What Are Your Priorities In This Draft?!

[*ochocincos*]

(04-16-2025, 11:26 AM)Synric Wrote: Problem is the Bengals have pretty much pigeonholed themselves.

 No matter what Guard will be taken in the top 100 even if they are reaching for a guy at #81 similar to the NT/McKinnley Jackson situation in 2024. Impact DL is the next one pigeonholed because they have let the DL they built slowly decay. Also because of roster construction (paying qb & wrs) the Bengals need to drop top draft capital in high cost positions like Edge & DT.

Was Jackson THAT much of a reach?

I went back to look at the consensus big board and other prospect rankings from last year.
He was listed as 150, but his peak was 71.
IF he really would have made it to 149, he could have been selected in the 5th round, but I know many sites had him considered most often as a 4th rounder.
It's possible Bengals had him as a 4th rounder but figured hey, we got this comp pick, let's just get our guy half a round early than risk him not making it to 115. 
Or possibly they actually had him in or close to Top 100. Wouldn't be the most surprising thing if his peak projection at one point was 71, which would have been mid-3rd rounder.

I'm not seeing Jackson to be a reach of the caliber of say Drew Sample, who most had pegged as 5th rounder but got taken in Rd 2.