2024 NFL Mock Draft: Cincinnati Bengals

2024 NFL Mock 

Draft: Cincinnati 

Bengals

Up next in my 32-team Mock Draft Series: the Cincinnati Bengals! After a wrist ligament injury placed Joe Burrow on the sideline, the Bengals endured a turbulent season, finishing with a 9-8 record. Burrow is expected to be cleared from the injury in May, so perhaps a bounce-back season is in store for Cincinnati with their franchise quarterback healthy and back at the helm. Let's take a look at their offseason thus far:

Key Departures (as of 3/18/24):

RB Joe Mixon --> Houston Texans (via trade)

CB Chidobe Awuzie --> Tennessee Titants (3 yrs/$36M; $22.98M guaranteed)

RT Jonah Williams --> Arizona Cardinals (2 yrs/$30M; $21.5M guaranteed)

DT D.J. Reader --> Detroit Lions

TE Irv Smith --> Kansas City Chiefs (1 yr/$1.29M; $384k guaranteed)

WR Tyler Boyd

Key Signings (as of 3/18/24):

WR Tee Higgins (franchise tag)

G Cody Ford (re-signed)

DT Sheldon Rankins (2 yrs/$24.5M; $8M guaranteed)

SAF Geno Stone (2 yrs/$14M; $6M guaranteed)

RB Zack Moss (2 yrs/$8M; $3M guaranteed)

SAF Vonn Bell (1 yr/$6M)

TE Mick Gesicki (1 yr/$2.5M; $400k guaranteed)

LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (re-signed)

There are a question marks heading into the offseason for the Bengals, the biggest one being Tee Higgins. It seems he would like a payday rather than being franchise tagged, so the rumor mill is swirling with trade scenarios. Regardless, I think Cincinnati is in a good position to be competitive once again this upcoming season, especially with Joe Burrow getting back to full health. Let's see what I can do in a 7-round Mock Draft...

Mock Draft completed via the PFF Mock Draft Simulator on 3/18/24

The PFF Mock Draft Simulator was friendly today, allow Brock Bowers to slide all the way down to #18. Although the Bengals just brought Mike Gesicki on a 1-year deal, he is not the answer for Cincinnati's tight end position long-term. However, Brock Bowers can be; and in this exercise, he is.

I loved that Braden Fiske was available here at #49 for Cincinnati. This former Seminole is explosive in the short areas, gets off blocks with determination, and is consistently disruptive in both the run game and pass game. He may not have terrific reach, but he has impressive bend and great hand placement. Fiske put on shows at both the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, subsequently boosting his draft stock. Cincinnati did bring in Sheldon Rankins on a 2-year deal, but similarly to the pick above, I don't think Rankings is a long-term answer for Cincinnati's interior defensive line. Fiske can be.

From 2021 to 2023, Patrick Paul took every snap at left tackle for Houston. However, you have to be willing to invest in a prospect like Patrick Paul. Coming in at 6'7"-320 pounds, he is a mountain of an offensive tackle with an incredible reach and wingspan. Paul's technique needs a lot of work, but the size and intangibles are there. He will be a bit of a project, but if Cincinnati can get him going successfully perhaps at right tackle, it will be a huge win.

With there being a chance of Tee Higgins leaving Cincinnati, the Bengals find a potential replacement in Javon Baker out of Central Florida. Baker had a great Senior Bowl showing, which really helped his draft stock. However, he was already a consistent producer for the Knights in college. Baker is a fluid route winner who wins consistently, but needs to improve with his hands as he can fall victim to dropping easy, routine catches. If Higgins were to be traded, Baker would be the WR2 on this current Bengals roster.

Trey Benson is my RB1, so I was pleased to select him in this exercise in Round 4. Per the signings I have listed above, RB Zack Moss was brought in on a 2 year-deal. Is he the long-term solution? I don't think so. Indeed he was productive in Indianapolis in Jonathan Taylor's stead, but he is only serviceable in my opinion. Benson is agile and elusive, even with being a bigger back. He crushed the NFL Combine, ranking 1st among all Combine running backs with an overall score of 80. Physically, Benson wasn't used as a bell-cow per se in college, so I think he would be fine on a heavier NFL workload. His vision and decision-making can improve, though.

Dwight McGlothern is one of my favorite, underrated players in this 2024 cornerback class. At 6'2"-185 pounds, McGlothern is a longer cornerback. He possesses great zone awareness, is good at disguising his coverages, and is physical when pressing. He is instinctual and truly has a nose for the ball. McGlothern's speed is average, however, so he struggles with recovery and can get handsy/grabby when getting beat, resulting in penalties. As a Day 3 selection, I truly believe McGlothern has high upside and can contribute within Cincinnati's current cornerback room that consists of players like Mike Hilton, D.J. Turner II, and Cam Taylor-Britt.

The Bengals could use a potential contribute off the edge outside of Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. Jalen Green was an excellent contributor to the James Madison Dukes on defense, amassing 15.5 sacks and forcing two (2) fumbles this past season. He isn't impressively athletic and is more of a power rusher off the edge, but showing production in the late portion of his college career is beneficial to his draft potential. In the early stage of his NFL career, Green would be a good practice squad player to develop, who could perhaps garner a few in-season call-ups to be a rotational rusher on late downs.

Cincinnati adds some linebacker depth here in Jaylan Ford. Personally, I'm not overly impressed with Ford's body of work at Texas. Although he was a two-year starter for the Longhorns, Ford's speed and play digestion are very average for a middle linebacker. His pursuit and tackle ability are pluses, though, so he can definitely carve out a role on special teams as a rookie.

Brandon Coleman is picked here at #224, which I didn't mind at all. Coleman is an intriguing prospect with tackle-guard flexibility. If you're into mathematics and statistics, you may be pleased to know that Colemans scored a 9.98 relative athletic score (RAS) as a guard. This ranked 4th out of 1,459 guard prospects from 1987 to 2024. There is definitely some upside here with Coleman.

I love this pick for the Bengals. Obviously you have Joe Burrow; he is your franchise quarterback. Perhaps people like Jake Browning as a backup based off his good spurts here and there last season. However, I personally think this pick - Devin Leary in Round 7 - is just too good. Leary was known for his precision and accuracy while at NC State, and rightfully so. However, that seemed to go away after transferring to Kentucky. He clearly regressed, and whether you want to attribute that to his individual play or the fact that Kentucky receivers constantly dropped routine passes, well, you can be the judge. Regardless, the traits are there. Devin Leary had a great NFL Combine showing in my opinion, and can learn and develop under Burrow's tutelage, subsequently becoming a solid backup option.

At the tail-end of Round 7, and with their final pick in this Mock Draft, the Bengals select Delmar Glaze out of Maryland. Glaze is interesting. He has experience at both tackle spots, is a decently smooth mover, and has an elite wingspan. On the contrary, his anchor is lacking, he can over-anticipate edge rusher and get beat easily, and has inconsistent hand usage. I'm not sure whether tackle or interior is the best route for Glaze at the next level, but he needs polishing. He would definitely be a great depth piece, as he could be a swing tackle or serviceable plug-and-play backup.

PFF Mock Draft Grade: A-