Post by 77bengal on Jan 13, 2024 19:52:16 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I know it's been a long time, but the Bengals are in a precarious situation considering Joe's Burrow injury, Tee Higgins contract negotiations, figuring out what veteran players the team should keep and which ones they should allow to walk via free agency, etc. This mock draft should answer most of these questions along with giving the team the best chance to win the Super Bowl next year.
The Bengals desperately need to add quality linemen on both sides of the ball. It's by far the teams weakest link. I know the Bengals have added some quality linemen through free agency (Trey Hendrickson) over the past four years, but several are mid-tier players and none of the OL will WOW you with their athleticism. The Bengals are ranked 32nd per OL athleticism and it's been a major problem since the drafting of Burrow. Everybody in the league knows the Bengals are screwing up Burrow and thus the team by not drafting high quality OL. The highest drafted OL drafted since Burrow entered the league was LG Cordell Volson in 2022 who has been a bust to date and I don't see this improving. Volson needs to be replaced in the worst way. Having him ride the bench and learn until he shows that he's a capable linemen is his best chance of becoming a serviceable OL.
The main focus of this draft is to protect the Bengals $275,000,000 investment in one Joe Burrow. Joe is one of, if not the most sacked QB's in a four year span in NFL history. The Bengals have no one to blame but themselves. Joe has missed the end of both the 2020 season and the 2023 season all due injury not to mention the beating he takes game in and game out. It's ridiculous and must end. Enjoy.
Round 1) Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia. Amarius Mims is a huge hunk of meat that is an athletic beast of an OT. Mims will have little trouble sliding into the familiar RT position, the same position he played for Georgia in 2023. Mims manhandles DL, has quick feet, is very powerful, very wide, pass blocks well and can smother would be tacklers. At the end of the day, the Bengals can re-sign and overpay a mediocre Jonah Williams, or they can improve the quality of play at RT for a fraction of the money. This picks a no-brainer.
Round 2) Sedrick Von Pran, OC, Georgia. Like Amarius Mims, Sedrick Von Pran is a huge slab of beef with plenty of talent and strength. By drafting Von Pran, the Bengals get their C of the future who can take over for Volson at LG for the time being or start at C and move Karras to LG. This would go a long way in strengthening the middle of the OL with one selection. This also eliminates the worry of being forced to start Trey Hill at C if Karras were to go down with an injury. It's also important to note that Karras and Cappa will be on the last year of their contracts. This pick solves many, many problems and IMPROVES the line at a cheap price.
Round 3) Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame. Cam Hart is a BIG CB standing 6'3" and weighing in at 200 pounds. Besides his size, Hart has a couple of traits I always look for in a CB - the ability to quickly turn their hips and the ability to jump routes. I was really considering drafting a DT at this spot, but I think I can get the player(s) I want in the next few rounds. The inevitable departure of CB Chidobe Awuzie makes this pick that much more necessary.
Round 4) Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson. The Bengals must improve their interior pass rush. BJ Hill is a solid player, but Zach Carter is still too inconsistent. Enter Ruke Orhorhoro. Ruke is already a big playmaker, but he still needs to work on his consistency. This is a direct result of not starting to play football until he was much older. But he has good burst and a very high ceiling. The tools are there. It's just a matter of getting them sharpened.
Round 5) Fabien Lovett, NT, Florida State. Fabian Lovett was a big reason the Seminoles defense played so well. Lovett stands at 6'4" and weighs 330 pounds. You might think that at that size he's more of a run stuffer with very little pass rush ability, but nothing could be further from the truth. Lovett is a NT that does a good job at providing a pass rush while manhandling his opponent. At times, he looks like a man playing against boys. DJ Reader suffered a serious injury and at the age of 30, I'm not convinced that he'll ever return to his former self. Lovett provides insurance at minimum.
Round 6) Eric All, TE, Iowa. The TE room is a bit of a mess with Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox all set to hit free agency. And Irv Smith Jr. has been a huge disappointment and I don't think he'll return. Eric All was rater higher than his current ranking, but the injury monster dropped his draft status. All is big and talented and could immediately contribute.
Round 7) Dallin Holker, TE, Colorado State. Like I said earlier, the TE room is a mess. Holker flew under the radar having played at Colorado State, but more and more scouts are taking notice. Good character guy that will work is tail off. Good in all areas, but a master of none. Gets a lot of YAC.
The Bengals desperately need to add quality linemen on both sides of the ball. It's by far the teams weakest link. I know the Bengals have added some quality linemen through free agency (Trey Hendrickson) over the past four years, but several are mid-tier players and none of the OL will WOW you with their athleticism. The Bengals are ranked 32nd per OL athleticism and it's been a major problem since the drafting of Burrow. Everybody in the league knows the Bengals are screwing up Burrow and thus the team by not drafting high quality OL. The highest drafted OL drafted since Burrow entered the league was LG Cordell Volson in 2022 who has been a bust to date and I don't see this improving. Volson needs to be replaced in the worst way. Having him ride the bench and learn until he shows that he's a capable linemen is his best chance of becoming a serviceable OL.
The main focus of this draft is to protect the Bengals $275,000,000 investment in one Joe Burrow. Joe is one of, if not the most sacked QB's in a four year span in NFL history. The Bengals have no one to blame but themselves. Joe has missed the end of both the 2020 season and the 2023 season all due injury not to mention the beating he takes game in and game out. It's ridiculous and must end. Enjoy.
Round 1) Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia. Amarius Mims is a huge hunk of meat that is an athletic beast of an OT. Mims will have little trouble sliding into the familiar RT position, the same position he played for Georgia in 2023. Mims manhandles DL, has quick feet, is very powerful, very wide, pass blocks well and can smother would be tacklers. At the end of the day, the Bengals can re-sign and overpay a mediocre Jonah Williams, or they can improve the quality of play at RT for a fraction of the money. This picks a no-brainer.
Round 2) Sedrick Von Pran, OC, Georgia. Like Amarius Mims, Sedrick Von Pran is a huge slab of beef with plenty of talent and strength. By drafting Von Pran, the Bengals get their C of the future who can take over for Volson at LG for the time being or start at C and move Karras to LG. This would go a long way in strengthening the middle of the OL with one selection. This also eliminates the worry of being forced to start Trey Hill at C if Karras were to go down with an injury. It's also important to note that Karras and Cappa will be on the last year of their contracts. This pick solves many, many problems and IMPROVES the line at a cheap price.
Round 3) Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame. Cam Hart is a BIG CB standing 6'3" and weighing in at 200 pounds. Besides his size, Hart has a couple of traits I always look for in a CB - the ability to quickly turn their hips and the ability to jump routes. I was really considering drafting a DT at this spot, but I think I can get the player(s) I want in the next few rounds. The inevitable departure of CB Chidobe Awuzie makes this pick that much more necessary.
Round 4) Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson. The Bengals must improve their interior pass rush. BJ Hill is a solid player, but Zach Carter is still too inconsistent. Enter Ruke Orhorhoro. Ruke is already a big playmaker, but he still needs to work on his consistency. This is a direct result of not starting to play football until he was much older. But he has good burst and a very high ceiling. The tools are there. It's just a matter of getting them sharpened.
Round 5) Fabien Lovett, NT, Florida State. Fabian Lovett was a big reason the Seminoles defense played so well. Lovett stands at 6'4" and weighs 330 pounds. You might think that at that size he's more of a run stuffer with very little pass rush ability, but nothing could be further from the truth. Lovett is a NT that does a good job at providing a pass rush while manhandling his opponent. At times, he looks like a man playing against boys. DJ Reader suffered a serious injury and at the age of 30, I'm not convinced that he'll ever return to his former self. Lovett provides insurance at minimum.
Round 6) Eric All, TE, Iowa. The TE room is a bit of a mess with Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox all set to hit free agency. And Irv Smith Jr. has been a huge disappointment and I don't think he'll return. Eric All was rater higher than his current ranking, but the injury monster dropped his draft status. All is big and talented and could immediately contribute.
Round 7) Dallin Holker, TE, Colorado State. Like I said earlier, the TE room is a mess. Holker flew under the radar having played at Colorado State, but more and more scouts are taking notice. Good character guy that will work is tail off. Good in all areas, but a master of none. Gets a lot of YAC.
