HoosierCat

Fashanu to the Jets

Penix a bit of a curveball there, but I get it.

Scratch Latham

I would not expect anything less from you!

Final prediction: Mims.

Army got Hobson to ruin TJ’s night. https://www.bengals.com/news/2024-media-mock-draft-4-0-a-bill-of-appreciation-with-one-final-option-at-no-18-but-hay-is-in-the-barn

Yeah the theory is that Harbaugh will take him because he’s a great run blocker and Harbaugh wants to run the ball.

Zierlein, who is also one of the usually more accurate mockers, has Bowers slipping to the Bengals at 18. https://www.nfl.com/news/lance-zierlein-2024-nfl-mock-draft-4-0

Yeah I don’t see a trade up either. But it’s fun to think about while we kill the next seven hours.

Final mock from Brendan Donahue, who has been the most accurate prognosticator over the last five years: Bengals take DT Byron Murphy… at 12! https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/2024-nfl-mock-draft-brendan-donahue/ The projected trade is: Denver Receives Picks 18 and 49. Cincinnati Receives Picks 12, 121, and 136. I don’t see it, but I don’t immediately hate it, and in this scenario I could see the Bengals packaging some picks to move back up into the second or early third.

Ell Oh Ell. Hendrickson has ZERO leverage. He’s set to make about $36 million over this year and next assuming he stays healthy, but he’s going to retire? Bullshit. And if he was that rock stupid, hey, they drafted his replacement last freakin’ year. Go ahead, Trey, go rot on a couch. I double dog dare you!

About damn time!

Trey just got paid last year. He had a a choice to bet on himself or take the safe money. He lost that bet and now he’s crying like a little bitch. He’s 100 percent responsible for the boat he’s in and the Bengals are under no obligation to give him another dime. And as he will be 31 when his current deal is up, I don’t expect them to.

Oh blow me Hendrickson. Got a big check last year and now you regret it. Cry more. https://www.cincyjungle.com/2024/4/24/24139603/trey-hendrickson-trade-bengals-de-2024-nfl-draft-rumors

Some nuggets from this latest piece: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2024/04/23/lease-negotiations-continue-between-hamilton-county-and-the-bengals/73330479007/ Heh. Maybe it’s not them, Bengals. Maybe it’s you. Apparently Katie is concerned that there is no “political will” for a deal. But let’s look at what the Bengals want. Oh, so just $300 million this year and next. Gee, I wonder why things are stalled… And all that buys the county is a five year lease extension so the Bengals can shake them down again.

Related to the above, the Lions just gave Amon-Ra St. Brown a four year $120 million extension with $77 million guaranteed. Just give Chase the money now, Mike. He ain’t gonna get any cheaper.

In the most earth shattering surprise of 2024, the Bengals have picked up Ja’marr’s option. https://www.bengals.com/news/ja-marr-chase-extended-fifth-year-option-cincinnati-bengals

The new logo should be Mike in his golf cart filled with piles of money with text arching over him in the striped B font saying “Can’t pay everyone LOL!”

Yeah I’ve seen that. Not a big fan but it would be better than the B.

Bill Tobin, RIP https://www.bengals.com/news/bill-tobin-cincinnati-bengals-player-personnel-executive-lions-general-manger-bears-colts

Seems like they have a starting corner go down every year, so I doubt Arnold would be riding the bench. If he’s there, I would bet my bank balance he’s the pick (note my bank balance is like $12 so…). I wouldn’t be thrilled with the pick but I get it. Hard to pass up the value there. Murphy or Latham would be my top two as well. I can make the case for either and would be happy either way. Not into any WR unless there’s an unexpected fall by one of the top three. A lot of analysts think Fautanu is a guard at the next level. Orlando-Fautanu-Karras-Cappa-Trent looks pretty good on paper to me. But do you take a guard at 18? I could see it depending on how things fall. I’d rather address it later and take a tackle who can step in when Trent inevitably gets dinged, but that may not be an option. But I could be okay with Fautanu.

If you go back and look at mocks from late 23, Latu was going a lot higher than he is now. But as the top half of the drift got littered with more QBs and OTs he was one of the guys who fell. Same with Kool-Aid, he was the first or second corner off the board for a long time, now he’s bottom of the first.

Yeah, I was trying to game that out yesterday during some downtime at work. Just looking at various mocks and rankings, it seems like we can expect all of the following to be gone before the Bengals pick. QB: (4) Williams, McCarthy, Maye, Daniels WR: (3) Harrison Jr., Nabers, Odunze OT: (2) Alt, Fashanu TE: (1) Bowers DE: (1) Turner CB: (2) Arnold, Mitchell That’s 13 spots, so the question is, who are the four other guys that go before we get to 18? Latu and/or Verse? Three DEs have gone in the top 17 picks in both of the last two drafts, and both these guys are legit first-round prospects. Fuaga, Latham and Fautanu? Pete Schrager’s mock Tuesday at nfl.com had the nightmare scenario for Bengals fans, with Fuaga, Latham and Fautanu going 14, 15 and 16. Murphy/Newton? I can see both there at 18, but to echo Amphar, do all the teams in front of the Bengals pass on the top DT prospect in favor of the No. 4 or 5 OT prospect? Cooper DeJean? He’s gotten dinged in the rankings due to injury but some analysts like him more than Mitchell, so maybe he (or Mitchell) are still there. Thomas (or insert WR you like better here)? Even worse than OT you are down to the No. 4 WR by pick 14, so I can see whoever that guy is still there at 18. And then there are the interior OL guys like Powers-Johnson. They still pop up above 18 here and there. I have no answers, only guesses, and no one cares about those. All I know is that picks 14-17 are going to be nailbiters.

First round DT has always been a hard sell in the FO, and the last time they said yes they got the Big Daddy drama. They're going to a wide receiver, aren't they? You can just feel it coming, like the ripple in the atmosphere ahead of the meteor...

Bearcats DL Jowon Briggs has a fan in Mike Brown. https://www.bengals.com/news/the-owner-the-prospect-and-jowon-briggs-lists-that-fuel-his-dreams