Arkansas Bengal Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer Sat, Apr 27, 2024, 9:21 PM CDT·3 min read The Cincinnati Bengals 2024 draft class is set. The Bengals opened the draft on Thursday with the selection of Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims 18th overall, then finished the event Saturday with six picks. How well did the Bengals do? Here's what the national pundits think about the Bengals latest draft haul. Cincinnati Bengals 2024 draft grades Pro Football Focus: B+ USA Today: B Sports Illustrated: B- Pro Football Network: B- Sporting News: A The Score: B Grade breakdown: There's a general consensus surrounding the Bengals' draft as an overall boom-or-bust class. Whether it be from injuries or off-the-field concerns, Cincinnati picked multiple prospects that could be long-term producers for a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations or could not fail to pan out. Amarius Mims joins the Bengals, speaking at a press conference at Paycor Stadium on Friday April 26, 2024. It started right away with the first-round selection of Mims at No. 18. Mims fits into a Bengals' group of tackles that rivals some college basketball frontcourts with its height. Mims was borderline elite at Georgia in pass protection (six quarterback pressures in 402 pass-blocking snaps), but the best ability is availability and he only has eight college starts under his belt after needing season-ending ankle surgery in 2023. Some experts liked that Mims won't have to start right away and has a year to develop behind veteran Trent Brown, who inked a one-year deal in March. Others question if Cincinnati should've drafted someone who could help right away on a team in win-now mode. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round of the draft. The Bengals added three pass-catchers in the draft. All were picked with some precaution of national pundits. There's an overall belief that third-round pick Jermaine Burton could be a franchise-changing wide receiver as an over-the-top threat if he can shed the maturity question marks that caused him to fall to the 80th overall pick. "The best value pick of the draft," Pro Football Network's Cam Mellor said of the pick. "(Burton) enters the league with some character issues but immense production upside with his explosive vertical skill set." At the tight end spot, Iowa's Erick All, a Fairfield High School product, is coming off a torn ACL a year after needing spinal surgery. Arizona's Tanner McLachlan needed core muscle surgery after his pro day and slid into the sixth round. 'You ready to come home?': Fairfield's Erick All gets call from Bengals' Zac Taylor Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (DL13) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Which pick did experts like? The Bengals ultimately didn't trade up in the second round despite a run on defensive tackles and eventually landed with Michigan product Kris Jenkins with the 49th overall pick. Jenkins, a team captain on the national-champion Wolverines in 2023, is the son of Kris Jenkins Sr., a three-time All-Pro defensive tackle. "He has a P.H.D. in playing defensive tackle from his father," NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Friday after the pick. Pro Football Focus called Jenkins the "pound-for-pound the strongest player in the draft," who excelled against the run last season. That's a good sign for a defensive line that lost D.J. Reader and is in a division with Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb and Najee Harris. On the offensive trenches, draft analysts liked the Bengals seventh-round snag of Miami center Matt Lee, who didn't allow a sack on over 400 pass-blocking snaps last season. Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson (DL11) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Which pick did experts dislike? Multiple pundits agree the Bengals reached with their third-round compensatory selection of Texas A&M defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson. "Jackson feels like a reach at this point given his inconsistent play," USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz said of the pick Friday night. NFL.com ranks Jackson as the No. 22 defensive tackle in this year's class. Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein projected Jackson to be a sixth-round pick as a prospect who has solid strength overall but needs to develop his hands to shed blockers more efficiently. https://sports.yahoo.com/well-did-bengals-draft-heres-022106666.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonBlade Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 All I know is that someone needs to check on BJ because he's probably spooged himself into a dehydrated husk 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 5 minutes ago, VonBlade said: All I know is that someone needs to check on BJ because he's probably spooged himself into a dehydrated husk 😄 BJ right now… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|BlackJesus| Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 19 minutes ago, VonBlade said: check on BJ because he's probably spooged himself into a dehydrated husk 😄 ... Night 1 and Mims was enough for that. 💦 🌊 Never quite reached the same climax on the other 2 days though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 The eternal tendency is to artificially place immediate expectations on these young men. Used to be, it would be at least 3 seasons before the dreaded “not living up to draft status” tag would be placed on them. Now, it’s as early as first year. Everything looks great on Draft Day. This one, no different. Now the weeding out begins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 Cincinnati Bengals: B Top needs entering the draft: Wide receiver, defensive tackle, offensive tackle The Bengals hit needs with all four of their top picks. Amarius Mims (18) might have been a top-five pick if he had a little more experience; he made just eight career starts at Georgia. He has outstanding physical abilities and some of the longest arms I've ever seen. He'll likely slot in as a rookie starter at right tackle. Defensive tackles Kris Jenkins (49) and McKinnley Jackson (97) are better run-defenders than interior pass-rushers, but they'll immediately help a defense that ranked 32nd in yards per play allowed (6.0) a year ago. I graded Jackson as more of a fifth-rounder, though. Cincinnati reached for wideout Jermaine Burton (80) over guys I had graded higher including Jalen McMillan, Roman Wilson and Troy Franklin, and Burton also has some off-field concerns. He's a talented player and deep threat for Joe Burrow, but he's no guarantee to be a future Tee Higgins replacement. Cornerback Josh Newton (149) is undersized and ran an underwhelming 40-yard dash at the combine, but he was super productive in the Big 12. Tanner McLachlan (194) finished at No. 100 on my Big Board, and the Bengals got him nearly 100 picks later. I had him rated higher than the other TE they took --Erick All (115) -- because of his upside as a receiver. With 10 selections here, the Bengals were able to target their roster holes, but they overdrafted a couple of guys, which limits the ceiling on this grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 Cincinnati Bengals ROUND PICK PLAYER GRADE 1 18 Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia B- 2 49 Kris Jenkins, DL, Michigan A- 3 80 Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama A 3 97 McKinnley Jackson, DL, Texas A&M B 4 115 Erick All, TE, Iowa B 5 149 Josh Newton, CB, TCU A- 6 194 Tanner McLachlan, TE, Arizona B+ 6 214 Cedric Johnson, EDGE, Ole Miss A 7 224 Daijahn Anthony, S, Ole Miss A- 7 237 Matt Lee, IOL, Miami (Fla.) A- The Bengals attacked their needs with authority in this class. Defensive tackle. Tight end. Edge rusher. Even added a pair of offensive linemen, and started with Mims who, if healthy, can eventually be the best blocker from this class. Jenkins and Jackson are two different defensive tackle types. Jenkins was the finest run defender in the class. Jackson is a nose tackle by frame and has three-technique talent getting up the field after the quarterback. I am a tick concerned about his poor workout. Burton is not your classic Round 3 receiver -- he has borderline first-round talent as one of the truly premier vertical threat. All and McLachlan are two reasonable talented pass-catching tight ends, and keep an eye on Johnson as an ascending rusher who can climb the depth chart because of his explosiveness and glimpses of hand work. Grade: A- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted April 28 Report Share Posted April 28 CINCINNATI BENGALS: B+ 1 (18): T Amarius Mims, Georgia 2 (49): DI Kris Jenkins, Michigan 3 (80): WR Jermaine Burton, Alabama 3 (96): DI McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M 4 (115): TE Erick All, Iowa 5 (149): CB Josh Newton, TCU 6 (194): TE Tanner McLachlan, Arizona 6 (214): EDGE Cedric Johnson, Ole Miss 7 (224): S Daijahn Anthony, Ole Miss 7 (237): C Matt Lee, Miami Fl. Mims — Cincinnati beefs up its pass protection in front of Joe Burrow by adding the massive Mims. He’s a fantastic athlete for his size but struggled with injuries at Georgia. Regardless, he allowed just six quarterback pressures across 402 career pass-blocking snaps and should start very soon, as Trent Brown is only a short-term solution at right tackle. Jenkins — Jenkins is arguably the pound-for-pound strongest player in the draft. His 87.2 run-defense grade since 2022 ranked fifth among Power Five interior defenders, while his 82.7 PFF grade in 2023 ranked third among Big Ten interior defenders. Jenkins lacks length and an ideal pass-rush package, but his power alone will have him on the field on Sundays. Burton — Despite sliding a bit due to some off-field concerns, Burton has a three-level skill set with great explosiveness and impressive ball skills. He didn’t drop any of his 57 targets this past season and could be a solid complement to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from Day 1 due to his downfield playmaking ability. Jackson — Jackson projects as a nose or three-technique in a 4-3 defensive scheme because he excels as a one-gap penetrator. He’s limited by a lack of length, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 34 run stops since 2022 (third-most in the SEC) with 14 of them for no gain or loss (fifth in the SEC). He’ll need to learn to hold up to double team blocks and develop a pass-rush repertoire, but he can be successful in a rotation. All — The Bengals find a potential long-term starter in the fourth round, with All ranking as the third-best tight end on the PFF big board. His 2.62 yards per route in 2023 ranked second among draft-eligible tight ends. Newton — Ranking 12th among Big-12 cornerbacks, Newton earned an 87.7 PFF grade combined over the past two seasons. Across 413 coverage snaps last year, he allowed just one touchdown. McLachlan — The Bengals doubled up on tight ends by adding the safe-handed McLachlan. He didn’t drop a single pass from 45 catchable targets in 2023. His 530 receiving yards and four touchdowns were both career highs. Johnson — Johnson has a solid size-speed combination for an edge defender this late in the draft and offered solid production in his final season in college. From 850 pass-rushing snaps over the past three seasons, he racked up 107 quarterback pressures, including 13 sacks. Anthony — Anthony allowed just one touchdown across 394 coverage snaps in 2023. Opposing quarterbacks managed a passer rating of just 54.7 when targeting him in coverage. Lee — Lee was exceptional in 2023 with the Hurricanes, ranking 10th among FBS centers in PFF grade (79.1). He didn’t allow a single sack on 414 pass-blocking snaps, and his 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked third among FBS centers. Lee is well worth a swing here for the Bengals, a team that continues to find value late in the draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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