14 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

I doubt he goes in the first round. Second round is more likely but he might last until the 3rd. But I doubt he's available at 81. 

Same. If the Bengals want him, I think it’d be a stretch to expect he’ll be there when they pick in round 3.
 

Maybe they can maneuver into a spot earlier in the round if they pass on him in round 2. Just don’t want them to get cute and eff around if they decide he's a guy they really want. 

Thought Zac called out the D yesterday. From a game management standpoint, last year they were always tied or behind, it seemed, and there was consistent pressure on the offense to score in order to keep up. So playing with a lead does help a lot… you can vary your play calling with a more balanced attack, your pass rush on D can be more effective, etc.. 

 

I’m not saying the team doesn’t have holes… they definitely do, especially up front on both sides. But it def does matter when you’re playing with a lead vs. not. The D simply has to get stops, and the last two years (especially) have been really painful to watch. 

13 hours ago, kennethmw said:

I think that they will at least select one Player on the Oline in the draft, and then review whether they need to look for another G in FA after the Draft.  They start OTA's on the 21st, so a week after the draft, their new Oline coach will have a little more info on where his comfort level is on those existing players.  

For sure. Good point on Peters getting his hands on his guys too. 

These guys are chasing the dream… good for them. There have been some great STers like Kavontae Turpin and Brandon Aubrey who have played in other pro leagues and subsequently have had NFL success… but most of the others have either been training camp guys or PS players. 
 

Doesn’t hurt to look but guys like Hakeem Butler, Jacob Salyers, Kwame Lassiter, etc. aren’t gonna  crack an NFL roster unless there’s a rash of injuries somewhere. 

10 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

 

If you think the 2025 Bengals are Super Bowl contenders, then definitely disagree. The 5 game winning streak was pretty meaningless as it came after we were effectively eliminated by the Stealers scoring 40+ and Russell Wilson passing for 400+. The schedule got easier and we got 1 of our 2 wins over playoff teams down the stretch. But if we had gotten in, we weren't a threat to advance. We were 2-6 vs playoff opponents last year or would be 1-6 if we'd taken the Broncos spot as the 7th seed. 

 

We had a lot of injuries last year but not many the year before when we also missed the playoffs. The notable one was Burrow but Browning surprisingly played at a similar level of efficiency for his games. It's a lot of projection for immediate improvement for the return of Hill and Turner. It might be like the return of Chido in 2023 where he looked fine on the practice field then didn't have it on gameday. We'll see if Golden can get better results from the same or similar players but the team is making a pretty big bet that a new scheme will pay immediate dividends given the mantra about not starting slowly again. It could happen but also wouldn't be surprising if it took half the season to implement effectively. And sure, we'll have rookie reinforcements like we do every year. How many of them from the last 3 years made significant impacts their first year? A lot fewer than the number of holes we have on the roster.

 

 

The team has holes, but so does everyone. I do expect that Golden won’t hesitate to play young guys, and the defense will be more athletic  overall… now, is it realistic to expect the D to make a quantum leap? No, but I think they can be top 20… which may be enough.
 

There are definitely some guys that have to step up… for example, not sure how Dax will do in year one past-ACL - but it seems that other secondary guys like Battle, Turner, CTB, and Fig were all playing better at the end of year. Same with Murphy and Ossai, and with a very small sample size, Ivey. Not sure how Cam Sample will look, coming back from the Achilles - but he was a solid player previously. I expect the two rookie DTs to be better. Slaton will help the run D. Johnson looked like a useful guy off the edge on occasion. And I think Mike Hodges is a heckuva LB coach and I expect that group to be better. 
 

A lot of moving parts, obviously but I don’t think they’re looking for Al to be a miracle worker, just for the D to make strides and not be a total (just partial?) sieve. I think they can do that. 

2 hours ago, sparky151 said:

I wouldn't scream if we took Campbell at 17, but we can also find LBs later in the draft, even on day 3. IMO Bengals need to add 2 LBs, one to replace Pratt and one so we can play more 4-3 if that's what Golden wants. Pratt is mainly a coverage LB who rarely blitzes. Jay Higgins could probably replace him and be taken in round 6. There are a couple of UDFA guys I like in Shaun Dolac and Jackson Woodard. If we just want a run stopper, Danny Stutsman can be had in round 4, maybe 5. 

 

 

 

 

I think Pratt’s last good year in coverage was his contract year. Since then, he has regressed IMO. Assuming he goes, I don’t see it as a significant loss. Especially based on last year, when I thought he was below average. 
 

and you’re right, Stutsman is a good run stopper and leader, but he’s a liability in coverage. Kinda like a Kenneth Murray starter set. 

20 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

If we don't sign a veteran guard before the draft, we need 2 of them. It would be a major missed opportunity to improve the defense but we could go IOL in rounds 1 and 2. Say Banks or Zabel at 17 and Jackson/Ratledge/Milum/Savanaiia at 49. Then maybe something like an edge in round 3, DT in round 4, RB in 5, and LB in 6. 

 

Or we could sign even Risner first and be able to use pick 17 for the best player. 

 

Here's Jake Liscow's preferences for the Bengals:

 

Not a big fan of Liscow, but I like his draft. More and more I'm on board with Campbell... especially given the depth at DL, they can get guys later. LB is pretty bare, and Campbell is the best of the lot. He's young, too - I think maybe 20, or just turning 21? 

And I'm a huge Josaiah Stewart fan - his measurables won't wow you, especially size-wise at 6-1, maybe 250. But he's just got a knack for getting to the passer and for making big plays. Goes all out, all the time. Good locker room guy, too. Was a team captain after only being there 2 years (was a Coastal Carolina transfer). 

 

3 hours ago, sparky151 said:

He's actually semi-athletic. He wasn't invited to the combine but might get drafted late as an NT, similar to the guy the Packers had with Favre. 

 

Speaking of outliers, Colorado State has a CB who scored a 0.0 RAS after testing on a torn ligament.

 

Gilbert Brown? Assume that's who you meant. I believe I'd read that he's dropped a lot of weight. Good for him! 

20 hours ago, spicoli said:

I really like Schlesinger a lot. I wouldn’t mind Jihaad Campbell at 17 but if not, I’d love Schlesinger on day 2. He’s around the ball a bunch… ascending player. Stood out his last season. 

2 hours ago, alleycat said:

IF Mike Green’s SA accusations prove to be nothing but bad luck, he’s just rocketed to my number one in the draft - though probably also now out of reach, after a stunning pro day performance that makes him a classic low risk high reward pick for Edge. He has the production, literally only knock is level of competition, which he cleared up real quick at the senior bowl. His 3-cone time alone should make him a top 15 pick, but add the explosion/power/speed and he’s going to be a pro bowler pretty quick out of the box:

 

https://herdzone.com/news/2025/3/24/marshall-football-players-take-part-in-2025-pro-day

I saw him interviewed a few times… he comes across really well. As you say, the off-field stuff, if true, is a non-starter but I’m sure it’ll be well-vetted by teams before the draft. There’s no doubt he’s athletic enough and he showed out in Sr. Bowl week. 

23 minutes ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

I think it just depends on the how the players are ranked. Ranked by ability regardless of position or ranked by how they may be drafted. 
 

No one would have Cam Ward ranked as the top prospect in the draft despite the fact he may be drafted first due to the desperate need for a QB by some teams. 

Very true, different “experts” construct their mocks in different ways, é.g. Best player regardless of position vs. Primary need fit vs. “Rumors I’m hearing,” etc. 

E-man gives me Taylor Mays vibes; just not sure on that one. Tests as an amazing athlete and does make his share of big plays though. Could be a Kam Chancellor type, which would be nice. 
 

Donovan Ezeiruaku is a helluva player. Small for a DE but was really productive at BC. More LB size. High effort, plays with a lot of energy. Smart. Was definitely “the man” on that defense.
 

If they are going pure pass rusher at 17 and are available (and off-field stuff checks out) would prefer Pearce or Green. But if no edge is taken in round 1, and he's there in round 2, hell yeah… definitely strongly consider. 

5 hours ago, sparky151 said:

The excuses made for Stewart are that TAM's scheme called for him to play the run first. If the excuses were true, that would reflect poorly on the TAM coaching staff. Their defense wasn't especially great despite the 5 star talent. Yet Stewart, Scourton, and Turner are expected to be drafted highly from that line. Something doesn't add up.

 

 

I like Nic Scourton a lot… but he didn’t dominate his last year, after transferring from Purdue where he did dominate. Stewart is your classic “traits” guy. Not as jazzed about him. Scourton is much more of a “finisher.” 
 

Positive thing is, between Zac, Joey Boese, Troy Walters and Mike Hodges (new LB coach), they are really plugged into the Aggie program and should be able to get the straight scoop on these guys, in addition to the tape and the workouts. 

 

All of that said, A&M has really put a lot of talented DL into the NFL… Von Miller, Myles Garrett, Justin Madubuike, Michael Clemons, DeMarvin Leal, McKinley Jackson, etc., and not every one killed it in college. But they produce talent for sure. 

1 minute ago, sparky151 said:

Perine is an ok complementary piece for the passing game if you don't trust Brown to pick up blitzers. But Samaje can't carry the ball 150 times this season, at least not with any level of efficiency. This isn't 2021.

 

True, Samaje is not going to carry it 10 times a game. But he can give you 15+ snaps a game in pass pro and keep defenses honest as either a pass receiver or runner. It’s not like he’s been a workhorse as a RB in the NFL. He’s still got some juice, IMO, but maybe that’s not enough as a #2… not sure. 

 

They definitely used Chase Brown more than expected last year and to his credit, he shouldered the load well - but ideally, they need to spread the wealth a little more. Don’t know if Moss is coming back (from serious injury last year… maybe they are still evaluating, or maybe there’s some contractual deal as to why they haven’t made a decision, or are postponing the inevitable).
 

 

1 minute ago, sparky151 said:

Volson's problem, apart from not being very good, is that he qualified for a playing time escalator. It bumps up pay for people on the 4th year of their rookie deals who were drafted in rounds 2-7. CTB also qualified for it. Anyway, it tripled Volson's base salary so he now costs more than Ford, who beat him out last year. I doubt they carry a backup who makes more than their free agent starter. 

 

Yep Volson has made a lot of coin that way… since he’s been in the league. Just guess it depends how he plays in the off-season and whether Peters thinks he has a role, relative to the others. What helps Ford is how versatile he was last year. Not that you want him starting at T, but he showed he can (played 4 spots), and he won’t get JB killed. Volson has played one position since he’s been in the league - started almost the entire time, but the lack of versatility hurts him if he’s a backup. For that matter, Matt Lee as well. 

3 hours ago, sparky151 said:

 

I wouldn't. Getting Jenkins or Scherff would be a nice addition but we should also add another, less expensive, veteran guard like Risner or Hernandez. Let's fill as many holes as possible ahead of the draft. We have pretty big needs on defense so the fewer picks we have to use for offense the better. We'll probably draft a running back from round 3 onward. It's a good RB draft. But I don't want to put Burrow's health in the hands of a rookie. If we draft an O-lineman, a center to backup Karras and compete with Lee might be in order. But that's a lower priority than finding starting guards or fixing the pass rush. 

Def agree that they need to be very defense-minded in the draft, especially front 7 and one S. At least 1 FA IOL would be mandatory but 2 would be more ideal, no question. 
 

I am less worried about backup RB. Perine works fine for me as #2… he can pass protect, catch the ball well, move the chains in short yardage and help to grind it out/run clock. Depending on health, I’d be ok with Evans as #3. He can catch the ball, return kicks and is a solid STer (for that matter, so is Perine). 

10 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Stringer Bell would make a great GM! Very persuasive, with great experience as a deal maker. 

2 hours ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

Kirkland looked good in pre-season but was lost for the year. Smith was also out for the year? Although he has shown zippo to date. I think Cocharne came in later when we had a lot of injury issues.

Yes - D’Onta Smith was a former 4th round pick - and he’s done next to nothing (when wasn’t hurt, which was often). Devin Cochran is a UDFA who has been around the program for a few years… he had a few decent moments late in the year, before he got hurt. Huge guy, might be a depth piece at T. 
 

Kirkland supposedly had a good TC but early in the regular season he tore his bicep, I think? Former T at U of Washington who had some injury issues there… very physical guy, not real athletic. Plays with an attitude. I’m sure he’ll be in the mix this fall. 
 

Not sure if Volson has a role but I do think Peters will give him a shot and try to work with him. Huge guy, gets out-leveraged pretty often and can look absolutely clueless at times. I wouldn’t count on him but I could see him on the roster, even if he’s not starting. 

At this point, my top 3 are Walter Nolen, Jihaad Campbell and Malachi Starks. 
 

The reason I might lean Campbell at 17 (or maybe a trade-down several spots for additional draft capital) is the relative strength of the other two spots… guys like Xavier Watts, Jordan Phillips, etc. are still quality players and can be had later. 
 

I get the G angst, and while I expect one will come from Volson/Ford/Kirkland, I expect that they may fill another spot via FA (e.g. Scherff) and not be as beholden to interior line earlier in the draft. 
 

On a related note, seems like Peters liked Volson and he feels that with some coaching and better technique work, Volson could become a solid starter. 

2 hours ago, MichaelWeston said:

Dehner says we are not and have not been interested in Teven Jenkins but are interested in Scherf

doesn’t shock me… I’d be concerned about throwing significant coin at a guy who has a significant injury at a young age. Scherff has had injuries too (who hasn’t?) but for the last few years, he’s played a full season. So on a shorter (2-year?) deal, I’d strongly consider it. 

36 minutes ago, alleycat said:

Hard not to see the argument for dropping 5-7 spots if you can. Would seriously limit your choices, but what would that kind of drop net you, picks-wise? A 3rd?

a 3rd or a high 4th, I would guess. 
 

Especially if it were a 3rd, I’d be all over it. They need all levels of D and interior OL and if they could get a LB, DL, S and OL on days 1 and 2, that would be great. That’s not counting anything more they do in FA. 

41 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

It looks to me like you're both in agreement that the Bengals should give Trey a fair contract with a raise as part of an extension. That's my view too.

 

And I think that's where they will ultimately land. 

I really like Cam as a depth signing. But they still have a lot of holes. Nothing has changed in that regard, other than shoring up the run D a bit with Slaton. Didn’t get the G activity thing, and why they were not in on Levi from Detroit. Unless his medicals aren’t good… a year for 5 mil for some interior pass rush juice is nothing. 

28 minutes ago, BBR said:

To be fair, those athleticism numbers for Gunnar Helm should all be thrown away.  Dude snagged his foot on the first 40 run when he slowed down after they blew the whistle on him for rolling his start.  He gave himself a high ankle sprain and toughed it out to do all of the testing instead of shutting it all down like he should have.  If anything, he should be applauded for toughing it out even though it was going to cause his numbers to be off.

 

If you were watching the combine, there were a lot of guys that 'slipped' or had some sort of poor footing right around the 10 yard mark where he injured himself.

Yes agree 100%. Living in TX, I've seen him play quite a bit. Really like his game and he's an underrated athlete. He was a guy that really had Sark'a and Quinn Ewers' trust as a receiver, and he's a big bodied guy who can block some, too. 

1 hour ago, sparky151 said:

 

If he falls past 16, it will be because he couldn't run a decent time at his workout. He's already said he won't be ready for the Michigan pro day. It's similar with Ben Morrison of Notre Dame. They both need to show they are healthy and can run to be drafted early. 

He wasn’t playing well last fall even before his injury. Not sure what the deal was but he looked disinterested. 
 

I don’t think he’ll run great even on a great day but he’s instinctive and he’s physical and he plays the position well. Where that lands him, not sure but I’d consider him strongly later in round 1.