Final Mock Unless Jonah is Traded before Draft

[*ochocincos*]

This is very similar to my last mock, but a couple picks changed.
I caved to the peer pressure of going TE in Rd 1 (again) after seeing NFL.com mocks mostly going with TE.
If Bengals keep Jonah, I can see them not getting an OT this year in the draft and rolling with who they got. If Jonah is traded, I definitely would add an OT early (no later than Rd 3).

1) Darnell Washington, TE Georgia (6'7", 264 lb) - Bengals have stopgaps Irv Smith and Drew Sample, but they need a bona fide long-term starter who can block but also be at least effective in the passing game. Enter Washington, who has about as elite of a ceiling as any TE in this draft class. He's an elite blocker, and he's athletic and fast enough to still make plenty of plays in the pass game. His elite YPC in college gives me confidence he'll be better as a receiver in the NFL when he doesn't have someone like Brock Bowers in front of him. Bengals staff will salivate over his blocking ability and dream of what he could blossom into.
*If Mayer is available here, I think they go Mayer instead. I just think a team will swipe Mayer before 28. Great production, versatile, and hometown guy. He's just not as athletic as Washington and isn't quite the blocker, but he's the safer choice.

2) Zach Charbonnet, RB UCLA (6'0", 214 lb) - Well-rounded RB who has good size, good (not great) speed, great experience as a receiver, and a willing blocker. Definitely a guy who can be a 3-down back in the league. With Charbonnet added, they can choose to have him act as RB2 behind Mixon for this year, or they can cut Mixon, have Charbonnet start immediately, and get another RB on Day 3 to act as a backup in the Perine mold (see below).

3) Keeanu Benton, NT Wisconsin (6'4", 309 lb) - DJ Reader is playing in the last year of his contract and he might be too expensive for the Bengals to retain after likely extending Burrow, Chase, and possibly Higgins. And while I also like Tupou as a backup NT, he's about to turn 29 and also in the last year of his contract. Bengals need a new potential long-term guy who can take over after Reader departs. Enter Keeanu Benton, a big DT who is a good run stuffer. I like his ability to get push at the LOS. He also shows some penetration skills (not to be confused with a menacing 3T though) and has decent agility for a big man.

4) Cory Trice Jr, CB Purdue (6'3", 206 lb) - Tall, lengthy CB with good speed and agility who can cover. I like him as a depth guy who could be CB4/5 as a rookie and perhaps eventually emerge as a starter within a couple years.

5) Hunter Luepke, RB/FB NDSU (6'1", 235 lb) - Strong blocker and good pass catcher out of the backfield. He can also run some. I think he can fill that Perine role quite well. He actually put up a 4.56 at his Pro Day, which is pretty good given he's 235 lb. By comparison, Perine ran 4.65 at about the same weight, so Luepke is faster and more agile than Perine but able to be just as physical and durable. Luepke is also experienced as a lead blocker, which can add another wrinkle to the offense.

6) Clayton Tune, QB Houston (6'3", 220 lb) - Accurate QB in the short and intermediate routes but doesn't have quite the arm strength to be as accurate deep. He also has good mobility and athleticism. He has some similarities to Burrow's playstyle, I feel. I like Tune as a backup QB to compete with Jake Browning.

7) Nikko Remigio, WR/RS Fresno St (5'9", 183 lb) - Hard to predict WRs who could be here, but especially assuming Boyd is probably gone after this year, I think a backup slot with heavy PR/KR ability is someone worth taking with the late 7th round pick. He has good speed and vision. Competition for Trent Taylor.

[BenZoo2]

Solid as usual


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[OSUfan]

I like the Washington selection but I really like the selections of Trice and Luepke. These are two highly underrated prospects and Trice fits the Bengals defense to a T.