Never too early.


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I like the Bengals first two picks, but who ever is picking #1 overall next year, is taking Caleb Williams or Drake Maye....even the Cardinals (unless they trade back).

Im not sure about the depth next year but I know the top of the OT class will be alot better. You have Joe Alt, JC Latham, The Tackle from Penn State I won't even try to spell his name off the top of my head, and Jonah Monheim from USC.

(05-01-2023, 09:38 AM)Bengal Roar Wrote: I like the Bengals first two picks, but who ever is picking #1 overall next year, is taking Caleb Williams or Drake Maye....even the Cardinals (unless they trade back).

Completely agree on the QB.  IF the Cards are picking one next year, they are moving on from Murray,

Always draft a WR. I like Jacob Cowing and Troy Franklin.

I know this mock is way off because your drafting two TE's. Replace those with DBs and you're golden.

(05-01-2023, 07:55 PM)Stewy Wrote: I know this mock is way off because your drafting two TE's. Replace those with DBs and you're golden.

It was more what they didn’t draft in 23 mock


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Can we just trade up to #2, so that we can have a dude named "Kool Aid" on our team??

FWIW, guys who are out of contract in 2024:

Starters: Reader ($15.5 mil), J. Williams ($12.6), Boyd ($10.3), Awuzie ($7.9), Higgins ($3.9), Wilson ($3.0), Smith ($1.7), Adomitis (ERFA).

Reserves: Tupou ($1.57), Scharping, ADG, Bailey, D. Sample, Siemian, S. Jones, T. Williams, Bachie, Asiasi, Morgan, Ford, Adeniji, Irwin (RFA).

Potential big savings if cut: Mixon (Team Option, $10.383 mil), Hendrickson ($15 mil), BJ Hill ($7.5), Hubbard ($6.1), Collins ($7), Hilton ($6.45), Karras ($6.4).

I think Jonah leaving is virtually a done deal. Mixon nearly so. Hopefully Tee & Logan are extended by then. I would love for Reader, Boyd, and Chido to come back, but unless they take less, it is tough to see more than one back. Unless we cut somewhere else.

(05-01-2023, 10:09 AM)Synric Wrote: Im not sure about the depth next year but I know the top of the OT class will be alot better. You have Joe Alt, JC Latham, The Tackle from Penn State I won't even try to spell his name off the top of my head, and Jonah Monheim from USC.

Yep this is basically a trial year for the current RTs. 

Carman's best shot to earn a starting spot before entering a contract year.
Jonah's opportunity to show if he can do well at RT.
Collins to show his injuries are behind him and he can back to form.
Ford to show that he's a (much) better fit at RT since he did so poorly at OG.

If none really step to the plate such that RT is solidified, I would expect an early-round draft pick to go toward a new RT.
I'd really like to NOT have to take an OT early though.

(06-01-2023, 03:29 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Yep this is basically a trial year for the current RTs. 

Carman's best shot to earn a starting spot before entering a contract year.
Jonah's opportunity to show if he can do well at RT.
Collins to show his injuries are behind him and he can back to form.
Ford to show that he's a (much) better fit at RT since he did so poorly at OG.

If none really step to the plate such that RT is solidified, I would expect an early-round draft pick to go toward a new RT.
I'd really like to NOT have to take an OT early though.

The thing about Jackson Carman is you can really point out very high level play in his tape especially in the run game. They might be drafting an OT 3 years in a row somwhere in each draft. A high round RT in 2023, a mid round swing tackle in 2024, and a High Round LT to sit a year behind Brown before he leaves lol. 


They could draft high at WR in next years draft too. Two Day 3 WRs from the 2023 draft isn't going to hold them up when replacing Tyler Boyd next year. 

Of the high value positions (QB, WR, OT, DE, CB, pass rushing DT), we decinitely do not need QB, WR1, LT, RDE, or hopefully WR2 if Tee is back.

That leaves RT, slot WR, CB, LDE, and pass rushing DT.

1. RT. Assuming Jonah walks, we still have Collins & Carman under contract for the year. We couod take a stud RT, but we likely do not have to.

2. Slot WR. Seems high for a slot guy. Boyd might take a haircut, and I do like Jones. And if Iosivas blows up, we could move Chase inside a lot. Like RR, we could do it, but I am hoping it won't be a need.

3. CB. Chido is a FA, but we just drafted Turner. A possibility if Chido goes, but if Turner is a hit, we'd be drafting depth.

4. DE. Hendrickson, Hubbard, Ossai, & Murphy will all be under contract. And Sample, too. Again, it COULD hapoen, but man, I think it unlikely. If Trey has a poor year & Ossai & Murphy do not impress, maybe.

5. Pass rushing DT. Hill will be under contract, as will Carter, who bulked up this year. If Carter fails to impress, on the table for sure.

But I think there is a good chance all those needs are filled devently well, and a super high qualityprospect, at those spits, that late, is unusual unless the class is really deep at one spot.

Most likely, I think we aim at a higher rated prosoect at a lower valued pisition.

1. Run stopping DT. Reader, Tupou, & Tufele FAs.
2. RB. Mixon likely gone. But we do have a team option. And C. Brown is here.
3. TE. Smith & Sample FAs.
4. LB. ADG & Bailey will be FAs. Hopefully not Wilson.
5. Safety. We got 4 youngins. Hopefully not.

(06-22-2023, 09:00 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Of the high value positions (QB, WR, OT, DE, CB, pass rushing DT), we decinitely do not need QB, WR1, LT, RDE, or hopefully WR2 if Tee is back.

That leaves RT, slot WR, CB, LDE, and pass rushing DT.

1. RT. Assuming Jonah walks, we still have Collins & Carman under contract for the year. We couod take a stud RT, but we likely do not have to.

2. Slot WR. Seems high for a slot guy. Boyd might take a haircut, and I do like Jones. And if Iosivas blows up, we could move Chase inside a lot. Like RR, we could do it, but I am hoping it won't be a need.

3. CB. Chido is a FA, but we just drafted Turner. A possibility if Chido goes, but if Turner is a hit, we'd be drafting depth.

4. DE. Hendrickson, Hubbard, Ossai, & Murphy will all be under contract. And Sample, too. Again, it COULD hapoen, but man, I think it unlikely. If Trey has a poor year & Ossai & Murphy do not impress, maybe.

5. Pass rushing DT. Hill will be under contract, as will Carter, who bulked up this year. If Carter fails to impress, on the table for sure.

But I think there is a good chance all those needs are filled devently well, and a super high qualityprospect, at those spits, that late, is unusual unless the class is really deep at one spot.

Most likely, I think we aim at a higher rated prosoect at a lower valued pisition.

1. Run stopping DT. Reader, Tupou, & Tufele FAs.
2. RB. Mixon likely gone. But we do have a team option. And C. Brown is here.
3. TE. Smith & Sample FAs.
4. LB. ADG & Bailey will be FAs. Hopefully not Wilson.
5. Safety. We got 4 youngins. Hopefully not.

This past draft showed how fast TEs and RBs can go off the board, even if not taken early Rd 1.

Before Bengals picked at 60, the following RBs and TEs were off the board already:
RB - Robinson, Gibbs, Charbonnet
TE - Kincaid, Mayer, LaPorta, Musgrave, Schoonmaker

Then add the following guys before Bengals picked at 95:
RB - Miller, Spears, Achane, Bigsby
TE - Strange, Kraft, Washington (although Bengals could have taken him at 92 before trading back)

So while a position may feel like a reach in Rd 1, there's no guarantee the board falls for that position on Day 2.

I'm saying all this because I think TE and RB should be on the table in late Rd 1, for sure.
WR probably leapfrogs both though if Higgins doesn't end up re-signing after all.
I did like Carter in the 2022 draft, but with Hill going to be almost 30 years old when he is set to hit FA in 2025, I'm definitely game for taking a pass-rushing DT if Carter doesn't ascend by end of this season.

As for LB or NT, I think you can find solid guys for not too expensive given the positions they play if Wilson and/or Reader are playing their last season with the Bengals.

(06-23-2023, 01:41 PM)ochocincos Wrote: This past draft showed how fast TEs and RBs can go off the board, even if not taken early Rd 1.

Before Bengals picked at 60, the following RBs and TEs were off the board already:
RB - Robinson, Gibbs, Charbonnet
TE - Kincaid, Mayer, LaPorta, Musgrave, Schoonmaker

Then add the following guys before Bengals picked at 95:
RB - Miller, Spears, Achane, Bigsby
TE - Strange, Kraft, Washington (although Bengals could have taken him at 92 before trading back)

So while a position may feel like a reach in Rd 1, there's no guarantee the board falls for that position on Day 2.

I'm saying all this because I think TE and RB should be on the table in late Rd 1, for sure.
WR probably leapfrogs both though if Higgins doesn't end up re-signing after all.
I did like Carter in the 2022 draft, but with Hill going to be almost 30 years old when he is set to hit FA in 2025, I'm definitely game for taking a pass-rushing DT if Carter doesn't ascend by end of this season.

As for LB or NT, I think you can find solid guys for not too expensive given the positions they play if Wilson and/or Reader are playing their last season with the Bengals.

I think we can pretty much eliminate TE from the first few rounds.  It's pretty obvious that the Bengals don't value them at all early in the draft.

(06-28-2023, 01:31 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I think we can pretty much eliminate TE from the first few rounds.  It's pretty obvious that the Bengals don't value them at all early in the draft.

If word-of-mouth is true and Taylor, Tobin, etc. were interested in Dalton Kincaid in Rd 1, I don't think TE is not valued early.
If anything, I think Bengals are being (overly) critical of the TE talent in order to take one early.

Also, I'll almost guarantee Bengals won't get a good pass-catching TE who can contribute early (significant reps in the passing game within first year or two) if they don't take one within first few rounds.
Take with that what you will.

So they'll either need to take a TE early or continue their trend of getting veteran TEs.
They've had a different top TE every season Taylor's been HC:
2019 - Eifert (436 yards, 10.1 YPR)
2020 - Sample (349 yards, 8.7 YPR)
2021 - Uzomah (493 yards, 10.1 YPR)
2022 - Hurst (414 yards, 8.0 YPR)

If the Bengals really do plan to open the playbook, I'd think (or hope) more emphasis on the TE as a pass catcher would be included in that. And I don't mean just having them run routes but deeper routes. And you'll need someone with more speed and agility to do that, which makes sense why they would have wanted Kincaid if true.

(06-28-2023, 01:50 PM)ochocincos Wrote: If word-of-mouth is true and Taylor, Tobin, etc. were interested in Dalton Kincaid in Rd 1, I don't think TE is not valued early.
If anything, I think Bengals are being (overly) critical of the TE talent in order to take one early.

Also, I'll almost guarantee Bengals won't get a good pass-catching TE who can contribute early (significant reps in the passing game within first year or two) if they don't take one within first few rounds.
Take with that what you will.

So they'll either need to take a TE early or continue their trend of getting veteran TEs.
They've had a different top TE every season Taylor's been HC:
2019 - Eifert (436 yards, 10.1 YPR)
2020 - Sample (349 yards, 8.7 YPR)
2021 - Uzomah (493 yards, 10.1 YPR)
2022 - Hurst (414 yards, 8.0 YPR)

If the Bengals really do plan to open the playbook, I'd think (or hope) more emphasis on the TE as a pass catcher would be included in that. And I don't mean just having them run routes but deeper routes. And you'll need someone with more speed and agility to do that, which makes sense why they would have wanted Kincaid if true.

I really don't think they value/care about having one with the current offensive setup.  It's never been more prevalent than last year's draft where they decided to pass on one altogether.

I think they are perfectly happy with their model - and their behavior shows it (both in free agency and in the draft)

Well, since my past post, Hendrickson & Wilson have been extended, and Mixon restructured. I think the former two are roster locks and Mixon is now likely to be here. Revisiting the high value positions.

1. QB1. Burrow. No way we take a Rd1 QB.
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2. DE. Hendrickson, Hubbard,,Ossai, Murphy, & Sample all under contract. Unlikely.
3. LT. Brown is locked up.
4. CB. Turner & Ivey & CTB having good camps. Davis, too Hilton signed. Chido a FA.
5. Outside WR. If Tee signs, as expected, very unlikely. We could put Chase in Boyd's spot.
6. Pass rushing NT/DT. Reader, Tupou, Tufele FAs. It is a need. Hopefully Carter levels up.
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7. RT. Certainly a possibilty. Collins & Carman inked, though.
8. Slot WR. If Boyd goes & Jones is shaky, maybe. But I doubt it.

I think a high end run-stopper or a high end TE/RB or a high end C/G are in the mix.