3 TE option.
Josh Downs (WR North Carolina) is more of a shifty intermediate target, but would have been the perfect Tyler Boyd insurance policy.
Tyjae Spears (RB Tulane) has everything i was hoping Gibbs in the first would provide except he’s a little smaller, less proven against big school competition, and has a worrying injury history.
YaYa Diaby. I don’t know much about him, but his name is YaYa with two capital Y’s.
Devon Achane (RB Texas A&M) is small, but lightning fast and runs with enough authority that i considered ranking him in the Bijon Robinson tier of running backs.
And then there’s Darnell Washington (TE Washington). The 6’7” monster blocks like a demon downfield and moves well enough to threaten the seam. I considered him an option in the first round. His medicals caused him to drop and reportedly the Bengals did not consider taking him. Still, it stings that he was available when the Bengals were on the clock before they traded down and then Pittsburgh snatched him up.
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 3:
Rd 3 (95) Jordan Battle S Alabama
6’1” 209 lbs.
4.55 40 (1.56 10 yd split),
Of all the picks this is the one i’m worried about the most as a miss. I keep reading about how impressed the team was with Battle’s interviews and play style and i started talking myself into the pick.
How do you replace two starting safeties? The one they invested highly in last year, Dax Hill, theoretically should be Jessie Bates++. So then they grab a guy this year that is reminiscent of the persona they had with Vonn Bell. Throw in a free agent that is kind of a blend of the two, another developing young guy in Tycen Anderson, and a trusted veteran like Mike Thomas and you start to feel better about the situation. They lost a lot, but they’ve invested heavily to protect themselves and Battle is the final layer to that protection.
When i watched Battle in Alabama’s defense my optimism started to waver. He’s solid. He just didn’t flash very much. Mainly his athleticism didn’t pop. Admittedly, i watched these picks in sequence. After finishing watching Turner, i moved on to Battle. It might be a little bit like watching a sleek attack drone zip through the air and then thinking an armored car looks clunky and obsolete.
Battle played DEEP in Alabama’s defense. It was tough to even see him on the screen most times. He was like a true safety valve almost, and i didn’t see him rallying to the ball that much. He showed some ball skills, but it was only when the opportunity came to him. He wasn’t forcing the issue. He might turn out to be the heady vocal leader they need, but i worry about his athleticism and wonder if they shouldn’t have taken a bigger swing on one of the skill guys with this pick. Maybe they could have gotten lucky with Battle a round later.
What Might Have Been Round 4:
I’m sure someone between picks 95 and 138 will pop but nothing obvious jumps out. I was more disappointed that they pulled the trigger on the need to bring in receiver depth and then two picks later Tyler Scott came off the board. I had him rated way higher in this class. I would have considered him in the late second round, but counted my blessings that he lasted to the third and taken him in a heartbeat. Then he lasts until the late fourth?? C’mon people what are we doing here? I will be interested to see how Mr. Scott’s career pans out. I think the Bears got a steal. Go Bearcats!
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 4:
Rd 4 (131) Charlie Jones WR Purdue
5’11” 175
4.43 40 (1.51 10 yd split),
36.5” vertical
10’4” broad jump
Projected slot maven that made his name as a return man at Iowa then transferred to Purdue and produced well as an outside receiver.
This is another pick where i see the idea of what they’re trying to accomplish, and then i watch the college game clips and i’m left scratching my head wondering whether they pulled it off.
Looking back at Jones’ Iowa games, i was hoping to see the short area quickness and that innate ability to make bizarre cuts and turns to find openings that you see with the great return men. Jones was productive but i didn’t really see enough agility and vision to make me confident the big plays will keep coming in the pros.
Watching his receiver reps at Purdue it was a similar story. He makes catches but it takes a lot of work for him to get open against college defenders and when he does it seems more a case of defenders not expecting 4.4 speed and he wins on deep routes. The Bengals need a crafty route runner that will come open quickly on short routes to pick at the soft underbelly of these deep shells defenses are hitting them with. Jones runs workmanlike routes, but Wes Walker he is not. Based on the AFC championship game the Bengals clearly needed to find Tyler Boyd insurance. Time will tell, but i’m afraid Jones is less of a future Boyd as he is Trenton Irwin 2.0.
Back to my heartache from up above, i can’t figure out why they didn’t go Tyler Scott with this pick. Jones and Scott have basically the same size and speed numbers (Scott: 5’10” 177 lbs. 4.44 40 with the same 1.51 10 yard split). But forget the numbers. Watch the two side by side. Scott jumps off the screen. He’s twitchy and electric. Look at the test results that measure explosion. Scott (39.5” vertical, 11’1” broad jump) blows Jones away. The tape matches the test numbers, he’s got more juice! He’s a little less polished but who cares? He’ll get there by the time you really need him if your staff is worth a darn. In the meantime stick him in the slot and send him streaking across the field on crossers and down the seam until his legs fall off. Besides, the Bengals might be losing one Tyler soon they need another one right? As always, let it play out and give the benefit of the doubt to the professional evaluators, but i think they overthought this one.
What Might Have Been Round 5:
Israel Abanikanda (RB Pittsburg) will be an interesting name to watch for the Jets, and Josh Whyle (Cincinnati) was one of the last names at TE i had my eyes on.
The names that jumped out to me more in this round were the quarterbacks. This class was fat with developmental backup QB types. Considering the titanic struggle of a QB2 competition going on in Bengals training camp right now between Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian, i wonder if the Bengals didn’t miss an opportunity to bring in player with a similar floor but higher upside than what they’re currently trotting out. Clayton Tune (Houston), Dorian Thompson Robinson (UCLA), and my sleeper pick for this QB class, Jaren Hall (BYU), all came off the board in this round. Hall actually was picked with the next pick after the Bengals. I agree with the pick they made here, but sooner or later they’re going to get burned if they don’t invest a little in a backup QB. The margins on a Super Bowl season are razor thin. What if Burrow gets injured for a 3 to 6 week stretch (like with a strained calf for example)? One or two games can make all the difference in the world.
Theoretically A team could lose a game in week 1 because they couldn’t execute an extra point with the backup long snapper and then they could end up at the end of the year being forced to play starters in week 18 to break some bizarro manufactured tie scenario because another team they played had a player’s heart stop on the field and they had to cancel the game causing an inequity in the number of games played, then the starting right guard might end up getting his ankle rolled up on in week 18 and then the team could lose by 3 points having to play on the road short handed in the AFC championship game. All of these things are outlandish but they COULD happen and the whole season could swing one direction on another.
Front offices have to play wack—a-mole with the roster depth. It’s hard to hit them all but i think they need to swing that sledgehammer at the backup QB slot at some point.
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 5:
Rd 5 (163) Chase Brown RB Illinois
5’9” 209
4.43 40 (1.53 10 yd split),
40” vertical
10’7” broad jump
Nice all around weapon: Inside, outside, receiving. He doesn’t have enough juice to serve as a consistent home run threat, but he has the vision and just enough size to get to the second level from anywhere. If Joe Mixon doesn’t enjoy a renaissance season, Brown might be the team’s leading rusher sooner than you’d think.
My favorite part about this pick is the timing. This was a rich RB class. There are several backs i like more than Brown, but when you start stacking the cost and talent combos against each other waiting for Brown after having taken Turner in the second weighs nicely compared to swapping the positions and taking a Spears or an Achane and waiting on cornerback. Brown is a flatter prospect. He probably won’t be bad, but he probably won’t be a superstar. When they took him he was the last guy left on the board that i had in the tier of RB’s that could start early in their careers and function as all purpose backs. I liked how the Bengals paid attention to other areas of their roster then circled back around to RB at just the right time.
What Might Have Been Round 6:
It’s hard to complain much at this point. I liked Trey Palmer (Nebraska) as a deep threat and Puka Nacua (BYU) as an all around weapon, but i’m going to pause here for a moment of silence for my real source of heartache in this draft.
… .. …
My guy Ronnie Bell (Michigan) actually lasted until after the Bengals picked in the 7th round, but when the Bengals made Iosiavas their second WR taken in this class, my dream of landing Bell as Tyler Boyd’s replacement died a sad quiet death. My favorite WR in this entire class ended up as the second to last WR selected. He was taken amongst the 7th round compensatory picks and only 6 picks from being Mr. Irrelevant. Hang in there Ronnie! I still believe. It won’t take you long to earn Kyle Shanahan’s trust and start carving people up as San Francisco’s slot man. Go show ‘em!
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 6:
Rd 6 (206) Andrei Iosivas WR Princeton
6’3” 205
4.43 40 (1.52 10 yd split),
39” vertical
10’ 8” Broad jump
Heptathlete with ideal size and athleticism. He’s been billed as a developmental project but watching Princeton games there’s a little more there than people are giving credit. Iosiavas doesn’t look like a non football player trying to learn the position. He looks like a standout receiver going against FCS competition. Can he replicate his collegiate success against NFL talent? There will be some adjustment for sure, but at least he’s not starting from scratch trying to learn how to play. I think the Bengals snagged great value here. He’ll be an asset on special teams right away and contribute on offense within the next two seasons. Princeton did a lot to feature Iosiavas all over the field receiving and rushing. It will be interesting to see if Cincy tries to deploy him in any of the same ways. Jet sweeps, reverses, motion screens along with normal intermediate and deep routes. I didn’t have him on my wish list because it’s tough to know what to make of FCS game clips, but after taking a closer look the Bengals might have snagged a keeper here.
Rd 6 (216) Brad Robbins P Michigan
No need to reference the athletic numbers. Can he kick? We shall see. Early reports are positive. I like the investment here. Shaky Punting has cost the team dearly during the playoff runs in both of the last two seasons. The incumbent struggled so much last year that this isn’t even being called a competition in training camp.
Is that Your Final Ansuh Rd. 7:
Rd 7 (246) D.J. Ivey CB Miami
6’1” 195
4.46 40
39” vertical
10’6” broad jump
Watching broadcast footage of CB’s is tricky because the ball has to come their way to get a good feel for what the defender is doing. I tried to watch Ivey, but the reps were limited because teams weren’t throwing at him. The footage i found of him facing pass attempts looked good. The coverage was tight. His ball skills were effective. The closing speed didn’t flash all that well, but overall this was a nice find in the late 7th round. I think he should make the team as the fifth corner.
B Nice
That’s it. Overall this is a solid draft class. Round 1 has to be an incomplete grade. I see what they are doing and i agree with the logic. I’m not going to downgrade them because they made a developmental pick, but if the staff can’t make him work within a couple years it’s still a swing and a miss.
I thought rounds 2, 5, 6, and 7 were great and with rounds 3 and 4 i still need convinced. I don’t think Battle and Jones are lost causes, but right now i’m skeptical they’ll deliver what the front office is envisioning. Hopefully i’m wrong. I’ll rate this class a B for now, with the caveat that the grade has real potential to swing drastically up or down depending on Murphy, Jones, and Battle. Can’t wait to see these guys in action!
