SB Eve Mock

[Whatever]

(02-13-2022, 01:54 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I'm not going to comment on the specific FAs, but I don't see the Bengals spending that much in cap prior to the draft.
With Waynes cut, the Bengals are looking at ~$67 mill in cap or so.
The contracts you list add up to $62 mill in cap if going by APY.
Obviously, certain structures can happen to free up a bit more, but I still think that's going to make it rather tight going into the draft.
I doubt the Bengals get that close to the cap prior to the draft picks signing.

With all that said, I like a few of the draft picks. Hill especially.
While I think Spiller is a fine RB, I don't see the Bengals spending that draft capital on a RB with Mixon on the roster.
I don't really care for Jeremy Ruckert. Never liked Ohio St TEs. Too blocky, don't end up being good pass catchers in the NFL.
Only 615 rec yards across 4 years at Ohio St doesn't give me confidence he was just underutilized. 
If anything, I think Ruckert kinda reminds me of Drew Sample. They said he was underutilized at Washington and just needed opportunity. We're now through 3 seasons with Sample and he's only put up 56-560-1. I don't wanna see a Day 2 pick spent on a blocking TE again, even if the potential is there. I'd rather have someone who is more proven as a pass catcher.

My thinking was that the Bengals would use contract structure to push some money off into 2023.  In '23, Bell, Pratt, and Hopkins are the only starters scheduled to hit UFA(assuming Jonah's 5th year option is picked up).  I will also say that currently there are 8 teams over the salary cap and 14 with less than $10 mil in cap room, so the A/B FA market will be hurt by a lack of buyers, which will probably result in some of these guys getting less than what I have them for.

Spiller was the BPA on the board at that pick.  I would have liked to have gotten a 3 tech there, but the board just didn't fall that way.  Mixon concerns me with his contract and the amount of wear and tear he's taken.  Spiller will help Joe be productive for longer by being able to take a good chunk of carries off of him as well as providing injury insurance and an eventual replacement.  

Fair points on Ruckert, but I don't think he and Sample are that comparable when it comes to being underutilized.  Washington didn't have much on offense so the argument was it was scheme that limited his touches.  Of course, that raises the question as to why they didn't change their scheme to give this hypothetical NFL caliber talent more touches.  In Ruckert's case, OSU has NFL caliber weapons all over the offense, so it's easier to make a legitimate argument that he was underutilized.