sparky151

He got 15 mil from the Ravens last year which was a big overpay. But he's still a better than average WR2 when he's healthy. He did average 16 ypc last year.

Probably not if we're hoping to win the Super Bowl this year. If we'd taken advantage of the Titans last year when they wanted Levis, we'd already have Dawand Jones plus pick 38 in this draft. That would have let us take Brian Thomas Jr at 18 as the replacement for Tee. We could then flip him to the Patriots for pick 34 and use it for McKinstry or Newton, and try to move up from 38 for the other. Then take the best IOL at 49, a NT at 80 and grab a TE or RB later.

I'd be surprised if we trade Tee. If it were going to happen, we might have picked Brian Thomas at 18, as he looks like a faster version of Tee. Maybe we would trade him if we could get AD Mitchell but Buffalo will probably grab him. Trading Tee frees up 22 mil in cap space. We might throw some of it to rent Odell Beckham Jr for a season but most WR picks at this point will take some time to develop and we're trying to win the Super Bowl this year.

There were a few players wearing them in the OSU spring game.

He won't hold out that long. The fines for the 10 games missed and the lack of pay for them would exceed what he makes in the 7 games played. In effect, he'd be playing for free. If he files retirement paperwork, he can unretire any time. But the club retains his rights while he's retired. Some guy in his 50s finally filed his retirement paperwork a few months ago, probably because he was getting ready to claim his pension. If Trey did retire, the team would be entitled to repayment of his prorated signing bonus for the years he's not playing. So he'd have to write a multi-million dollar check to the team at a time when he wants the money to flow the other way. So the threat of retirement isn't very serious.

I'd hate taking Benson at 80 then watching Sweat get picked before we're back on the board. In that scenario, take Sweat at 80 after Newton at 49 and turn your attention to IOL or skill players.

I think we can probably get Sweat at 80, and maybe at 97 or 115. So 49 is sort of a free choice pick. WR, CB, IOL, TE, 3T are all in play. But McKinstry over DeJean for sure. Kool Aid can play outside, while DeJean looks like a free safety or slot corner at the next level and we're well stocked there. JPJ or Frazier or Beebe would be good picks at 49 if we want to finish rebuilding the O-line. Newton would be ok if still on the board, even though we have a decent pair of 3Ts currently. RB or TE and probably WR can wait until rounds 3 and 4.

Nah, the Bengals shouldn't trade up in round 1. They'll get a good player at 18.

The Bengals are in the same position vs Hamilton County as Trey Hendrickson is vs the team. They want something from someone who's not inclined to give it. Ohio's Art Modell law would make it hard for the Bengals to leave Cincinnati. The team would have to be offered for sale to local residents first. Suppose the Brown family values it at 6 billion and the best offer is 4 billion. Does that mean they are free to move? Not necessarily. The city or county could try to take it by eminent domain with the intention of reselling it to a new buyer committed to the city. In eminent domain, if the parties can't reach an agreement it goes to a jury trial. I doubt a jury of Hamilton County citizens will give the Brown family as much as they want. This came up a few years back with the Columbus MLS team. The former owner wanted to move it to Austin. The state of Ohio sued them and they ended up selling to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and have thrived since.

It's not unusual for a player who does well at the combine to skip testing at his pro day. Or someone to prefer to perform at his pro day and skip it at the combine. A few prospects like Marv can get away with skipping it entirely. But Latham isn't in that category. Pass blocking is more important than run blocking in the NFL and several other tackles are better pass blockers than him. Maybe Harbaugh overlooks that with the Chargers but he won't like seeing Herbert get hit either. Latham could easily fall to 20. Agreed, our 3 picks tomorrow night will have more influence on our future than the pick tonight.

Likewise. We have OBj under contract for 3 more years and Trent Brown for 1 year. Either could theoretically be extended if the team wants but they don't like signing guys who are 30 or over for multi-year deals. So any rookie taken at 18 will be with us for 4, maybe 5 years. It would be a plus if he could play not only RT but LT if needed. Mims fits that requirement better than Latham or Fuaga.

So why didn't he test at the combine or pro day if he now moves better than his tape?

The Cowboy, 49er, and Buccaneer don't look very manly or tough.

The Bengals don't have much leverage in this situation. They aren't going to privately finance and build their own stadium and can't move to another city without the Brown family losing control of the team.

This is a relatively weak draft for edge rushers. Bengals could probably get a late first round pick from a team like the Lions (if they have any cap space left after extending St Brown and Sewell). They're also looking at a Goff extension. The Commanders have cap space and a need at DE so maybe they offer their 2nd rounder or something. The problem for the Bengals is they couldn't get as good a player at that spot. So trading Trey doesn't make much sense. Trading Tee on the other hand might, depending on what is offered and who we can replace him with. This is a good WR draft so saving the 22 mil and using it for Uno's extension makes sense. The Bengals added a year to his previous deal and gave him a raise on his 2023 salary. It amounted to 21 mil in new money for an additional year. That's not ripping him off.