Fixing the Bengals in one draft

[ArmyBengal]

There are a few names out there of OT's that I could see being viewed as OG's come draft time.
Conerly isn't one of those tackles, but whatever I guess.  I would rather an OG or OT capable of moving inside before a straight up OT.

[ArmyBengal]

5 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

OT - Mims, Brown, Cochran, ?

G - Ford, Volson, ?,?

C - Karras, Lee

So realistic 3 spots open.   There's 4 guys on the roster that are no names right now.   So I think you'll get some additions before the draft.   I think.

I like Orlando Brown, but want to see him be more dominant on the left side of things.  I think Mims was about as good as you can hope for from a rookie.
Karras is getting older and in my opinion we don't have a single OG worth a rat's ass.  All backups at best in my opinion.
I would rather start a guy like Scherff and then start a high pick rookie.  Just me.

[Wraith]

OT - Mims, Brown, Cochran, Kirkland

 

G - Ford, Volson, Patrick, ?

 

C - Karras, Lee

I think they have some steam on Guards that they like that are going to be released after the draft

[ArmyBengal]

I hope so because ours suck

[TJJackson]

They should at least be getting an idea of what guys like Risner want. 

If they want 15M, I can see the hesitation

If they want 3M plus all the gatorade they can drink, they need to get to talkin

https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/vikings/2025/02/14/2025-nfl-free-agency-projected-value-of-dalton-risners-next-contract/78599655007/

[Stripes]

The Bengals hosted Jack Sawyer (edge, Ohio State).

I knew they'd take interest in him. He kind of checks every Bengals box -- high-pedigree school, just won the championship, good size

I am not an OSU fan. I think college football sucks balls. Normally, I roll my eyes at people begging for the OSU-Bengals pipeline, but I am on-board this time. I think he's been underrated by mock drafters. I hope he's there in the second round, and if he is I think they take him (barring an edge in round one instead).

[ArmyBengal]

I love college football and watch a ton of it. I’m a huge Buckeyes fan but I’m realistic when it comes to those guys becoming Bengals. 

While the Buckeyes won the National Championship, there aren’t many I’d be thrilled seeing the Bengals draft. I love Jack Sawyer and he had one of the best plays against the Longhorns in the playoff game. However, I think he’s a bit overrated in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I just don’t think he’s consistent enough.

That being said, I would love to continue rooting for him. That being said, I love Judkins as a RB and think they have some underrated and late round guys like safety Lathan Ranson and linebacker Cody Simon respectively.

Donovan Jackson as an OG wouldn’t bother me either if he were still there in the 2nd.

[COB]

13 hours ago, Stripes said:

The Bengals hosted Jack Sawyer (edge, Ohio State).

I knew they'd take interest in him. He kind of checks every Bengals box -- high-pedigree school, just won the championship, good size

I am not an OSU fan. I think college football sucks balls. Normally, I roll my eyes at people begging for the OSU-Bengals pipeline, but I am on-board this time. I think he's been underrated by mock drafters. I hope he's there in the second round, and if he is I think they take him (barring an edge in round one instead).

Jack Sawyer is throwing out the first pitch at the Guardians home opener on Tuesday.  Winning a national championship at Ohio State gets you a lot in this state.  

[TJJackson]

11 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

Donovan Jackson as an OG wouldn’t bother me either if he were still there in the 2nd

I think he will be gone in late r1

I'd take him if we could trade down in the mid to late 20s and pick up a 3

[ArmyBengal]

Agreed TJ

[HoosierCat]

Time for Army’s favorite subject, linebacker talk. Hobs interviewed the new LB coach and a couple things jumped out at me. First this:

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GH: What do you think of your new room?

MH: There's not many of them. I'm very excited about Logan (Wilson)… He can do it all … I'm here to help him grow. I want this to be a player-ran room. At times, I may have to pull authority, but that's going to be after a good, collaborative conversation. We're going to be very open in here.

We've got some young guys. I'm excited to see how Shaka (Heyward)grows. Oren Burks is a good ad for us. He took advantage of his opportunities that were presented last year on their path to the Super Bowl late in the season. But I think that we've got to re-develop the room.

We've got a chance, because we've got one really good one that we know and we're comfortable with, and a lot of teams are searching for that one … I want to have some competition in here, and so that's going to be important for the next month.

Notice who isn’t mentioned? Well, maybe they can get something for him during the draft, but it appears Pratt is not in their plans.

Then there was his take on LBs in the draft.

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MH: I think it's a good crop. I think there's a good group up top and then there's a gap, and then there's another kind of bundle of guys in the middle of the pack that are going to compete for that three, four spot. And then at the back, there's a bunch of guys I'm actually going through right now. I struggle sometimes on the back end of the draft, because everybody's got some sort of flaw, right?

Ultimately, at that point, you're looking a little bit at what you need, and then you're kind of betting on, what are your odds? This guy had 115 tackles, but he doesn't have the measurables, while this guy has all the measurables, and maybe he's the breakout fifth- round, sixth-round draft pick who in three years he develops into a guy who's going to get another contract.

So he isn’t seeing a deep class this year. I get the impression here that they will be sorting through the UDFA pile at LB post draft.

[COB]

I just read a mock, I think it was Kiper’s, had us taking a pretty good linebacker in the first round.  If that happens, we have either settled with Trey or we’re getting a diamond in the rough edge in the second.  

[ArmyBengal]

Love the linebacker talk.

I was all in on Campbell at #17 until his shoulder surgery that has him out 6-8 months. That’s a shame.

There are some other guys out there I like later on and wouldn’t mind an add there at some point. Danny Stutsman out of Oklahoma is one I have my eye on and wouldn’t mind in the least.

Hard to say what’s going on with Pratt. He seems all butthurt about Lou being shown the door. Be a pro, get over it and go play ball. Quit being a whiner.

[COB]

30 minutes ago, ArmyBengal said:

 

I was all in on Campbell at #17 until his shoulder surgery that has him out 6-8 months. That’s a shame.

That’s exactly who this mock had us picking, Jihad Campbell.  
 

Out of Bama, torn labrum.  Torn labrum’s are common overuse injury.  One of our tackles from bama had the same injury. 

[ArmyBengal]

Torn labrums aren’t the easiest to overcome quickly either and being a linebacker who has to tackle makes me worry about reinjury.

If the team is sold on his recovery time frame, Campbell is an above average linebacker. However, we need impact this year from whomever they take in the first round. 

 

[HoosierCat]

Interesting three-rounder here from Chris Roling. His theory going into the mock:

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The Cincinnati Bengals stick to pretty specific habits during the NFL draft. Meaning, they prioritize prospects with very obvious traits, such as history as captain, coming from a big program, versatility and a long list of things. Combine that with actual roster need, and it's simple to get a view of where things might go.

I'd say that's true, though I'd add that many if not most teams follow the same pattern. He has them selecting Emmanwori at 17 ("a captain, from a huge program, had incredible testing and can move all over the field, among other things") and Tenn DT Omarr Norman-Lott in the third. I doubt those picks would draw many gripes, but his second-round pick is certainly different.

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Round 2, No. 49: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

Surprise? Sort of. The Bengals met with Judkins recently. It was just an almost mandatory local visit, but it counts. They got burned badly last year by poor depth at this spot after the Zack Moss injury, to the point of making a rare in-season trade. Judkins just put up 1,000-plus yards with double-digit touchdowns for the third straight season and is a strong pass-blocker, making him a dynamic pairing with Chase Brown.

So, yeah, RB in the second. I continue to think they will take a back at some point -- they've certainly been bringing enough of them in for visits -- but a round 2 RB is bound to be controversial (by which I mean TJ will need a new. brick-free TV). Dunno much about Judkins (fwiw Zierlein's player comp is Joe Mixon!) but I'm sure Army can help with that.

[ArmyBengal]

Dude I love Judkins. He was a beast playing at Ole Miss and then he transferred to Ohio State. I would have no issues with Judkins in the least, but my gripe would be, “At the expense of what position?”.

From looking at that scenario we draft a Safety, RB and DT. That’s two massive holes needing to be filled at OG and DE.  That’s not to say they couldn’t go that route in the 4th and 5th but always thought those would be the priority.

I like Omar-Norton Lott, but there are more athletic DT’s later in the draft that would equally excite me.

Something to think about when it comes to Judkins is, he put up over 1000 yards rushing, had 14 TD’s and tacked on another 161 yards and two more TD’s receiving the ball. He did that while having TreVeyon Henderson almost mirror his stats. Speaks highly of both of them.

Speaks enough to not address OG or DE earlier? Thats another question.

[TJJackson]

To me, the success of two RBs at OSU says the offensive line is pretty damned good

[TJJackson]

Yes, a RB in any round earlier than 5 does indeed mean new appliances here

[ArmyBengal]

13 minutes ago, TJJackson said:

To me, the success of two RBs at OSU says the offensive line is pretty damned good

OT Josh Simmons is a 1st rounder.
OG Donovan Jackson is a 2nd, maybe 1st.
OC Seth McLaughlin probably goes in the 4th or 5th.

Pretty solid for sure.
Don’t let that fool you with those RB’s though. Both Judkins and Henderson are above average. Not just my homer Buckeye stance either.

[COB]

Judkins runs with a ton of attitude.  Loved watching him, but we need both sides of the line, linebackers, and a safety more than we need a running back.  It would make zero sense to take a guy in the 2nd round.

[Stripes]

I am generally pretty opposed to emphasizing need over talent too much in a draft. However, this time the Bengals have really backed themselves into a corner. I am not sure how they can justify not taking both a guard and an edge rusher somewhere in the first three rounds. It doesn't leave them much space to play with for someone like Judkins.