Goldfish's Way Too Early Draft Rankings 2024 (All Up)

[onejayhawk]

Just now, goldfishwars said:

Sorry

Don't be. We like it where it is and as it is.

[bomont]

Because.........

Again no big, just wondering. 

[goldfishwars]

8. Cincinnati Bengals

This Class In One Sentence:

A draft which got a lot done with minimal fuss.

Pre-Draft Needs (According to https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/team-needs-2024)

OT, DL, WR, TE, CB, EDGE, IOL

Selections

18. Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia

49. Kris Jenkins | DL | Michigan

80. Jermaine Burton | WR | Alabama

97. McKinnley Jackson | DL | Texas A&M

115. Erick All | TE | Iowa

149. Josh Newton | CB | TCU

194. Tanner Mclachlan | TE | Arizona

214. Cedric Johnson | EDGE | Mississippi

224. Daijahn Anthony | S | Mississippi

237. Matt Lee | OC | Miami (Fla.)

Best Pick

Kris Jenkins – There’s a few contenders here, but I like the no-fuss of grabbing Jenkins here when other teams were straining to draft comparable talents at defensive tackle. Right now, he's a run-stopper in a three-tech body, but man it’s a powerful body. He controls blockers one-on-one and holds up well on double teams. He’s also a player who played his best football in the biggest games and had no problem rising to the occasion. There is room to grow as a pass-rusher because he was never really asked to do that and has a limited array of moves in that role as a result. But he should be plug and play in Cincinnati, even if they don’t always do that.

Worst Pick

It’s hard to pick any one player out, because it’s a clean haul. I guess McKinnley Jackson was probably a little overdrafted due to the scarcity of nose tackles and the fact the Bengals needed extra beef inside. You do see flashes of power, throwing blockers to the side and anchoring against double teams. But then you get stretches where he’s sort of just leaning out there. I think you’ve got to light a fire underneath this guy because he is talented. 

Overall

It’s an impressive bit of shopping by Cincinati, who did what they normally do and stuck at their spots and to their board. There’s a little boom or bust sprinkled in, with thin resumes and off-field concerns and notable injury histories thrown into the mix. But you can stir in a little risk when you hold onto your draft capital and double up at spots. That’s just a smart way to build your team and they’ve been quietly good at this for a long time now.

I think of all the players linked to the Bengals at 18, Amarius Mims was the player who intrigues the most. He’s freaky in size and length with no wasted fat and can move like a tight end. And the tape is decent when he’s on the field, you see glimpses of all of that even if he need reps to fulfil that physical potential. He battled hamstring and ankle issues in the past year, so that’s one thing to keep an eye on. But the fact that he might be able to season a little behind the Browns is a nice situation all around.  

The Bengals made some interesting decisions at receiver. Burton is a hugely talented vertical receiver with more than a stench of off-field issues for it to be a concern. But, he could easily be a primary deep threat from day one because he was the best ball-tracker in the class and finds an extra gear with the ball in the air. Erik All undoubtedly has the talent to be the answer at a tight end spot Cincinnati has struggled to nail down. He was a dynamic pass catching threat at Michigan before injuries slowed his career there and he bounced back a little at Iowa. He doesn’t offer a huge amount as a blocker, but the speed and burst as a receiver is high-end if he gets a run of health.

There’s plenty to like about the Bengals’ later picks. Josh Newton had a break out year in 2022 but regressed this past season. He’s a little old and lacks deep speed, but is versatile and quick enough to fight his way into a rotation. Tanner McLauchlan and Cedric Johnson are good bets on back-up roles and I really like the shot on Matt Lee late. He’s a little smaller, but has a surprisingly well-rounded game – enough to think he could hang around.

[adamq]

For me the Bengals hit a grand slam. Beefing up the trenches on both sides and then adding a couple athletic weapons for Burrow is just what they needed

[minutemancl]

I liked the Giants draft slightly more than the Bengals draft.

I think they hit a few home runs though. Mims and Burton specifically should be big boosts for them immediately. I don't think Burton could have gone to a better situation for him.

[Daniel]

Bengals draft was a work of art.

[THE DUKE]

You're actually a little higher on the Bengals draft than I am, but if Mims hits, he could be an All Pro. That would make you feel good about any draft class.  I hope they get creative to use him early on if Trent Brown starts the year at RT.

Jenkins should provide an immediate upgrade to the IDL rotation and even if his pass rush skills need a little time, he can provide valuable snaps on 1st downs and run downs so that BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins aren't playing the near 800 snaps that Hill had to play last year because of injuries.

Burton I feel is an even bigger boom/bust than Mims.  The positives are that he is going into an established WR room with a clear 1/2 in Chase and Higgins and even the backups are all pretty established at this point.  He'll have a chance to step into the WR3 role immediately and to play both outside and in the slot so they can move Chase around the field.  His biggest rivals for that WR3 role will be Andrei Iosivas (had a sneaky 6 TDs as a rookie) and Trent Irwin who is limited athletically but has produced some when given chances in the past.

I much would have rather taken Evan Anderson at 237 than McKinnley Jackson at 97.  Is Jackson a better NT prospect than Anderson?  Yes, most likely, but I don't think he is that far ahead of Anderson and they could have used 97 on another talent like Payton Wilson, Cedric Gray, Tanner Bortolini, or Isaac Guerendo

I thought 115 was too soon for All.  Sure, he's athletic and has flashed, but he has been oft injured and never really proved it in college over any significant stretch of time.  For every "Well, George Kittle...." there are a hundred guys who amount to nothing.  I don't hate the pick at 115, but would have liked it a lot better at 149.  Hopefully All is one of the exceptions and not the rule, i'll root for him, but i'm not holding my breath.

Loved the Josh Newton pick at 149.  Rd 5 is a good place to pick a guy who has flashed starter upside but had some sort of issue.  Would like it if he tested a little better athletically, but he still came in at slightly above average with a 6.41 RAS and he has plenty of experience on the boundary.  They only need him to be CB4 or CB5 early, and has CB2 upside.

I would like the McLachlan pick better if he wasn't the 2nd TE taken in this draft.  Gesicki and Hudson are both on one year deals, and Sample looks to be the primary inline Y TE for the next few years.  I would guess the plan is the either have All on the PUP/IR to start the year and McLachlan on the practice squad, or possibly both.  If both are ready to go then maybe they jettison Tanner Hudson and go with 4 TE.  As for McLachlan himself, he's a little under weight of what the Bengals usually look for at TE, but he is a solid lottery ticket with some speed to work with.

Cedric Johnson has a tough road to making the roster with a pretty firm top 5 edge guys in Hendrickson, Hubbard, Murphy, Ossai, and Cam Sample who they like as a versatile depth guy who can play all over the DL (though he shouldn't have to play much DT this year hopefully with the additions of Rankins and Jenkins).  I wouldn't say he is destined for the practice squad, but that is by far the highest probability.  Johnson has some good speed and explosion to work with and is the size they like for the edge, so I can't completely rule out him making the team if he shows out in camp and the preseason.  Ossai really struggled coming off injury last year, to the point to where many thought he was still hurt, but if he looks like he did last year, that is a spot that could be pushed.  Murphy started to come on a bit towards the end of the year, and I think they are counting on him to take more snaps away from Hubbard this year.

Anthony will be in a roster battle with Tycen Anderson for the backup FS/special teams ace.  The staff loves Anderson, but he has had a lot of injury issues and the greatest ability is availability.  Most likely another PS guy, but I won't be utterly shocked if he wins that spot.

Loved loved loved that Matt Lee pick at 237, I wouldn't have minded him at 115.  I know he is a little undersized and pretty much a C only IOL, but he is as strong as an ox and showed out against the top IDL in the ACC this year is the kind of intelligent athlete you want at center.  I'll be shocked if he doesn't beat out Trey Hill for the backup C job and with Karras on the last year of his deal, could possibly be primed to take over in 2025.

 

I feel like I am a little lower than the consensus on Burton, and overall I do feel it was an above average draft, but I probably have the Bengals more in the 12-14 range if I had to guess.  You've been pretty close with your Bengals draft assesments in the past, so I hope you are still and this is the class that helps propel the Bengals to a Super Bowl.  Great write up, I appreciate this thread every year.

[THE DUKE]

43 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

I don't think Burton could have gone to a better situation for him.

That's my biggest hope for Burton.  Going to an established WR room with one of the games best QB's throwing to him, they should be able to help mentor him and show him how it's done as a professional.

[minutemancl]

22 minutes ago, THE DUKE said:

That's my biggest hope for Burton.  Going to an established WR room with one of the games best QB's throwing to him, they should be able to help mentor him and show him how it's done as a professional.

He's a headcase, but his talent was underrated throughout the entire pre-draft process. He doesn't have to produce immediately, but if he's ready to, the snaps and targets are there for the taking. It's a good spot for him, and the Bengals could reap some insane rewards if he figures it all out.

[General Tso]

When Saban calls you out on TV (Burton) for character concerns, that's well.. concerning.

[INbengalfan]

1 hour ago, General Tso said:

When Saban calls you out on TV (Burton) for character concerns, that's well.. concerning.

Of wheat I heard his say, Saban was praising Burton but ripping Mims for character flags.  Apparently for him if you leave Georgia for Alabama, you're great.  If you decommit from Alabama to go to Georgia, you have character issues.  As a Georgia fan, it doesn't mean a thing other than he is a salty old-timer.

[General Tso]

6 minutes ago, INbengalfan said:

Of wheat I heard his say, Saban was praising Burton but ripping Mims for character flags.  Apparently for him if you leave Georgia for Alabama, you're great.  If you decommit from Alabama to go to Georgia, you have character issues.  As a Georgia fan, it doesn't mean a thing other than he is a salty old-timer.

I watched it live when Burton was drafted. Saban called it "emotional immaturity" describing Burton, and I think he was being nice. He doesn't pull punches.

[INbengalfan]

9 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

This Class In One Sentence:

A draft which got a lot done with minimal fuss.

Pre-Draft Needs (According to https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/team-needs-2024)

OT, DL, WR, TE, CB, EDGE, IOL

Selections

18. Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia

49. Kris Jenkins | DL | Michigan

80. Jermaine Burton | WR | Alabama

97. McKinnley Jackson | DL | Texas A&M

115. Erick All | TE | Iowa

149. Josh Newton | CB | TCU

194. Tanner Mclachlan | TE | Arizona

214. Cedric Johnson | EDGE | Mississippi

224. Daijahn Anthony | S | Mississippi

237. Matt Lee | OC | Miami (Fla.)

I loved our draft.  It hit needs, and they never panicked.  I wasn't sure where Goldfish was going to place us, but this is more than fair.  The national talking heads/sites raved about Pitt's draft, and rightfully so, but we stayed a couple of picks ahead of them and equally strengthened our roster too.  

 

I have been on the Mims train since mid fall.  The dude is a beast, and if he hadn't had that high ankle sprain, we are talking about him going to Tennessee at #8 instead of us at #18.  I'm not concerned about the injury history at all.  He had tigh-rope surgery to try to get back for the playoffs had Georgia made it, and there is a strong link to hamstring pulls for athletes coming off tightrope surgery.

 

Jenkins is a human wall in the middle, and we definitely needed that after losing reader.  Burton has the most boom/bust to him, but what's the point of having a great locker room if you can't take a guy like this here or there and try to assimilate them into it.  And even as a Georgia fan, I never was that critical of him over the Tennessee incident.  If fans stay off the field, it never happens.  

I loved McKinnley Jackson pick.  Even at 97.  More on that later.

All is an obvious injury risk, but when he plays, he;'s more than solid.  Maybe he does the reverse Tyler Eifert.  Injured in college, but stays relatively healthy in the pros.  

Newman.  Solid player.  And here's the thing.  If they would have taken him at 97, then Jackson in the fourth and All in the fifth, none of our fanbase or outsiders would be called them massive reaches.  This pick levels that.  

 

The rest of the players all have the ability to carve out a niche on the team, both long and short term.

 

And as always Goldfish, I love these and look forward to them starting about February.  

[Chiefer]

16 minutes ago, General Tso said:

When Saban calls you out on TV (Burton) for character concerns, that's well.. concerning.

Should fit right in, can’t wait for the bulletin board material he’s gonna provide the Chiefs😎

[SmittyBacall]

2 hours ago, Chiefer said:

Should fit right in, can’t wait for the bulletin board material he’s gonna provide the Chiefs😎

Fit right in with who?