Midseason Mock Draft

[WhoDeyK]

This year definitely hasn't gone the way we hoped. While there are plenty of games left, its hard for me to see us being very competitive going forward without #9. This mock is done with the thought that we end up picking pretty early. I believe this draft needs to be Offensive heavy. The early draft capital has been spent solely on Defense the last two years. It’s time for us to add some youth to the offensive side of the ball. 

Bengals Free Agent projections:

Tee Higgins Franchise tagged - I have more pause with this decision than ever before however I think Tyler Boyds time is up here and I can't imagine the Bengals letting both leave in the same offseason. That said I personally would be open to a tag and trade if we can make the financials work and the compensation is there. 

Tyler Boyd - Leaves - I appreciate everything Tyler has done for this franchise but I think we've naturally reached a point where it might be best for both parties to go our separate ways. This was prepared for last offseason with the pick of Charlie Jones. 

Jonah Williams - Leaves - Jonah has played some of his best football this year at RT. However I think his desire to play the left side combined with a weak OT Free Agent class equals Jonah getting way overpaid.

DJ Reader - Leaves - This is one I don't want to happen but I think will. The Bengals just don't like to resign guys approaching that 30 threshold and they showed last year after Von Bell left that no one is exempt to that rule even veteran leaders. 

Chidobe Awuzie - Leaves - Chido hasn't been quite as good this year coming off of injury. Like Tyler Boyd, I think this was prepared for by drafting DJ Turner in the second round. 

Drew Sample - Resigned - One of the best blocking tight ends that will be affordable. 

Tanner Hudson - Resigned - Tanner has been our best TE, he has more than earned a new contract

Coaching changes:
Frank Pollack fired - This is long overdue in my opinion. No he is not the only problem, but he is part of the problem and no one should get a pass this offseason. I'm all for Synric's idea of getting Sherrone Moore from Michigan


Round 1 Joe Alt OT Notre Dame

Again I'm sticking with an OT in Round 1. Alt is an absolute stud and really my main target if the bottom falls out and we end up in the top 10. The dude is a mountain and theres really nothing he doesn't do well. He does primarily play LT however he could more than handle the Right side. He would eventually play LT for us, the when depends on how Brown does in that spot. He has all the tools to become the best lineman we've had since Whitworth. 

Round 2 Jackson Powers-Johnson C Oregon

You're going to be hard pressed to find me making a mock draft this year that doesn't have back to back O-lineman. I understand that we don't have the best track record of drafting lineman. However, I think an argument could be made that we also don't do a good job of signing Free Agent lineman either. Regardless of how things have gone in our recent past, we can't afford to stop trying every avenue possible to improve the guys doing the most important job on the team, protecting the franchise. In this draft I take a slightly different approach to round 2. While, still an Offensive lineman, this time around we take the talented and versatile Jackson Powers-Johnson. Any time I've watched an Oregon game, Powers Johnson has stood out. Strong at the point of attack, he excels both in the running and passing game and has played both center and guard. In this scenario, JPJ could play one year at LG and then take over at center or we could move Karras over to left guard and slot JPJ in at Center right away. It's still early but I could see JPJ making a run at Sedrick Van Pran for the best center in this class.

Round 3 Nazir Stackhouse NT Georgia

If its not clear yet. I really want to win at the line of scrimmage. I've watched us get dominated on both sides of the ball for the majority of the year, enoughs enough. DT is the biggest need on that side of the ball and with DJ Reader potentially leaving in Free Agency a new Nose Tackle is first up. There are 3 nose tackles that have caught my attention, in this one I go with Stackhouse. A large large human being who can command double teams and hold the line of scrimmage. 

Round 4 Jalin Conyers TE Arizona State

If you saw my first mock you know I'm a big fan of Conyers. I'm happy to hear the Bengals may be too with reports that they were scouting ASU practices. I'm just a big fan of his game. He plays on a terrible team but he is one of the few bright spots. His versatility is very intriguing. Conyers has even taken snaps at QB (he even technically started the game as QB1 against UCLA) and RB this season. He's had 27 receptions for 351 yards, 14 carries for 49 yards and has gone 5 of 6 passing. There are some opportunities to use him creatively. He would finally give us a young and talented TE for Burrow. 

Round 5 Cody Schrader RB Missouri

We need a heir to Joe Mixon. I think everyone agrees the running back room needs some juice. Chase Brown is still an unknown but I have no faith in Williams or Evans. All this said, I find this RB class to be lacking overall. I've been looking for that guy that just pops off the screen. Cody Schrader is that guy. He reminds me of the Steelers Jaylen Warren. He runs hard and fast and isn't easy to bring down.

Round 6 Mike Sainristil CB Michigan

We'll need some more CB depth with Chido potentially leaving. The Bengals go back to the Michigan well for the secondary. 

Round 7 Jordan Travis QB Florida State

Obviously a major story of this past week was the serious injury Jordan Travis suffered. He has made it known that his career as a Seminole is over. It is left to be seen wether he will continue on to the Pros. If he does, we could be an interesting landing spot where he could be a solid back up to Burrow once healed. 

Edit: Round 5 pick changed