well alright then

[DanBengalfan]

Defense wins championships. Bengals must know something about the defensive room. inhouse competition keeps people sharp competitive for their starting jobs.

we got stronger at DL and CB, so I mean, that's not a bad thing. we'll most likely need to make an offer to Mixon and make sure we have a healthy TE besides Drew Sample, the new Smith isn't going to last the entire season. If we use a 4th rounder here on a TE, he will likely see time.

Same with Running Back, Williams will no doubt do ok with the line we have blocking and time to know the scheme. Evans needs to get involved, these guys have done their special teams duty. after those 2 guys... so yea, I guess we make Mixon an offer. apparently Elliot is possibly going to the Chiefs.

 

[jbuck]

a blocking TE in the 4th? IDK

 

[jbuck]

post boyde....WR. I guess

 

[DanBengalfan]

Jones. Speed threat in relief. He can stretch the defense. Better than Taylor and Irwin perhaps

Brown. Seems like he’s a great fit. Have to believe he’ll see time.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Really good draft. With the offense about the drop a ton of money on some guys, getting your depth lined up on defense was a primary key. Finishing 29th in sacks, the DE was a sensible pick. Most had him going top 20, so great value. Consensus grades give them between a B+ and an A...

Loved the CB pick in round 2. Guy can fly, and has some solid skills. DB was needed with Depth, but also because Auzie is a F/A after this year, so even if he bounces back from ACL, this gives the Bengals some depth this year, and insurance for next year. Again, grades were between B and A. Great value again.

3rd round shocked me...I did not expect them to go safety, but they stayed true to the board, and picked a guy who is not only a really good cover safety (hello defensive flexibility, which Lou LOVES) but also a special teams ace. Most graded this as an A, and once again, incredible value.

Interesting pick in the 4th. Charlie Jones can run, but showed very, very good hands. Brings speed and ability to make tough catches in the slot. Not only does this help the offense in the speed category, but also gives them some legit talent at the WR4 spot, and hedges for next year when Boyd is a F/A and looking to be 29...Again, more A's for this pick.

I had Chase Brown in a TON of my PFF mocks..really like this pick. Won't replace Mixon this year, but likely could next year. We'll see. Again, really lied this pick.

The other WR pick is a lottery ticket....and I'm OK with that here. 6'3", speed, and multi-sport athlete...raw. But, it's a lottery ticket, if he catches on, he could be a version of Tate we all loved, but hopefully healthy...

Punter - Needed this. Chrisman has has 2-3 years to unseat Huber. Huber finally lost out to age, not Chrisman...and they needed to do something. Honestly, I'd consider a call to the "punt-god" as well....yeah, off-field issues, but those were dropped....regardless, this was a nice pick and fills a need. Will be interesting to watch the competition this spring.

DJ Ivey, late round DB pick...depth. Has some size. 7th round...so...yeah.

Overall, grades are between B+ and A - and that feels right. We'll see how this all pans out in 2-3-4 years, but at the time of these picks, there was a ton of value with each pick. Bengals stayed true to BPA while also filling some holes and depth needs.

What we also saw was: TE isn't a concern. OT is clearly going to play itself out with those already on the roster, and Mixon - for better or worse - is going to be the starting RB this year.

 

[cincygrad]

I chimed in on your pre-draft thread, but just to reiterate, I really liked the draft. They clearly favored guys with high athletic scores and kept up with the trend of taking high character guys that like football. They also continue to value premium positions and I think it's clear that from here on out that they will build the o-line through free agency and development of guys already on the team. Teams need a strategy and it's becoming clear that the Bengals have a plan. Now, we need some luck for some of the wildcards to work out. Time will tell.