And away we go!

Caleb downs

And think for this draft we should have lists of who we are likely to overdraft.

When does this become the "not too early" draft thread... 😭

2 hours ago, Griever said:

When does this become the "not too early" draft thread... 😭

I will change it at the appropriate time. 😄

…5…4…3…2…1…

6 minutes ago, Cricket said:

…5…4…3…2…1…

Wouldn’t it be great…if the NFL would have a bi-yearly “transfer window” as they do in “proper football”?

Trade for more picks.

Even into the next year.

We need too much.

Our mid round pick rut has handed too many

Mild Murphys, Cam Taylor-Swhfts and injured She Stewarts.

The flaw with the draft is the worse choose first

the best choose last and the Bengals are always

right in the middle drafting second choice reaches

and the infamous projects with potential (She Stewart for example)

20 hours ago, Griever said:

When does this become the "not too early" draft thread... 😭

Approximately 7:15 EST 10/5/2025

I wasn’t a Stewart fan coming out, but so far - at least as a run defender, he looks like he can be a player. Whether guys like Murphy, Jenkins, DJ Turner, Mims (and sadly, many others) can also be that is still up for debate.

Which is an absolute indictment on the FO, yes, but I’ve gotta believe it’s on the coaches, too. I mean, can any team miss on that many young players? Are the position coaches that bad that they can’t develop guys? It’s crazy. Positionally, the positions addressed made sense - but so many are under-achieving, and/or not producing.

Anyway, next year, unless things change as the year progresses and guys develop, they definitely gotta address OL and all levels of the D.

After the last 2 games, it's definitely not too early to talk draft. Bengals look like they'll be picking in the top 10. There's only 3 winless teams so we're basically a game back of 8 teams and tied with a bunch of other 2 win teams. Currently we're in playoff position haha at 19th. The next couple of weeks will see us ascending the draft order.

IMO Zac isn't capable of turning things around and they'll let Burrow rest instead of pressing him back into service for the last 2 or 3 games. We may run into a full tank commander team like the Jets or Browns or Dolphins late in the year and accidentally win a game. But this looks like a 4-13, top 5 sort of team.

Replacing Geno Stone with Caleb Downs would be the start of fixing the defense. That's the sort of no-brainer, even Tobin can't screw up. Fixing the roster overall will require new leadership and that's not likely.

18 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

Replacing Geno Stone with Caleb Downs would be the start of fixing the defense. That's the sort of no-brainer, even Tobin can't screw up.

Oh, but he can.

10 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

Wouldn’t it be great…if the NFL would have a bi-yearly “transfer window” as they do in “proper football”?

Or a true minor/development sort of league again. People would watch & it would give these borderline guys like Burton a place to kind of get their shit together.

It would also cut down on the top picks being millionaires before they ever hit the draft, though. Can't see the NFLPA signing off on it.

1 hour ago, Shebengal said:

Oh, but he can.

I wouldn't trust him to take the trash out to the curb without getting it all over my lawn 🥷

5 players who have caught my eye (by October 1)

- Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

- Justice Haynes, RB, Michigan

- John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

- Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

- Jamaal Jarrett, DT, USC

7 minutes ago, BlackJesus said:

5 players who have caught my eye (by October 1)

- Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

- Justice Haynes, RB, Michigan

- John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

- Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

- Jamaal Jarrett, DT, USC

DGAF about running backs. Needs in my estimation are DB, linemen of any sort, probably another LB. I'd love a TE that's actually a TE and not a WR or FB but that's more of a luxury, we have plenty of people to catch passes.

I guess we're giving up on Burrow? Yeah that guy sucks anyway heheh definitely just draft another one. Not a generational talent we'll be lucky to see again in our lifetimes being absolutely squandered by ineptitude bad luck, no sir, time to move on.

1 minute ago, T-Dub said:

DGAF about running backs. Needs in my estimation are DB, linemen of any sort, probably another LB. I'd love a TE that's actually a TE and not a WR or FB but that's more of a luxury, we have plenty of people to catch passes.

I guess we're giving up on Burrow? Yeah that guy sucks anyway heheh definitely just draft another one. Not a generational talent we'll be lucky to see again in our lifetimes being absolutely squandered by ineptitude bad luck, no sir, time to move on.

If we learned anything from past drafts, it's that you need to draft players not positions. Especially as half these guys wash out anyway.

I think we need a stud RB for our new offense that will need to be redesigned for next season.

As for QB, I would use Mateer as Burrow's backup. Since we see the cost of not having a good one.

Just now, BlackJesus said:

I think we need a stud RB for our new offense that will need to be redesigned for next season.

Anxious to watch a new guy get tackled in the backfield? There's nothing wrong with Brown a halfway decent OL won't fix.

Brown and Iosivas will be eligible for contract extensions after this season. I doubt either will be expensive. Murphy and Turner and Battle will also be eligible. Bengals are about 11 mil under the cap for this season and 64 mil for next year. If they carry the 11 mil over the 75 they'll have available to spend will cover quite a few extensions and additions before the draft comes around. But the Bengal way is to stall and drag their feet until the market clears, then shop the bargain bin.

Assuming Burrow is healthy next year, offensive needs would be in order: new playcaller, new O-line coach, new center and guard and better O-line depth.

On defense, we need playmakers at every level. We need some interior pass rush and better CBs than CTB or Turner and better LBs than Wilson or better FS than Stone and a better LDE than Ossai. Other than that, defense is great.

My expectations are low because I don't think the team will change the way it does business so Duke, Zac, Peters, et al will return and just hope for better "luck" next season.

We keep losing and we’ll put ourselves in position to grab a stud like Caleb Downs.

Can’t say my feelings would be hurt by that.

Draft thread?

Looking at this list re: another thread, but when was the last exceptional Bengals draft? I'd take that to mean solid in the first 3 rounds - all contributing if not starters, and some other kind of role player, special teamer or whatever standout anywhere in the later rounds.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cin/draft.htm

Higgins, Wilson, & ADG along with Burrow in 2020 were a nice haul but without Joe I'm not sure I'd feel the same.

2012 though: Dre K, Zeitler, Devon Still, Sanu, Marvin Jones & Iloka.. Another draft like that could put them on top of the AFC again. Imagine.

I think the only possible way we could be successful (or better said more successful) in the draft is with more picks each year. We should be always looking to trade down so we have quantity over what the team thinks is quality. Our “targeted” players we pick instead of trading down seldom work out so with a limited staff I think quantity would work better than guessing at quality.

Bengals could be much better drafters if they had a better process. Bengals are famously "traits" drafters, ie going for potential even in early rounds. Mims and Stewart would be examples. They used to draft for need and flubbed that with Ogbuehi and Price.

They need to roll the dice less in early rounds and more in later rounds. The Ravens have good drafts because they draft good players. They let guys like Linderbaum or Hamilton or Starks fall to them.

You might remember Golden saying after the draft that players had to have certain measurables per position. Nothing wrong with good measurables but what we need are good players. Bengals had a need at LB and couldn't sign Shaun Dolac as a UDFA. He was the MAC DPOY last year and tested well athletically. He led college football in tackles. And now he's playing for a better team than the Bengals (the Rams). Bengals couldn't risk their last draft pick on a guy who is better than their 2nd and 4th rounders?

5 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Bengals could be much better drafters if they had a better process. Bengals are famously "traits" drafters, ie going for potential even in early rounds. Mims and Stewart would be examples. They used to draft for need and flubbed that with Ogbuehi and Price.

They need to roll the dice less in early rounds and more in later rounds. The Ravens have good drafts because they draft good players. They let guys like Linderbaum or Hamilton or Starks fall to them.

You might remember Golden saying after the draft that players had to have certain measurables per position. Nothing wrong with good measurables but what we need are good players. Bengals had a need at LB and couldn't sign Shaun Dolac as a UDFA. He was the MAC DPOY last year and tested well athletically. He led college football in tackles. And now he's playing for a better team than the Bengals (the Rams). Bengals couldn't risk their last draft pick on a guy who is better than their 2nd and 4th rounders?

Every other team employs scouting departments so they don't make those kinds of mistakes and are able to identify under the radar talent. The Bengals are more interested in validating their own special way of doing things.