A Different Direction

[OSUfan]

In my thinking there are some rather clear candidates for the Bengals selection at #18.

Brock Bowers - If he is the generational TE that the claim he is then the selection is made for obvious reasons.

Protecting the franchise should be paramount in the eyes of the staff so the following player fall under protection choices:

Joe Alt
Taliese Fuaga
Olumuyiwa Fashanu
J.C. Latham

Great weapons:

Rome Odunze
Marvin Harrison Jr.

The chances or landing one of the great weapons is slim to none. The chance of Bowers being there is slim but not impossible as we have seen TEs slide before. So the best chance seems to be landing a protector. So what happens if all of these targets are off of the board at #18? Well this is the scenario that presented itself in this simulation that I ran.


Sitting at #18 with my group of targets off of the board I was eyeing Byron Murphy at DT. Houston presented a trade offer which I countered and the counter was accepted by Houston. What ultimately led me to taking the trade over the player is the depth at the DT position and the value I felt the Bengals could gain overall in making this transaction. What the following trade does not show is that I could have had the 3rd round selection of Houston over their 2nd but I countered by trading the Bengals 2nd round selection in '25 for the 2nd and 4th of Houston this year.


Here is the trade:
   


Here is the Draft:
   
   

[Jpoore]

I didn’t see Jonny Newton here? He is clear cut bpa at our biggest position of need if there… the rest I like(although Sinnott going rd2)

[OSUfan]

RD. 1 - 23rd Selection:

Jackson Powers-Johnson - C - Oregon - 6'3" 328

I do not believe that great teams wait until they are in the position of absolute need to address it. Karras is a free agent in '25 and Jackson has the makings of an absolute stud at center. We have all seen rookie linemen have some struggles when being forced early into a starting role so this looks to be an ideal situation for both the Bengals and Jackson. When you watch film on this kid you see the epitome of brute force. Jackson uses pure brute force to toss defenders around and uses an elite football IQ to make up for what some might see as athletic deficiencies. Powers-Johnson has never given up a sack in his college career and is a pure brute in the running game.

Ideally, Jackson will not be on the field until '25 but what an insurance policy to have in waiting if there is an injury at center or guard. 

RD. 2 - 49th Selection:

T'Vondre Sweat - DT - Texas - 6'4.5" 366

Sweat is virtually immovable when he sits down and anchors. He will demand double teams whenever he is on the field and has shown the ability to consistently combat and defeat double teams. Stopping the run is imperative in the AFC North and that is the specialty of Sweat. I believe everyone hopes that Reader will return on at least a 1 year deal and if he does this will allow Sweat to ease into the NT position at the NFL level as a backup to Reader to give him snaps off and help him stay fresh. If that deal with Reader does not get worked out then getting Sweat at #49 is bigger than Sweat himself. 

While rushing the passer is not the prime game of Sweat he is still effective in the passing game as his pure strength enables him to push the pocket back to the QB and make the QB very uncomfortable and if he is double teamed on passing downs then it should make the job of the pass rushers that much easier.

RD. 2 - 59th Selection:

Ruke Orhorhoro - DT - Clemson - 6'4" 294

I was not looking to go back to back on DTs but I also never expected Orhorhoro to be sitting there with this selection. This kid served notice at the combine that the tape you see of him is not a freak thing but that his athleticism and burst is for real. Considering that he did not play football until he was a junior in high school I believe he is only scratching the surface of how good he can be and I believe the ceiling is rather high for this kid. It was obvious in '23 that the Bengals needed to improve on the interior D line and these two selections should go along way in upgrading the interior of the line.

Ruke generates impressive power for not having great mass. He brings elite length to the position to go along with outstanding burst and very violent hands. He understand leverage and plays with very good pad level. Orhorhoro could well be the 3 tech that the Bengals have been missing since Geno and I see him taking very early snaps in a heavy rotation with BJ Hill and to be honest I would not be shocked if he took the starting position before the end of the season. If anyone was wishing for an improved interior defensive line then they certainly go it.

RD. 3 - 80th Selection:

Kiran Amegadjie - OT - Yale - 6'5" 323

The Bengals need a RT in '24 and while not ideal I do believe that Kiran could be that guy. In a perfect world the Bengals find a serviceable RT in free agency to ease Kiran into the starting job or even return Cody Ford who looked pretty good in stints at OT in '23. If Ford doesn't return, I think it is really possible that he does, could Carman hold down the right side for a few games until Kiran is ready? Either way I believe the Kiran is their future at RT and I think he is going to be a pretty good one. You expect a kid with his traits to dominate at a school like Yale or in an lower division and that is exactly what he did often looking as if his dominance was effortless.

He brings elite length and physical traits to the position which go along with his obvious smarts considering he attended Yale. Yes, there will be a competition jump which is why it would be nice to ease him into the starting job but he length, power, and athleticism could go a long way in easing the transition. I believe the ceiling is high for Kiran and he is also a prospect that could have tackle versatility to move to the left side if needed to, which is where played at Yale. 

RD. 4 - 116th Selection:

Brenden Rice - WR - USC - 6'2" 208

No matter what you bring to the table on offense the overall goal is to put the ball in the endzone and that is what Rice did every 5.2 receptions in college. Being the son of the best WR to play the game is seen in his natural ability to catch the football and in his ability to get in and out of his breaks where his cuts are very sharp. While he does not possess elite speed he does have enough speed to be a vertical threat and his physicality going after the ball allows him to accel catching the ball in traffic or on contested catches. Rice is exceptional in working back to the QB when protection breaks down and making himself visible to the QB.

If the Bengals cannot secure a deal beyond the franchises tag for Higgins then Rice should go along way in easing that pain. This is the addition of another very savvy weapon for Joe Burrow.

RD. 4 - 124th Selection:

Jaylen Wright - RB - Tennessee - 5'10.5" 210

Speed! This kid has another gear when he gets into the open field and when he gets in the open field he is a good bet to take it the distance. I have seen it stated that he has average vision but the tape I have seen of this kid does not support that assessment as he routinely identifies the whole and uses his exceptional acceleration to exploit that hole. When he clears the line of scrimmage his vision allows him to set up and utilize his second level blockers. While he was not used in a large capacity as a receiver when he was utilized and targeted he showed very natural hands and the ability to produce yards after the catch. Understand his role as a pass protector and is willing in that role and relatively effective.

It is time to take the Bengals running game to the next level and the explosion and speed of Chase Brown and Jaylen Wright should be able to do that. 

RD. 5 - 148th Selection:

Ben Sinnott - TE - Kansas State - 6'4" 250

Sinnott brings more athleticism and more of the receiver qualities to the position than the Bengals have seen for awhile. Sinnott has shown the ability to test all three level of the defense and can provide some coverage mismatches with his route running ability. Sinnott is a very smooth route runner who creates separation getting into and out of his breaks. Once the ball is in his hands he has displayed the ability to produce yards after the catch. 

It is a safe bet that Tanner Hudson returns to the Bengals roster so Sinnott will provide a very versatile and experienced receiver to compliment and pair with Hudson.

RD. 5 - 175th Selection:

Elijah Jones - CB - Boston College - 6'1.5" 178

The Bengals need to add depth to the CB position so I was ecstatic when this kid was still on the board. He brings exceptional height, length, and speed to the position to go along with elite level ball skills. Jones has been an absolute ball hawk for the BC defense since he arrived there as a freshman. While he has good overall skills he seems to truly accel in zone coverage which should fit well with the Bengals zone heavy scheme. This may be one of my favorite selections in this draft and I believe that Jones could end up being a star in the proper scheme.

RD. 6 - 196th Selection:

Isaiah Adams - OL - Illinois - 6'4" 315

Adams played OT for the Illini in '23 but if you truly want to see him shine watch film from '22 when he was playing LG. While Adams did not excel playing on the edge he shined playing on the interior for the Illini offense. Adams has good size and athleticism and power and when run blocking as an interior player showed a real finisher mentality in not wanting to just block a defender but to truly displace and dominate the defender. Position versatility does not hurt Adams but I believe he could end up being a really good guard at the NFL level where he is able to utilize his better assets as a player.

RD. 7 - 235th Selection:

Keith Randolph Jr. - DT - Illinois - 6'3.5" 296

The strong suit of Randolph is stopping the run and could be a very effective 3 tech on running downs and you could certainly do worse as far as backup DTs. With the natural strength of Randolph and his instincts for stopping the run he could probably add some mass in the future and find a home as a NT. He was a team captain for the Illini. Randolph consistently plays with lower pad level than the blocker and displays a great understanding of leverage at the DT position. He is a sound wrap up tackler that stacks up tackles on the stat sheet.

RD. 7 - 252nd Selection:

Tahj Washington - WR - USC - 5'10" 174

It seems like many of the top offenses in the NFL have the special player that adds wrinkles that a defense must game plan for. Washington could be that guy for the Bengals. Dynamic comes in small packages. This kid is electric with the ball in his hands and is a serious threat to go the distance whenever he has the ball. He brings elite shiftiness and make you miss in the open field and really is a tougher receiver than his size may lead some to believe. Being a late round selection Washington brings the added piece of being a dynamic returner that could hedge his chances of making the roster. 5 - 8 touches a game as well as return duties could really give opposing defenses and special teams something to consider. What might be one of the real strengths of Washington is his ability to effectively block downfield. He does more than just get in the way of a defender.

[OSUfan]

(03-07-2024, 04:36 PM)Jpoore Wrote: I didn’t see Jonny Newton here? He is clear cut bpa at our biggest position of need if there… the rest I like(although Sinnott going rd2)

The Bengals biggest position of need is RT and I would not call Newton being BPA at DT as clear cut as you seem to. I would take Murphy over Newton which is why Murphy was the player I was considering had I stayed put at #18. I really like Sinnott as a prospect but I do not see him going in the 2nd round. Stranger things have happened but I just do not see it.

[*Synric*]

(03-07-2024, 05:28 PM)OSUfan Wrote: The Bengals biggest position of need is RT and I would not call Newton being BPA at DT as clear cut as you seem to. I would take Murphy over Newton which is why Murphy was the player I was considering had I stayed put at #18. I really like Sinnott as a prospect but I do not see him going in the 2nd round. Stranger things have happened but I just do not see it.

Both Murphy and Newton have question marks. Can Newton play with enough anchor and power to step down and play the A-Gap. Murphy it's can he move well enough with his stiff ankles and hips to move out to 3T and 4i.