chris jones, future slot receiver analysis

[DanBengalfan]

thought this was cool.

looks like he could be taking over for Boyd after he leaves to get paid, or gets traded.

 

[Draft Crazy]

I don't know that he is going to survive in the NFL. His name is Charlie, not Chris.

 

[Clayton]

I wouldn't put it past Andy Reid to try it at least once

 

[Cincyfan78]

What I like is that he makes catches. Tough catches. Burrow has the ability to put the ball in some really tight windows, and if you get guys who aren't great at making those kinds of catches, it would be tough. Good speed. Great hands. Solid route runner and slot guy with return potential.

One of the reasons I wasn't 100% sold on LaPorta at TE was the abysmal catch rate he had over his career on contested balls.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

What I like is that he makes catches. Tough catches. Burrow has the ability to put the ball in some really tight windows, and if you get guys who aren't great at making those kinds of catches, it would be tough. Good speed. Great hands. Solid route runner and slot guy with return potential.

One of the reasons I wasn't 100% sold on LaPorta at TE was the abysmal catch rate he had over his career on contested balls.

I am pretty excited about most of our picks. I will be honest I didn't really look at any of these players researching for the draft, except Charlie Jones. I loved his production against top corners, Joey Porter and Deonte Banks. I was a little concerned with his size, but I think if he can get to about 200 pounds without losing his speed or agility he will make one hell of a slot WR to replace Boyd.

However, the more I watch film on Murphy and Turner, the more they have me excited. Our scouts and coaching staff has done a wonderful job together. That is the benefit of having the same coaching staff in tact for so many years, you get to be efficient and know what each other is looking for.

Plus, who doesn't like a defensive player named BATTLE roaming the secondary hitting guys? I read somewhere online that Battle was the highest rated safety on PFF over the last 3 years. Over 80 or 85 grade consistently over the last three years. That is impressive. Not sure how that equates to a bottom of the 3rd round pick. Sounds like a day 1 pick based on that info, so what caused him to drop that far?

The draft class for the Bengals was nuts athletically.

The RAS score (Relative Athletic Score) for each pick shake out like this:

#1 - DE Myles Murphy 9.71 out of 10 possible (Ranked 48 out of 1634 DE from 1987 to 2023)
#2 - CB DJ Turner 9.58 out of 10 possible (Ranked 94 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023)
#3 - S Jordan Battle 5.9 out of 10 possible (Ranked 393 out of 957 S from 1987 to 2023) **
#4 - WR Charlie Jones 8.54 out of 10 possible (didn't actually share ranking on this one for some reason)
#5 - RB Chase Brown 9.81 out of 10 possible (Ranked 35 out of 1745 RB from 1987 to 2023)
#6 - WR Andrei Iosivas 9.96 out of 10 possible (Ranked 14 out of 3062 WR from 1987 to 2023)
#6 - P Brad Robbins
#7 - CB DJ Ivey 7.87 out of 10 possible (Ranked 474 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023)

** Maybe this is why Battle was ranked lower, but his leadership, intelligence and playmaking ability were off the charts.

Bengals appear to want super athletically gifted players, or guys that showed leadership, production and intelligence in their roster make up.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I am pretty excited about most of our picks. I will be honest I didn't really look at any of these players researching for the draft, except Charlie Jones. I loved his production against top corners, Joey Porter and Deonte Banks. I was a little concerned with his size, but I think if he can get to about 200 pounds without losing his speed or agility he will make one hell of a slot WR to replace Boyd.

However, the more I watch film on Murphy and Turner, the more they have me excited. Our scouts and coaching staff has done a wonderful job together. That is the benefit of having the same coaching staff in tact for so many years, you get to be efficient and know what each other is looking for.

Plus, who doesn't like a defensive player named BATTLE roaming the secondary hitting guys? I read somewhere online that Battle was the highest rated safety on PFF over the last 3 years. Over 80 or 85 grade consistently over the last three years. That is impressive. Not sure how that equates to a bottom of the 3rd round pick. Sounds like a day 1 pick based on that info, so what caused him to drop that far?

The draft class for the Bengals was nuts athletically.

The RAS score (Relative Athletic Score) for each pick shake out like this:

#1 - DE Myles Murphy 9.71 out of 10 possible (Ranked 48 out of 1634 DE from 1987 to 2023)
#2 - CB DJ Turner 9.58 out of 10 possible (Ranked 94 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023)
#3 - S Jordan Battle 5.9 out of 10 possible (Ranked 393 out of 957 S from 1987 to 2023) **
#4 - WR Charlie Jones 8.54 out of 10 possible (didn't actually share ranking on this one for some reason)
#5 - RB Chase Brown 9.81 out of 10 possible (Ranked 35 out of 1745 RB from 1987 to 2023)
#6 - WR Andrei Iosivas 9.96 out of 10 possible (Ranked 14 out of 3062 WR from 1987 to 2023)
#6 - P Brad Robbins
#7 - CB DJ Ivey 7.87 out of 10 possible (Ranked 474 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023)

** Maybe this is why Battle was ranked lower, but his leadership, intelligence and playmaking ability were off the charts.

Bengals appear to want super athletically gifted players, or guys that showed leadership, production and intelligence in their roster make up.

Battle is one of those guys where you need to watch the tape. Didn't test super great, which is why he fell, but his production is undeniable.

He's also versatile because of his ability to cover. Just like Hill last year playing CB. Just like Murphey having the ability to drop into coverage and play some LB, like we've seen with Hendrickson, Hubbard, and even Reader dropping into coverage.

Bengals love guys who are multiple on defense because it allows their defense to really throw a bunch of odd wrinkles that are hard to prepare for as you won't see them week to week. Hill and Battle both can cover at CB, the new S from LA is able to drop down and defend underneath. Add in CTB, Awuzie, Hilton, and now DJ - and you have a lot of guys who are able to play multiple coverage schemes. Then you look at having guys like Hubbard, Hendrickson, Murphey and other DL dropping into the short flat areas - it leaves a ton of room for pressure schemes while also keeping the QB from finding a rhythm and taking just that extra second to find a guy can be the difference between having that 13th ranked pressure rate result in just a 29th ranking in sacks, to a more reasonable raking - and even help increase both stats.

For Jones, again - for me it's about the ability to make those catches. I worry less about his "size". He's a pure slot, so it's less of a worry, IMO. I don't think you'll see him pack on a bunch of weight. Maybe get up to 185ish, but I wouldn't go much higher. He was projected round 4-5, so 6th round is good value for a guy who is going to be a pure replacement in the slot for Boyd after this year.

Love the lottery ticket WR - crazy athletic. If you are going to roll the dice on someone, since having an extra 6th rounder - makes 100% sense.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Battle is one of those guys where you need to watch the tape. Didn't test super great, which is why he fell, but his production is undeniable.

He's also versatile because of his ability to cover. Just like Hill last year playing CB. Just like Murphey having the ability to drop into coverage and play some LB, like we've seen with Hendrickson, Hubbard, and even Reader dropping into coverage.

Bengals love guys who are multiple on defense because it allows their defense to really throw a bunch of odd wrinkles that are hard to prepare for as you won't see them week to week. Hill and Battle both can cover at CB, the new S from LA is able to drop down and defend underneath. Add in CTB, Awuzie, Hilton, and now DJ - and you have a lot of guys who are able to play multiple coverage schemes. Then you look at having guys like Hubbard, Hendrickson, Murphey and other DL dropping into the short flat areas - it leaves a ton of room for pressure schemes while also keeping the QB from finding a rhythm and taking just that extra second to find a guy can be the difference between having that 13th ranked pressure rate result in just a 29th ranking in sacks, to a more reasonable raking - and even help increase both stats.

For Jones, again - for me it's about the ability to make those catches. I worry less about his "size". He's a pure slot, so it's less of a worry, IMO. I don't think you'll see him pack on a bunch of weight. Maybe get up to 185ish, but I wouldn't go much higher. He was projected round 4-5, so 6th round is good value for a guy who is going to be a pure replacement in the slot for Boyd after this year.

Love the lottery ticket WR - crazy athletic. If you are going to roll the dice on someone, since having an extra 6th rounder - makes 100% sense.

He was a 4th round pick not a 6th round pick, but I knew what you meant. He got drafted where he was meant to get drafted even though the Bengals discussed drafting him with their 3rd round pick.

 

[shopson67]

Love the lottery ticket WR - crazy athletic. If you are going to roll the dice on someone, since having an extra 6th rounder - makes 100% sense.

Both WR picks were really good choices IMO. Wish the Rams could've picked one of the two, but I like their pick (Nacua) too.

 

[Cincyfan78]

He was a 4th round pick not a 6th round pick, but I knew what you meant. He got drafted where he was meant to get drafted even though the Bengals discussed drafting him with their 3rd round pick.

Correct, my bad...he went right in the area that was expected. My head jumped to the other WR too soon...LOL

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Correct, my bad...he went right in the area that was expected. My head jumped to the other WR too soon...LOL

What would have been nice is if we took a lottery pick on the TE from Old Dominion that I really liked, Zack Kuntz, who the Jets picked up in the 7th round. Taking him instead of the punter and hoping the punter falls to 7th round would have been the way I would have gone personally. Kuntz got a RAS grade of 10.0 out of 10.0 for his size, weight and athletic scores on measurables.

A guy 6'7" 255 pounds who can run a 4.61 40 with eye popping shuttles...dropping that low with us having a legit need there? I think that was the Bengals mistake in that round. That would be the only pick I would have criticized and then take Robbins in round 7 if still there and take a chance Ivey goes undrafted.

 

[Cincyfan78]

What would have been nice is if we took a lottery pick on the TE from Old Dominion that I really liked, Zack Kuntz, who the Jets picked up in the 7th round. Taking him instead of the punter and hoping the punter falls to 7th round would have been the way I would have gone personally. Kuntz got a RAS grade of 10.0 out of 10.0 for his size, weight and athletic scores on measurables.

A guy 6'7" 255 pounds who can run a 4.61 40 with eye popping shuttles...dropping that low with us having a legit need there? I think that was the Bengals mistake in that round. That would be the only pick I would have criticized and then take Robbins in round 7 if still there and take a chance Ivey goes undrafted.

I can get on board with that. I have no clue what their "plan" was at TE...clearly they either didn't feel they had a need, really like their F/A signing, or had plans for other guys later in the draft who ended up going sooner than they had them rated...which happens.

Not really much left out on the F/A market either...wouldn't be shocked if they just ended up signing Wilcox back since at least there would be some continuity there.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I can get on board with that. I have no clue what their "plan" was at TE...clearly they either didn't feel they had a need, really like their F/A signing, or had plans for other guys later in the draft who ended up going sooner than they had them rated...which happens.

Not really much left out on the F/A market either...wouldn't be shocked if they just ended up signing Wilcox back since at least there would be some continuity there.

I know. I am just saying if you are going to go lottery, Kuntz in the late 6th would have been another excellent chance to grow with. However, if Robbins turns out to be a good punter for the next 10 years, then it means nothing.

 

[DanBengalfan]

and Andrei Iosivas can learn as he grows in a post Marvin era

 

[DanBengalfan]

What would have been nice is if we took a lottery pick on the TE from Old Dominion that I really liked, Zack Kuntz, who the Jets picked up in the 7th round. Taking him instead of the punter and hoping the punter falls to 7th round would have been the way I would have gone personally. Kuntz got a RAS grade of 10.0 out of 10.0 for his size, weight and athletic scores on measurables.

A guy 6'7" 255 pounds who can run a 4.61 40 with eye popping shuttles...dropping that low with us having a legit need there? I think that was the Bengals mistake in that round. That would be the only pick I would have criticized and then take Robbins in round 7 if still there and take a chance Ivey goes undrafted.

I'd have to agree with this. unless the new punter is able to stick it on the 1 yard line religiously, the punter we have is ok.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I'd have to agree with this. unless the new punter is able to stick it on the 1 yard line religiously, the punter we have is ok.

Well, it may not have been popular but like Cincy said before, you could have signed Matt Ariaza (sp?) who is a phenom punter after the draft and saved that pick. He was found innocent, or at very least the case was dropped. Either way, a man is supposed to be innocent until found guilty, but the new perception is, you are guilty until you can prove you are innocent.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I'd have to agree with this. unless the new punter is able to stick it on the 1 yard line religiously, the punter we have is ok.

Chrisman is not good. It has taken him 3 years and for father time to finally catch up to Huber before he got the job.

I like the guy, he's not a bad punter, but he's not really good, either. His directionality and clutch performances leave a lot to be desired.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Chrisman is not good. It has taken him 3 years and for father time to finally catch up to Huber before he got the job.

I like the guy, he's not a bad punter, but he's not really good, either. His directionality and clutch performances leave a lot to be desired.

probably would still be an udfa we could invite to preseason to give him a run for his money.
we signed an undrafted TE, but drafted a punter. that's a little backward.

 

[Cincyfan78]

probably would still be an udfa we could invite to preseason to give him a run for his money.
we signed an undrafted TE, but drafted a punter. that's a little backward.

Yes, and no...at that point, no TE was likely worth a pick...and special teams is 1/3 of what makes up a team...that punt against KC really, really hurt - and no doubt, coaches spent some time over the off-season in angst over that play....

 

[cincygrad]

Yes, and no...at that point, no TE was likely worth a pick...and special teams is 1/3 of what makes up a team...that punt against KC really, really hurt - and no doubt, coaches spent some time over the off-season in angst over that play....

This is one area that continues to frustrate me with the organization. They took their sweet ass time replacing Huber and when they finally replaced him, it was with a guy that wasn't good enough to beat him out even though Huber had been declining for years. They only made the change when it was becoming abundantly clear that Huber was a massive liability. Even then, they replace Huber with a guy that they worried couldn't properly hold punts, wasn't a good directional kicker and had no hang time. There are only 32 punting jobs in the league. There are other vets that might not have been in the top level of punters, but could have easily given you everything the Chrisman could have given you and wouldn't have made that mistake.

It was the same issue with the offensive line a few years back.... They waited one extra season to clean up the middle of the line when they could have got a jump on it much earlier - even at the expense of cutting bait with folks they drafted/developed.