Bengals draft priorities heading into NFL Combine.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(02-28-2024, 10:49 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Just remember that 4 other TEs were drafted before Travis Kelce that year.  TE is one of those positions where the best looking ones in college aren't always big stars in the NFL.  Look at how quickly Hayden Hurst was upstaged by Mark Andrews, etc., etc...

I think that Kelce was mostly because he played for Cincinnati in the Big East, which was a basketball conference. (I think only half the teams even had a football team?) Even then he was the very first pick of the 3rd round despite having a year long suspension on his record.

There's always guys who beat the odds and became good in later rounds because there's 5 rounds of them (and a lot more picks that's increased by more once you add comp picks) compared to just the first 2 rounds, but the last 5 TEs who are leading their draft class' TEs in receiving yards....
2023: rd2 Sam LaPorta
2022: rd2 Trey McBride
2021: rd1 Kyle Pitts
2020: rd2 Cole Kmet
2019: rd1 TJ Hockenson
...generally earlier drafted guys as a whole are always better hit-rate-wise.