Consolidated NFL.com mock 1st round picks for Bengals

[*ochocincos*]

Bucky Brooks (Mar 28) - Dalton Kincaid, TE Utah
Daniel Jeremiah (Mar 21) - Darnell Wright, OT Tennessee
Peter Schrager (Apr 18) - Darnell Washington, TE Georgia
Charles Davis (Apr 13) - Emmanuel Forbes, CB Miss St
Rhett Lewis (Apr 11) - Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
Chad Reuter (Apr 7) - Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
Adam Rank (Apr 6) - Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
Cynthia Frelund (Mar 30) - Darnell Wright, OT Tennessee
Lance Zierlein (Apr 4) - Luke Musgrave, TE Oregon St
Eric Edholm (Mar 27) - Anton Harrison, OT Oklahoma

In scenarios where Bengals took a TE other than Kincaid or Mayer, both were off the board when the selection happened, FWIW.

The favorite players seem to be Mayer (3 selections) and Wright (2 selections).
The favorite positions are TE (6 selections), OT (3 selections), and CB (1 selection).
When it comes to OT though, no OT was the selection since Cynthia Frelund's mock on March 30. NFL Network seems to be pretty locked in on TE other than Charles Davis.

[Nepa]

If Kincaid is there at 28, I think you go with that if the Bengals still don't have an agreement with Higgins. Would be a weapon for Burrow if the Bengals can't retain Higgins. But I seriously doubt Kincaid will still be on the board. Also doubt Darnell Wright is on the board. Mayer may be realistic in terms of a TE, but also good chance he is gone as well. Of course, if Bengals get an agreement with Higgins, I think you can let TE go to the 2nd or 3rd rounds. If the two main TEs are gone, Bengals probably need to go with DL or CB.

[OSUfan]

(04-19-2023, 10:25 PM)Nepa Wrote: If Kincaid is there at 28, I think you go with that if the Bengals still don't have an agreement with Higgins. Would be a weapon for Burrow if the Bengals can't retain Higgins. But I seriously doubt Kincaid will still be on the board. Also doubt Darnell Wright is on the board. Mayer may be realistic in terms of a TE, but also good chance he is gone as well. Of course, if Bengals get an agreement with Higgins, I think you can let TE go to the 2nd or 3rd rounds. If the two main TEs are gone, Bengals probably need to go with DL or CB.

Higgins is not a free agent, they are simply attempting to work out an extension prior to him becoming a free agent in '24.

[Nepa]

(04-19-2023, 10:42 PM)OSUfan Wrote: Higgins is not a free agent, they are simply attempting to work out an extension prior to him becoming a free agent in '24.

I understand. I am simply stating that if negotiations with Higgins' agent are not going well, and there is a good receiving TE available at 28, that might be an advisable move as a preventative measure should Higgins go the free agent route after this year. The Bengals need a quality TE anyway. But if it looks like they might sign Higgins to an extension, then TE is not a priority and the Bengals can wait until the 2nd or 3rd round. But if things look bleak with this difficult agent of Higgins, and someone of Kincaid's talent is available, then picking him up this year means little pressure next year regarding the passing game should Higgins decide to become a free agent.

[*ochocincos*]

(04-20-2023, 09:55 AM)Nepa Wrote: I understand. I am simply stating that if negotiations with Higgins' agent are not going well, and there is a good receiving TE available at 28, that might be an advisable move as a preventative measure should Higgins go the free agent route after this year. The Bengals need a quality TE anyway. But if it looks like they might sign Higgins to an extension, then TE is not a priority and the Bengals can wait until the 2nd or 3rd round. But if things look bleak with this difficult agent of Higgins, and someone of Kincaid's talent is available, then picking him up this year means little pressure next year regarding the passing game should Higgins decide to become a free agent.

Honestly, no reason to even worry about Higgins' status.
Boyd is highly likely gone after this year, so the Bengals need a 3rd option for 2024 and beyond.
82 targets needing dispersed among the rest of the guys.
Given the average number of targets a decent TE gets is usually 5-7 a game, that's about what the 3rd option in an offense gets.
I think any of Kincaid, Mayer, Washington, Musgrave, or LaPorta could be a solid 3rd option in the offense starting in 2024.

[Soonerpeace]

(04-19-2023, 03:30 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Bucky Brooks (Mar 28) - Dalton Kincaid, TE Utah
Daniel Jeremiah (Mar 21) - Darnell Wright, OT Tennessee
Peter Schrager (Apr 18) - Darnell Washington, TE Georgia
Charles Davis (Apr 13) - Emmanuel Forbes, CB Miss St
Rhett Lewis (Apr 11) - Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
Chad Reuter (Apr 7) - Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
Adam Rank (Apr 6) - Michael Mayer, TE Notre Dame
Cynthia Frelund (Mar 30) - Darnell Wright, OT Tennessee
Lance Zierlein (Apr 4) - Luke Musgrave, TE Oregon St
Eric Edholm (Mar 27) - Anton Harrison, OT Oklahoma

In scenarios where Bengals took a TE other than Kincaid or Mayer, both were off the board when the selection happened, FWIW.

The favorite players seem to be Mayer (3 selections) and Wright (2 selections).
The favorite positions are TE (6 selections), OT (3 selections), and CB (1 selection).
When it comes to OT though, no OT was the selection since Cynthia Frelund's mock on March 30. NFL Network seems to be pretty locked in on TE other than Charles Davis.

If you look at our most vulnerable positions it’s TE then RT don’t you think? The most glaring and I stress most vulnerable . Smith goes down and he’s got a spotty health history is risky. Williams looks to be gone and in goodwill be traded. That leaves Carman ( talk about up and down) and Collins ( major injury). But they won’t hesitate to go with a Forbes or Bijan Robinson if they don’t have a ringer at TE or RT IMHO.

[*ochocincos*]

(04-20-2023, 12:34 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: If you look at our most vulnerable positions it’s TE then RT don’t you think? The most glaring and I stress most vulnerable . Smith goes down and he’s got a spotty health history is risky. Williams looks to be gone and in goodwill be traded. That leaves Carman ( talk about up and down) and Collins ( major injury). But they won’t hesitate to go with a Forbes or Bijan Robinson if they don’t have a ringer at TE or RT IMHO.

Has Carman really been up and down?
He was down when at RG, did decent in spot duty his rookie year at LG, and did solid at LT last year.
Up and down implies he's good then bad then good then bad, etc. I haven't seen that see-saw with him yet. Just bad then improvement.
And from reports this week, Carman is continuing to trend up.
https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2023/04/18/bengals-jackson-carman-impressed-onlookers-workouts/

I'm not saying Carman is a hands-down lock to solidify the RT spot, but I feel much more confident with him there than I do Adeniji, or even Ford.
I swear, some people wanna continue to trash Carman for his 2021 rookie season and ignore/underappreciate what he did last year.

As for Forbes or Robinson, I like both. Robinson is more the slam dunk whereas Forbes will have questions/concerns with his size until he can prove he can stay durable and not get bullied at the LOS. He was playing in college at 180 though, so I don't think it will take too long for him to get back to that, or even a bit bigger like maybe around 185.

[Soonerpeace]

(04-20-2023, 01:44 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Has Carman really been up and down?
He was down when at RG, did decent in spot duty his rookie year at LG, and did solid at LT last year.
Up and down implies he's good then bad then good then bad, etc. I haven't seen that see-saw with him yet. Just bad then improvement.
And from reports this week, Carman is continuing to trend up.
https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2023/04/18/bengals-jackson-carman-impressed-onlookers-workouts/

I'm not saying Carman is a hands-down lock to solidify the RT spot, but I feel much more confident with him there than I do Adeniji, or even Ford.
I swear, some people wanna continue to trash Carman for his 2021 rookie season and ignore/underappreciate what he did last year.

As for Forbes or Robinson, I like both. Robinson is more the slam dunk whereas Forbes will have questions/concerns with his size until he can prove he can stay durable and not get bullied at the LOS. He was playing in college at 180 though, so I don't think it will take too long for him to get back to that, or even a bit bigger like maybe around 185.

I don’t disagree with any of it. I think his performance outside KC ( forgivable to a degree) was very good. By all accounts his buy in has really resonated with the staff. Comments that now he knows what it takes. I’m not writing him off in the least. But I’m not anointing him either. He’s in the last year of his contract and Collins had a severe injury. Back to that word “vulnerable “. I think that fits our situation at RT and why IF a guy like Wright or Harrison was there they’d go that direction.

[*bfine32*]

(04-20-2023, 01:44 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Has Carman really been up and down?
He was down when at RG, did decent in spot duty his rookie year at LG, and did solid at LT last year.
Up and down implies he's good then bad then good then bad, etc. I haven't seen that see-saw with him yet. Just bad then improvement.
And from reports this week, Carman is continuing to trend up.
https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2023/04/18/bengals-jackson-carman-impressed-onlookers-workouts/

I'm not saying Carman is a hands-down lock to solidify the RT spot, but I feel much more confident with him there than I do Adeniji, or even Ford.
I swear, some people wanna continue to trash Carman for his 2021 rookie season and ignore/underappreciate what he did last year.

As for Forbes or Robinson, I like both. Robinson is more the slam dunk whereas Forbes will have questions/concerns with his size until he can prove he can stay durable and not get bullied at the LOS. He was playing in college at 180 though, so I don't think it will take too long for him to get back to that, or even a bit bigger like maybe around 185.

We heard this "trending up" observations last year around this time. Then he got beat out by a rookie 4th round pick. I'm hopeful for JC, but at this point anyone considering his career up and down are giving him too much credit for ever being up. 

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(04-19-2023, 10:25 PM)Nepa Wrote: If Kincaid is there at 28, I think you go with that if the Bengals still don't have an agreement with Higgins. Would be a weapon for Burrow if the Bengals can't retain Higgins. But I seriously doubt Kincaid will still be on the board. Also doubt Darnell Wright is on the board. Mayer may be realistic in terms of a TE, but also good chance he is gone as well. Of course, if Bengals get an agreement with Higgins, I think you can let TE go to the 2nd or 3rd rounds. If the two main TEs are gone, Bengals probably need to go with DL or CB.

Why not take a WR then if that is what we want? I don't understand taking a WR/TE that cannot block for this team. Heck give me Quinton
Johnston or Smith-Njigba over Kincaid as blockers. Expecting Tee to be extended anyways. As you can see, not a Kincaid fan for this team as 
a player or the back problem...

Edit: I usually like Bucky Brooks but just cannot get on board with the Kincaid pick yet. The back problems be the topper. Another Eifert?

[*ochocincos*]

(04-20-2023, 02:07 PM)bfine32 Wrote: We heard this "trending up" observations last year around this time. Then he got beat out by a rookie 4th round pick. I'm hopeful for JC, but at this point anyone considering his career up and down are giving him too much credit for ever being up. 

To be fair, Pollack may have chosen Volson to be the LG after determining Carman would be better fit at OT.
And/or not every OT has success transitioning inside to guard.

Maybe I'm just being too hopeful because I don't want to see yet another 2nd round pick end up just being a backup, like Sample became.
But I guess one could argue he's had enough time/opportunity to get a spot, and we can't wait around forever.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

I think we need, in no particular order:

1) Defensive playmakers (CB, DL)
2) More explosiveness on O (WR, RB, TE)
3) Solidify positions going forward (RT, TE, RB, WR, CB, NT)
4) Better depth (OG, WR, DT/NT)
5) Punter upgrade

As for Rd 1, guys falling to us is the most unpredictable. From each category:

1. Defensive playmakers:
-----A. Fallers: Van Ness, Murphy
-----B. Maybe Available: Kancey, Forbes

2. Explosiveness on O:
-----A. Fallers: JSN, Robinson
-----B. Maybe Available: Kincaid, Flowers
-----C. Too soon: Gibbs

3. Solidify:
-----A. Fallers: Wright
-----B Maybe Available: Mayer
-----C. Too Soon: D. Jones, Washington, LaPorta

WILL BE GONE = 14
QB (4): Young, Stroud, Richarson, Levis
DE/OLB (3): Anderson, Wilson, Smith
DT/NT (1): Carter
CB (3): Witherspoon, Gonzalez, Porter
OT (3): Skoronski, Johnson, B. Jones

Worst Case Gone = 11 (I'd happily take any one of these guys). If ALL of them are gone, I am in trade down mode.

RB (1): Robinson
WR (2): JSN, Flowers
TE (2): Mayer, Kincaid
OT (1): Wright
DE (2): Van Ness, Murphy
DT (1): Kancey
CB (2): Forbes, Banks

That's 25. I need 2 names to be called outside those 11 to guarantee one drops to us. Most likely candidates/ guys I don't love for us at #28.

QB: Hooker
RB: Gibbs
WR: Addison, Johnston, Hyatt
OT: Harrison
OG: Torrence
DE/EDGE: McDonald
DT: Bresee, Smith
LB: Simpson, Sanders
S: Branch (my favorite of this bunch at #28, though a WR/RB would be tempting if I am stuck at #28.