CINCINNATI — The Bengals, like every NFL team, had needs to fill heading into the weekend.
On paper, they filled those needs and then some with their 10 draft picks. Perhaps, the biggest upset of the weekend is that they kept all ten and chose to add to a roster ready to compete for and win the team’s first Super Bowl.
The teams that have obvious holes to fill and lots of them look at the draft very differently than a team like the Bengals. The 2024 Draft was all about complementing a roster ready to win now. And at first glance, the Bengals appear to have accomplished that mission.
It goes without saying, no one knows until the players get “into the building” and start processing the information that will be thrown at them how they will pan out in their first NFL season – or if they’ll really pan out at all.
But on paper, the Bengals appear to have the right bodies to complement a roster already filled with proven veterans ready to get back to the playoffs and make another Super Bowl run.
Instead of the foolhardy task of trying to grade picks that haven’t even stepped on an NFL field yet, the more relevant mission is to address how many apparent needs they filled on the roster and how they may have added important depth to key roster areas.
Here’s a quick examination of how Duke Tobin, Mike Potts and Zac Taylor did in adding to the roster with their ten picks.
In Amarius Mims, the Bengals have a 21-year-old 6-8, 345-pound beast who could dominate for years to come if he’s put injuries in the past. For all the talk of having only eight starts at Georgia, the talent is self-evident when you look at the film. He was graded as one of the best pass blocking tackles available and that alone seems like a no-brainer for the Bengals.
GRADE: A
The biggest need was the interior of the defensive line and they’ve given Marion Hobby two key pieces that offer different styles. Kris Jenkins is more of a “3 tech” defensive tackle, with freakish athleticism and quickness that could be disruptive. He should be able to learn from coach Hobby and veteran Sheldon Rankins right away. McKinnley Jackson is a massive human being who could provide the bulk in the middle that the Bengals needed with the departure of DJ Reader to Detroit. He showed he was able to push the pocket at Texas A&M. He’ll need time to improve his one-gap explosion and his consistency to get to the ball carrier.
GRADE: B
Tyler Boyd is gone. Trenton Irwin, Charlie Jones, Andrei Iosivas are still around to complement Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. All three have had big moments and are certainly reliable in their roles. But none of those three have experience taking the top off defenses and adding a piece in the draft was a priority. They filled that need by taking Jermaine Burton, a receiver from Alabama that sparked on tape and showed competitiveness in the SEC. He works out with TJ Houshmandzadeh in Los Angeles and made plenty of plays outside the numbers. If Burton can prove he has the maturity and character to handle the NFL grind and work on his short and intermediate routes, this pick could be a steal at 80, explaining why Zac Taylor was so thrilled when he was still available.
GRADE: A
With Zac Taylor announcing after the Draft that Dax Hill will compete for a starting corner job opposite Cam Taylor-Britt, the corner room got deeper and it brought clarity to the safety position. Still, the Bengals feel they needed depth at the position to add to a group that includes DJ Turner, CTB, DJ Ivey (coming off ACL), Allan George, Mike Hilton and Jalen Davis. In drafting Josh Newton out of TCU, the Bengals got a ball-hawking speedster they feel has the mental make-up to fit in right away. Started all 15 games in 2022 (35 tackles, 2.5 TFL, three INTs-1 returned for TD, 12 PBUs) and was Second-team All-Big 12 Conference in 2023, leading the team with eight PBUs. Started all 12 games (33 tackles, INT). Newton has big-time production, something the Bengals are looking to improve in their secondary. Big-time tackler, something Lou Anarumo mentioned Saturday. Needs to improve his ability to defend vertical routes and downfield.
GRADE: B-
The Bengals went into the offseason with Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson. They needed to add to the room with player-makers. They signed Mike Gesicki and drafted Erick All and Tanner McLachlan on Saturday in Day 3. The proven ability Gesicki is there. All and McLachlan are fliers that could develop if they stay on the field. With All, it’s about overcoming an ACL and with McLachlan it’s just about getting the opportunity. The room is filled with all types now, and that’s a good thing. In a class that wasn’t particularly deep, the Bengals used their pick volume to address this position. Smart strategy.
GRADE: B
Bengals OC Dan Pitcher on Erick All:
“Very well-rounded skill set. Size, athleticism, contributor in both the pass game and the run game. He’s physical. We think he can be really an all-around tight end that can help us in all phases. He (has had) a couple of unfortunate deals for him. We’re very comfortable with where he’s at in his recovery and how he’s attacking that. We think he’ll be able to contribute for us and we feel good about that.”
Pitcher on tight end a position of need?
“We had three prior to this selection. We had three guys under contract that we feel really good about. You need more than that, so it was certainly something we identified as wanting to add to that group, and we’re really happy we get a chance to add Erick at this stage.”
With Zac Taylor once and for all putting to rest any thought of trading Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals have every intention of starting Hendrickson and Hubbard together again. But Myles Murphy will be a much bigger factor in 2024 along with Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample. Adding a piece here was important and the Bengals accomplished that with Cedric Johnson out of Ole Miss with their second pick in the sixth round. How much of an impact he can have remains to be seen.
GRADE: C
Daijahn Anthony is a safety out of Ole Miss, taken with the first pick in the seventh round, a pick acquired in the Joe Mixon trade. He’ll head into a room that has Vonn Bell, Geno Stone, Tycen Anderson and Jordan Battle. A special teams candidate, to be sure. Matt Lee is a pure center out of Miami (Fla.) who started his career at Central Florida who could offer insurance behind Ted Karras and Trey Hill.
GRADE: B
In short, the Bengals took 10 swings over a three-day period. They’re a deeper team now. Amarius Mims, Kris Jenkins, Jermaine Burton and McKinnley Jackson have already made their first appearances at Paycor post-draft. The next step is to get all of the rookies into the building and assimilate to the NFL process.
“The (rookies) I’ve had the opportunity to talk to so far, (I) stress that this is day one,” Taylor told me. “You get a chance to create your own foundation and build on it from there. Like I’ve told some of them, when you’ve got veterans in your room that you should be right there on their hip doing everything they tell you to do. You’ve got a chance to start this thing off the right way and become a really good pro, and have really positive interactions with everybody you come across in the city because it’s a great city, when you’re out at to dinner on these draft nights, and all that stuff.
“I’ve really, really enjoyed the couple people we’ve had in the building so far. We’re going to continue to get more that I’ll get to know better as we get them in here. Just stressing to them that this is day one of the rest of your life and you get an opportunity with a clean slate to start it off the right way and be a great pro for us.”
Taylor feels good about the players they grabbed over the three days. He should.
“I do. We really like these guys that we grabbed. I think, like I said, that we’ve got great vision for these guys. I think they all serve a purpose for us. They’re all going to have a chance to compete. They’re going to have to earn those opportunities, but what we know about them, they’re going to embrace that.”
