Posts: 7,828
Threads: 281
Reputation:
31873
Joined: May 2015
Here is my rough estimate of who has the best shot to make the 53 man roster after free agency has settled down
24
2 QB: Burrow, Browning
4 RB: Moss, Brown, Williams, Evans
6 WR: Chase, Tee, Irwin, Yoshi, Chuck sizzle, Pryor/Lassiter/Jackson
3 TE: Gesicki, Sample, Hudson
4 OT: BROWN, BROWN Carman, Smith
3 OG: Cappa, Volson, Ford
2 C: Karras, Hill
26
4 DT: Hill, Rankins, Carter, Tufele
6 DE: Hendrickson, Hubbard, Murphy, Sample, Ossai, Gunter
5 LB: Pratt, Wilson, ADG, Harper, Heyward
6 CB: CTB, Turner, Hilton, Ivey, George, Davis
5 S: Dax, Stone, Battle, Bell, Anderson
3 ST Money Mac, Cal Adomitis, Robbins
Well there is a full 53 and we still have 10 picks to spend. We will have to cut 10 from that list or trade some picks or waste the picks.
On what positions would you like to see us spend our draft capital to upgrade that roster?
For me. If we keep all 10 picks. I'm thinking I would like to see us add
DTx2
OT
LBx2
TE
G
C
RB
WR
Not necessarily in that order. All depending on BPA and how the draft falls.
Posts: 8,492
Threads: 28
Reputation:
96595
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 03:06 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Here is my rough estimate of who has the best shot to make the 53 man roster after free agency has settled down
24
2 QB: Burrow, Browning
4 RB: Moss, Brown, Williams, Evans
5 WR: Chase, Tee, Irwin, Yoshi, Chuck sizzle, Pryor/Lassiter/Jackson
3 TE: Gesicki, Sample, Hudson
4 OT: BROWN, BROWN Carman, Smith
3 OG: Cappa, Volson, Ford
2 C: Karras, Hill
26
4 DT: Hill, Rankins, Carter, Tufele
6 DE: Hendrickson, Hubbard, Murphy, Sample, Ossai, Gunter
5 LB: Pratt, Wilson, ADG, Harper, Heyward
6 CB: CTB, Turner, Hilton, Ivey, George, Davis
5 S: Dax, Stone, Battle, Bell, Anderson
3 ST Money Mac, Cal Adomitis, Robbins
Well there is a full 53 and we still have 10 picks to spend. We will have to cut 10 from that list or trade some picks or waste the picks.
On what positions would you like to see us spend our draft capital to upgrade that roster?
For me. If we keep all 10 picks. I'm thinking I would like to see us add
DTx2
OT
LBx2
TE
G
C
RB
WR
Not necessarily in that order. All depending on BPA and how the draft falls.
No particular order
DL-2
OL-2
WR-2 if not signing Tee
TE
CB
RB
LB
The water tastes funny when you're far from your home,
yet it's only the thirsty that hunger to roam.
Roam the Jungle !
Posts: 5,796
Threads: 31
Reputation:
24100
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 13,470
Threads: 132
Reputation:
89628
Joined: May 2015
....with the strength of the class. 71 Offensive Linemen were invited to the combine this year which is almost double the norm. We won't see an OL class like this again for a decade.
Posts: 2,445
Threads: 147
Reputation:
11167
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 03:06 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Here is my rough estimate of who has the best shot to make the 53 man roster after free agency has settled down
24
2 QB: Burrow, Browning
4 RB: Moss, Brown, Williams, Evans
5 WR: Chase, Tee, Irwin, Yoshi, Chuck sizzle, Pryor/Lassiter/Jackson
3 TE: Gesicki, Sample, Hudson
4 OT: BROWN, BROWN Carman, Smith
3 OG: Cappa, Volson, Ford
2 C: Karras, Hill
26
4 DT: Hill, Rankins, Carter, Tufele
6 DE: Hendrickson, Hubbard, Murphy, Sample, Ossai, Gunter
5 LB: Pratt, Wilson, ADG, Harper, Heyward
6 CB: CTB, Turner, Hilton, Ivey, George, Davis
5 S: Dax, Stone, Battle, Bell, Anderson
3 ST Money Mac, Cal Adomitis, Robbins
Well there is a full 53 and we still have 10 picks to spend. We will have to cut 10 from that list or trade some picks or waste the picks.
On what positions would you like to see us spend our draft capital to upgrade that roster?
For me. If we keep all 10 picks. I'm thinking I would like to see us add
DTx2
OT
LBx2
TE
G
C
RB
WR
Not necessarily in that order. All depending on BPA and how the draft falls.
Evans won't make the team this year they'll draft another RB in the mid rounds. Same thing for WR so both Lattimer and Pryor won't make it. I don't think Gunter makes the team either.
Posts: 2,811
Threads: 38
Reputation:
10020
Joined: May 2015
In order of importance (especially considering the depth in the draft at Oline)
(1-2) DT
(1) OT
(1) G or C
(1-2) WR
(1) CB
(1) TE if the right player is there
Open to other positions if its BPA.
Posts: 4,298
Threads: 99
Reputation:
11429
Joined: May 2015
Location: cincinnati
Might as well say what I wouldn't draft...K, QB, and S.
Biggest needs..T and DT
Next...RB, G, CB, WR
Next...TE, LB, P
Next...C, DE
Posts: 2,445
Threads: 147
Reputation:
11167
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 04:32 PM)Goalpost Wrote: Might as well say what I wouldn't draft...K, QB, and S.
Biggest needs..T and DT
Next...RB, G, CB, WR
Next...TE, LB, P
Next...C, DE
OC should be last with Karras gonna be a FA after this season really??
Posts: 4,298
Threads: 99
Reputation:
11429
Joined: May 2015
Location: cincinnati
(03-23-2024, 04:51 PM)pulses Wrote: OC should be last with Karras gonna be a FA after this season really??
Yea. Out of curiosity, you would take a pick at C ahead of what other areas?
Posts: 2,445
Threads: 147
Reputation:
11167
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 05:02 PM)Goalpost Wrote: Yea. Out of curiosity, you would take a pick at C ahead of what other areas?
you got OG as 2nd choice.....they're not replacing Volson and Cappa isn't a FA till 2025...so why not draft a OC who can play OG as well...
Posts: 2,445
Threads: 147
Reputation:
11167
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 05:02 PM)Goalpost Wrote: Yea. Out of curiosity, you would take a pick at C ahead of what other areas?
And our CB's are pretty well set....we need a depth piece but that's it....it's not of high priority right now.
Posts: 4,298
Threads: 99
Reputation:
11429
Joined: May 2015
Location: cincinnati
(03-23-2024, 05:05 PM)pulses Wrote: you got OG as 2nd choice.....they're not replacing Volson and Cappa isn't a FA till 2025...so why not draft a OC who can play OG as well...
Well, I wanted to replace Volson in last years draft.
Posts: 2,445
Threads: 147
Reputation:
11167
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 05:08 PM)Goalpost Wrote: Well, I wanted to replace Volson in last years draft.
I would like to also but they don't see it that way which sucks for us.
Posts: 8,128
Threads: 130
Reputation:
53388
Joined: May 2015
Location: Cincinnati
(03-23-2024, 03:06 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Here is my rough estimate of who has the best shot to make the 53 man roster after free agency has settled down
24
2 QB: Burrow, Browning
4 RB: Moss, Brown, Williams, Evans
5 WR: Chase, Tee, Irwin, Yoshi, Chuck sizzle, Pryor/Lassiter/Jackson
3 TE: Gesicki, Sample, Hudson
4 OT: BROWN, BROWN Carman, Smith
3 OG: Cappa, Volson, Ford
2 C: Karras, Hill
26
4 DT: Hill, Rankins, Carter, Tufele
6 DE: Hendrickson, Hubbard, Murphy, Sample, Ossai, Gunter
5 LB: Pratt, Wilson, ADG, Harper, Heyward
6 CB: CTB, Turner, Hilton, Ivey, George, Davis
5 S: Dax, Stone, Battle, Bell, Anderson
3 ST Money Mac, Cal Adomitis, Robbins
Well there is a full 53 and we still have 10 picks to spend. We will have to cut 10 from that list or trade some picks or waste the picks.
On what positions would you like to see us spend our draft capital to upgrade that roster?
For me. If we keep all 10 picks. I'm thinking I would like to see us add
DTx2
OT
LBx2
TE
G
C
RB
WR
Not necessarily in that order. All depending on BPA and how the draft falls.
We are in the rare position that we don't really need to draft a starter in this draft. At all.
Not a full time starter anyway.
There are places where we could afford to upgrade, of course. LG is probably the biggest weakness among our starters on the entire team. That or CB2.
But where our roster needs development is in back ups and future starters. For that reason, I think there are 5 positions that we need to address that will have some impact this year, and major impacts in 2025 and beyond.
1. RT - This is an obvious one. Trent Brown is on a 1 year deal and gets injured quite a bit. This is why I consider it our greatest need and, in a draft class with a very high quality top end (I count 7 to 8 OTs that could be first round picks), there's very little reason to wait on drafting a RT of the future. It wouldn't hurt to add a player who could flex between guard and tackle as well, although Cody Ford may be the coaches' plan for that this year.
2. DT - This is where we et into the "part time starter" discussion. We have our starters at DT in Hill and Rankins. But what we are missing is a DT that specializes in stopping the run. Most, if not all, teams do not have a NT on the field 100% of the time. Not even the Bengals when we had one of the best NTs in the NFL. With that said, our DT room is bone dry once you get past BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins. Zach Carter is terrible and Jay Tufele is an emergency option only. If they could add a quality NT and a developmental 3T to learn behind Rankins, this room could be much improved and will stand up to injuries.
3. CB - DJ Turner as a no contest starter should scare you. He lacks length and looked lost often in his rookie year. There's no doubt that he could improve, and we hope he does, but his rookie year was not good enough to justify not improving this room. If a single CB gets injuries, we're looking at 7th round picks and undrafted free agents seeing significant playing time. That's not acceptable, especially since one of those 7th round picks is coming off a major injury late in the season (Ivey). We need at least one pick here, but I wouldn't mind 2 if the value is there.
4. WR - Look, we all hope Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas cash in on their potential, but they only have 22 receptions and 180 yards between them, with 8 receptions and 85 of those yards coming against the Browns' back ups in the season finale. Not to mention, both are older prospects, so their upside is limited relatively speaking. If a premium player falls into the 3rd or 4th round in this draft that could potentially replace Tee Higgins as a primary outside receiver, I think the Bengals should jump at the opportunity. Hell, even the 2nd round would be fertile ground if the right player falls. There are a lot of receivers in this draft that are graded as first round picks, and not all of them will go in the first round. Could you imagine if AD Mitchell or Ladd McConkey were inexplicably available at 49? It would be so tempting to add our future #2 receiver in this draft with how deep it is.
5. IOL - Ted Karras is in the final year of his deal and turning 32 next off season. I think it's possible we give him a short extension next off season, but we historically do not pursue 30+ year old free agents. We made the exception this off season because we had needs and the market simply wasn't there. If a player that the Bengals think could realistically replace Karras is available in the early day 3 picks or late 3rd round, I think it would be wise to scoop one, maybe even 2 up. If they could compete for LG in 2024 while we wait, even better.
There are also lower priority needs at TE (We don't really value the position, but 2 of our 3 TEs are on 1 year deals, so a depth piece here wouldn't be a bad idea, although they likely wouldn't play much in their rookie year) and RB (again, looking to the future, we may have some snaps for a 3rd RB, but we have a solid 1 - 2 punch with Moss and Brown, at least for the 2024 season. If Brown regresses and starts fumbling like a mad man like he did in college, maybe this becomes a bigger priority in the 2025 off season), but using a draft pick on them in 2024 would be based on a steal being available. I don't think picks need to be spent here by necessity. I could see them drafting a LB late just to pad the depth chart, but we have our 2 starters and primary back up for 2024.
Overall, my ideal distribution, assuming they are all value picks and not horrible reaches would be something like this:
1x OT (preferably 1st or 2nd round with potential to start when needed, due to Brown's injury history)
2x DT (1 NT, 1 3T)
2x CB (1 early, 1 late)
2x IOL (preferably one that could flex between OG and OT if needed, and one that could flex between OG and C if needed).
1x WR
1x TE
1x RB
The RB pick could flex into a LB pick if there is no good RB available late in the draft.
Posts: 317
Threads: 7
Reputation:
1355
Joined: Dec 2017
DT: Need a rotational player plus 1 next year(BJHill leaves) and the year after that(Rankins leaves)
OC Is Karras being extended at 31 yr. old? Do they want to start a rookie or FA here next year?
RT: Rented a 1 year solution with no plan B.
OL generally: This unit looks paper-thin.
CB: Safeties help, but elite CB play really helps.
RB/TE: luxury pick when F.A.s are cheap and plentiful.
I think the team can draft BPA with consideration of the above, positional value, and the decent FA market for skill positions.
Posts: 3,654
Threads: 41
Reputation:
14828
Joined: May 2015
Depending on how the draft falls:
Round 1 - Pass rushing interior line/OL
Round 2 - DT
Round 3 - TE/WR
Round 4-7 give anything that helps the roster with speed.
Posts: 84
Threads: 1
Reputation:
374
Joined: Mar 2022
I'd like to see them draft guys early that have a chance to contribute in games next year (even if only as a rotational player next year). Drafting an OT in Rd 1 is likely drafting for the future unless they are able to kick inside as a rookie and compete with Volson. With that in mind, I'd like
Rd 1 - WR / DT
Rd 2 - DT / WR
Rd 3 - DT
Rd 3- IOL
Rd 4- OT
Posts: 8,492
Threads: 28
Reputation:
96595
Joined: May 2015
(03-23-2024, 05:19 PM)CJD Wrote: We are in the rare position that we don't really need to draft a starter in this draft. At all.
Not a full time starter anyway.
There are places where we could afford to upgrade, of course. LG is probably the biggest weakness among our starters on the entire team. That or CB2.
But where our roster needs development is in back ups and future starters. For that reason, I think there are 5 positions that we need to address that will have some impact this year, and major impacts in 2025 and beyond.
1. RT - This is an obvious one. Trent Brown is on a 1 year deal and gets injured quite a bit. This is why I consider it our greatest need and, in a draft class with a very high quality top end (I count 7 to 8 OTs that could be first round picks), there's very little reason to wait on drafting a RT of the future. It wouldn't hurt to add a player who could flex between guard and tackle as well, although Cody Ford may be the coaches' plan for that this year.
2. DT - This is where we et into the "part time starter" discussion. We have our starters at DT in Hill and Rankins. But what we are missing is a DT that specializes in stopping the run. Most, if not all, teams do not have a NT on the field 100% of the time. Not even the Bengals when we had one of the best NTs in the NFL. With that said, our DT room is bone dry once you get past BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins. Zach Carter is terrible and Jay Tufele is an emergency option only. If they could add a quality NT and a developmental 3T to learn behind Rankins, this room could be much improved and will stand up to injuries.
3. CB - DJ Turner as a no contest starter should scare you. He lacks length and looked lost often in his rookie year. There's no doubt that he could improve, and we hope he does, but his rookie year was not good enough to justify not improving this room. If a single CB gets injuries, we're looking at 7th round picks and undrafted free agents seeing significant playing time. That's not acceptable, especially since one of those 7th round picks is coming off a major injury late in the season (Ivey). We need at least one pick here, but I wouldn't mind 2 if the value is there.
4. WR - Look, we all hope Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas cash in on their potential, but they only have 22 receptions and 180 yards between them, with 8 receptions and 85 of those yards coming against the Browns' back ups in the season finale. Not to mention, both are older prospects, so their upside is limited relatively speaking. If a premium player falls into the 3rd or 4th round in this draft that could potentially replace Tee Higgins as a primary outside receiver, I think the Bengals should jump at the opportunity. Hell, even the 2nd round would be fertile ground if the right player falls. There are a lot of receivers in this draft that are graded as first round picks, and not all of them will go in the first round. Could you imagine if AD Mitchell or Ladd McConkey were inexplicably available at 49? It would be so tempting to add our future #2 receiver in this draft with how deep it is.
5. IOL - Ted Karras is in the final year of his deal and turning 32 next off season. I think it's possible we give him a short extension next off season, but we historically do not pursue 30+ year old free agents. We made the exception this off season because we had needs and the market simply wasn't there. If a player that the Bengals think could realistically replace Karras is available in the early day 3 picks or late 3rd round, I think it would be wise to scoop one, maybe even 2 up. If they could compete for LG in 2024 while we wait, even better.
There are also lower priority needs at TE (We don't really value the position, but 2 of our 3 TEs are on 1 year deals, so a depth piece here wouldn't be a bad idea, although they likely wouldn't play much in their rookie year) and RB (again, looking to the future, we may have some snaps for a 3rd RB, but we have a solid 1 - 2 punch with Moss and Brown, at least for the 2024 season. If Brown regresses and starts fumbling like a mad man like he did in college, maybe this becomes a bigger priority in the 2025 off season), but using a draft pick on them in 2024 would be based on a steal being available. I don't think picks need to be spent here by necessity. I could see them drafting a LB late just to pad the depth chart, but we have our 2 starters and primary back up for 2024.
Overall, my ideal distribution, assuming they are all value picks and not horrible reaches would be something like this:
1x OT (preferably 1st or 2nd round with potential to start when needed, due to Brown's injury history)
2x DT (1 NT, 1 3T)
2x CB (1 early, 1 late)
2x IOL (preferably one that could flex between OG and OT if needed, and one that could flex between OG and C if needed).
1x WR
1x TE
1x RB
The RB pick could flex into a LB pick if there is no good RB available late in the draft.
Great analogy
The water tastes funny when you're far from your home,
yet it's only the thirsty that hunger to roam.
Roam the Jungle !
Posts: 5,633
Threads: 18
Reputation:
20346
Joined: Apr 2020
I am not drafting: QB, DE, PK, LS, and S.
We need a starter quality guy: OT, NT, WR, CB, P.
Starter quality would not hurt, but probably depth only: TE, IOL, RB, DT/3T.
Depth only: LB
I could skip one and double down on another.
Day 1-2: OT, NT, WR, CB.
Day 3: IOL, TE, P, NT/DT, LB, RB.
Posts: 7,828
Threads: 281
Reputation:
31873
Joined: May 2015
1st OL/DL
2nd OL/DL
3rd OL/DL
3rd OL/DL
4th LB/TE
5th LB/TE
6th QB/P/WR/CB
6th QB/P/WR/CB
7th QB/P/WR/CB
7th QB/P/WR/CB
I'm fine giving Robbins another shot as P and could substitute RB for P. But that Iowa punter and his huge leg have me willing to spend a pick. And a Moss and Brown backfield tandem sounds promising to me. With Trayveon and Evans being capable backups with NFL experience. We could end up skipping RB all together and instead look to land the top UDFA RB.
|