What Are Your Priorities In This Draft?!

[kevin]

(04-15-2025, 07:10 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: We only have six picks, and obviously only picks in the early rounds, usually the first three, become contributors, especially early contributors.

What are your top priorities to get difference makers in the first three?

We obviously need the most help in the secondary, interior offensive line, interior defensive line, d end, and secondary, so where are your top priorities in this draft?

I keep going back and forth because I want Nolen in the first round or even end or safety, but then I keep remembering that we need to finally give Burrow protection, so I go back to IOL.

I've wanted to go Nolen because, on top of getting pass rush from the tackle position, he'll free up our ends from being doubled and improve the pass rush in that sense, but do we ignore that and just try to outscore teams?

Do we trust Peters to improve the IOL without two high picks?

Do we draft a linebacker? That's always the forgotten position for me because I still think of backers as predominantly run stoppers (which is still a big part of it) but it has become such a passing league (I know backers still play a part in pass rush and pass coverage). I just never have them as a top priority.

Will we be active in free agency to improve the areas of need that we can't fill in the draft? I know there will be players cut, but are there any players now that you want or probable cuts that you want?

What are your areas of concern that you want to see addressed in the draft? What areas do you want to see addressed in free agency after the draft?

Am I putting too much emphasis on the need for guards?

Priority Defense if team wants to get back to play-offs.  We've had Burrow, Chase, Higgins but lack of defense just kills this team, and we know that from change in D Coach. 

It is said this Draft is Deep in D Line and in RB's.  So we should get D Help and I would expect a RB at some point to add depth.  If the RB they draft ends up the best RB on team, great.  We might get a steal at RB if the draft is so loaded at RB.  In going for best players available, a good RB would add depth on offense and special teams. Not early, but somewhere in draft. 

As for not many late round picks, those round 6 and 7 picks aren't much better than undrafted college players signed as soon as draft over.  So Bengals will get plenty of undrafted players when draft ends, and they more than make up for lack of late picks.  I would rather have more earlier picks with top quality still on the board. 

So Bengals need Defense and Defense is there to be drafted.  Some may not agree with a RB in this draft, but this draft has far more RB talent than most drafts.  Since losing Mixon, RB depth has been weak. Bringing back Perrine might help, or might not. Some good fresh legs out of a solid college pool  of RB's could help.  

The Draft is suppose to be loaded with D Line and RB quality.  So I'm thinking Bengals get plenty of Defense and a new RB, and don't worry about late rounds as they bring in undrafted quick and fast.  The O Line players are in question early in this draft. Bengals might find some undrafted guys to coach up to block. Bengals O line coach in 1988 under Paul Brown and Sam Wyche use to say give him some late or undrafted blockers, and he will coach them up. 

GO BENGALS.....BACK TO PLAY-OFFS.