Post-Draft Whinging & Moaning Thread

[HoosierCat]

Well, this wasn’t the draft I wanted, but it’s more or less the draft I expected.

I said I thought that DE was a lock at 17 (thanks to the Hendrickson situation) and that all the prospects they might take there gave me the yips. And so it came to pass. At least Stewart appears to be genuinely good dude I can root for, with no criminal or motivational issues. Were I pulling the trigger I would have gone with Ezeiruaku, but then again if I were in charge this pick would have probably been someone like Conerly.

It would be poor form for me to complain about Knight in round 2 since I chose him there in many of my own mocks. I believe he will be a fine replacement for Pratt. As to his age, all I can say is that by the time his rookie deal is up, Burrow will be 33 and in the last year of his contract. If they haven’t won anything by then the team is probably getting blown up anyhow.

Fairchild is…fine. If he wins the starting job over Cordell, great, the line is better. If not bring on Rivers. I don’t have any issue with Carter, seems like a solid pick, and we will just have to see if Tahj is more successful getting off the bench than Captain America was.

C I guess? Bring on training camp.

[volcom69]

I just think the way they drafted was weird, they addressed the position that needed it, but thought other guys who were still there would have been better. I don’t know nobody knows, these guys could all turn out to be amazing or they could suck. It will depend now on if these new coaches, know how to teach, the other coaches sure as hell didn’t. 
 

I will say though I think the RB room is looking really good, and I like the LBs they drafted and feel that position got upgraded. 
 

Not sure if a grade as I don’t really like grading these but a B, C sure sounds good to me.

[ArmyBengal]

Bring on the undrafted free agents !!

OG Clay Webb
DE Fadil Diggs
TE Luke Lachey

[Stripes]

This will be an interesting test of process. They deviated frequently from consensus, and then the Ravens and Steelers took the consensus players in the Bengals’ wake.

I hope it works out. I will withhold most of my moaning until the players play.

[ArmyBengal]

If you told me they would have gone LB, OG, LB, OG in rounds 2-5 and then finished with a RB, I would have laughed, but here we are. I’m not high on this draft at all and I “feel” like they reached and missed more often than not.

I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and truly feel like if they could just one of those guys on defense to make an impact in year one, we are right back in it.

I’m concerned about the o-line AGAIN and would rather see them bring in Scherff, Risner or both rather than start these rookies.

[ArmyBengal]

In retrospect, they could have this:

1st- LB, Jihaad Campbell
2nd- OG, Tate Ratledge
3rd- S, Kevin Winston Jr.
4th- DE, Jack Sawyer
5th- CB, Dorian Strong
6th- DT Aeneas Peebles

If I had been in charge (Clearly I’m not) that’s how I would have wanted to go.

It will be interesting to look back in a few years to see how it all plays out.

[COB]

Smallest scouting department in the league.  But they must feel they found something in these surprise picks that other teams didn’t find.

Our pretty significant character directive could push some of these guys up our board and devalue some of the consensus guys we pass on.  

[Stripes]

They definitely did emphasize character. That has worked before (2020), albeit with less obscure names.

[ArmyBengal]

The thing with consensus players is they had to actually do something to get to that point. I watch a lot of college football and really look into players prior to the draft. I have no idea who the fuck Jalen Rivers is. When considering others players still on the board, it’s easily the worst pick in my opinion.

[COB]

49 minutes ago, ArmyBengal said:

. I have no idea who the fuck Jalen Rivers is.

Quit criticizing the Clunky Mover.

[HoosierCat]

3 hours ago, Stripes said:

This will be an interesting test of process. They deviated frequently from consensus, and then the Ravens and Steelers took the consensus players in the Bengals’ wake.

I hope it works out. I will withhold most of my moaning until the players play.

If you read (or watch) Taylor’s post-draft presser, one thing he really, really, really harped on was how all their picks were passionate about the game and really wanted to play football. Apparently they aren’t alone in looking for this, a lot of teams were reportedly putting new and heavy emphasis on this in this cycle. The reason is that college athletes are now getting paid and are (allegedly) increasingly more about the bag than the ball. I don’t know how much I buy into that logic but it was a real thing. And I can see why that would appeal to the Bengals, maybe more than most teams, and especially considering some events this year (looking at you, Trey). So that could be one reason they were a bit out of step with consensus.

[HoosierCat]

3 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

Bring on the undrafted free agents !!

OG Clay Webb
DE Fadil Diggs
TE Luke Lachey

C Seth McLaughlin (likely a fifth rounder if he hadn’t gotten hurt)

DT Eric Gregory, Arkansas (gave him a $30k SB)

more here https://www.cincyjungle.com/2025/4/26/24415072/bengals-undrafted-free-agent-signings-tracker-picks-results

[TJJackson]

S U X

that is all

[ArmyBengal]

I like the McLaughlin signing and I had Howard Cross in some of my early mocks. Could be worse.

[Stripes]

2 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

If you read (or watch) Taylor’s post-draft presser, one thing he really, really, really harped on was how all their picks were passionate about the game and really wanted to play football. Apparently they aren’t alone in looking for this, a lot of teams were reportedly putting new and heavy emphasis on this in this cycle. The reason is that college athletes are now getting paid and are (allegedly) increasingly more about the bag than the ball. I don’t know how much I buy into that logic but it was a real thing. And I can see why that would appeal to the Bengals, maybe more than most teams, and especially considering some events this year (looking at you, Trey). So that could be one reason they were a bit out of step with consensus.

Certainly. I think it's also possible they hard pivoted as a response to everything Jermaine Burton.

[Stripes]

Having some time to sit on these picks and consider what I like and don't like, I end up somewhere like what follows. Grades are pointless, but I'll do it anyway -- to represent how good I feel rather than how good the pick is (because who the hell knows).

R1 - Shemar Stewart - It feels like another season where the pick that makes me the most uneasy is the first one. This has been a recent theme with Duke Tobin outside the Burrow/Chase home runs. Stewart is branded as the typical high-ceiling/low-floor gamble, and I hope that's accurate. I worry that he's better described as a moderate-ceiling/low-floor prospect. Players of a similar body-production archetype have, at best, been guys like Rashan Gary and Travon Walker (about 9-10 sacks in a good year). That's a good thing, and I would love to see that. It's not Myles Garrett though, even if the athleticism is on that level. The floor is Myles Murphy or Margus Hunt. We've seen this before, so I don't really feel great. I have been wrong before, so I will hope that is the case again.

Projected role in 2025 -- rotational pass rusher, possible starter (I think he could be in a revolving door with Ossai and Murphy opposite Hendrickson).
"Grade" -- D

R2 - Demetrius Knight - I think I am higher on this pick than many Bengals fans. He strikes me as a legitimately good player with great character and maturity. His makeup as a prospect seems right on track with Wilson and Pratt before him, and we know that has worked. If the biggest gripe is his age, then I genuinely don't care about that. If they get four years from him and he plays well enough to shore up the LB room, then that's fine.

Projected role in 2025 -- compete for a starting role with Burks to replace Pratt
"Grade" -- B

R3 - Dylan Fairchild - I also like this choice. It's fine to quibble about his "value" relative to draft position, but that's really all guesswork anyway. I know of at least two big draft outlets that had him in rounds 3-4, so I don't view it as some egregious reach. The guard position is a black hole on this roster without this pick, so we know there's a clear need and opportunity. Indeed, given his pedigree at Georgia, I think it's fair to expect him to step in and outperform Cordell Volson. There's no guarantee of that, but I like his chances. He's also another rock-solid character pick.

Projected role in 2025 -- starting left guard
"Grade" - B

R4 - Barrett Carter - Good pick. I'm not sure it was "necessary" to double-dip at linebacker, but in the fourth round who cares. I think he's a good player that should have every opportunity to contribute in the scheme Al Golden has advertised. Between the higher emphasis on 4-3 packages and the need for special teams help, Carter should be able to find a role. I think he can be an ADG-type depth piece. I like him more than the LBers already on the roster behind the starters and Burks.

Projected role in 2025 -- defensive depth, 4-3 packages, and special teams
"Grade" - B

R5 - Jalen Rivers - I'm not going to complain about more OL depth. This team has struggled so much in recent memory, including during deep playoff runs, because their OL depth wasn't good enough to cross the finish line. I am not sure if Rivers changes that, but he at least represents an effort. I could say "I'd have preferred Mbow", which, fine, but I will save that gripe until Mbow plays a down. I also like that he has significant collegiate experience at both guard and tackle. He also snapped the ball at the Senior Bowl.

Projected role in 2025 -- OL swing depth
"Grade" - C

R6 - Tahj Brooks - I really don't care about this choice either way. Maybe he can contribute on special teams. I don't think running back was a need, and I have no clue about this player as a talent. He'll have to provide an immediate spark in camp and during the preseason, or his ceiling on this roster is probably pretty low. I don't figure he has a leg up over Moss or Perine for snaps in the immediate present. We've seen that before with Chris Evans. He could theoretically upgrade Trayveon Williams, but that means very little to me.

Projectetd role in 2025 -- 4th running back, special teams, possibly cut
"Grade" - C

Put it all together with added weight for the early rounds, and I end up in the vicinity of a C overall. Sure. I guess that's about how I feel.

[WelshBengal]

I don't watch a lot of college ball as it's not screened in the UK atm(it was last year but no deal has been reached), so highlights are the main source.  I have no idea about any of these players we have picked except the board consensus about them.  I can only surmise the decisions made were due to:-

• Passion for the game over NIL negotiations
• players who fit the new defensive scheme
• coachable players that this new staff can develop as the previous staff were clueless

Its up in the air how this pans out and I will withhold my judgement until we have seen some live play from these rookies.

   

[TJJackson]

this draft will be noted, far in the future, as the very worst Bengals draft ever

[ArmyBengal]

Stewart, Knight and Barrett all came from a base 4-2-5 defense while in college and we run that look often here. Not sure how much change we should expect with Golden. I’m refusing to buy into these guys can do it better than some of the others on the board when the Bengals went on the clock.

Guard was a position we knew was going to be drafted early and we saw that, but color me unsettled with the thought of any of these guys cracking the starting line up as rookies. It sounds like previous o-line picks where we have starters that are no better than depth. Fairchild is most often described as raw and unrefined who may someday shape into a starting guard. Here he’s the starter from day one. Bad idea… I still don’t know who the fuck Jalen Rivers is. No wait, my bad… he was the o-lineman of the week in 2022 apparently. Whew !!

Then there’s the running back. I know it’s a 6th round pick but this dude will not be making any type of impact this year. Maybe next year but who knows. There were players at positions of need still available I would have rather seen brought in to compete.

Really displeased with what they came away with and am not buying into the reasoning for staying away from consensus players. 

Obviously I will be rooting come the fall but I don’t think they moved the needle much from last year.