Identifying Bengals Darkhorse Options in First Round | Targeting Johnny Newton? - Locked on Bengals with James Rapien

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, yourteam every day. With the draft right
around the corner. Let's chat withour pal Joe Gibberry and try to read
some Bengals tea leaves. You areLocked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals

(00:26):
podcast, part of the Lockdown PodcastNetwork, Your team every Day. How
up, Bengals fans, and welcometo another episode of the Lockdown Bengals Podcast.
I'm Jake, Let's go. He'sJames with Painber, joined today by
Joe Gibberry from First On Logistics,Bengals on the Brain, former co host
of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, ofcourse, as well formerly with The Athletic

(00:47):
and Bleacher Report, and the resumegoes on and on for Joe. We're
gonna be chatting about what we thinkis going on at Bengals HQ as we
try to read some tea leaves intoday's episode brought to you by Monopoly Go,
which you can downlo right now forfree on the App Store or Google
Play for a mobile hit twist onClassic Monopoly and guys, let's talk about

(01:10):
what we think is going on withthe Bengals this year. We've talked a
lot about it. Obviously, butas we get closer and closer we've learned
about Johnny Newton having a visit,we perhaps haven't talked enough about quarterbacks.
Let's get into some of these discussionsthat maybe we should be paying more attention
to James. Where do you wantto start, Well, let's start with
Johnny Newton because I think Johnny Newtonis the most famous Bengal that potentially never

(01:34):
was or maybe will be on Thursdaynight. And I think that the visit
Joe that you reported kind of openedup the possibility of him being their first
round pick, and Byron Murphy certainlypicked up steam. It sounds like he's
going to go top ten or notmake it to the Bengals, and who
knows, maybe he does, butif he doesn't. How realistic is it?

(01:57):
Do you think that Johnny Newton's inplay at eighteen? I think it's
very real I think there's a lotof ways you can spend those top thirty
visits, right. You can say, hey, we need to check on
this guy's character. We want tocheck back in on a guy we met
earlier in the process. We wantto check in on how a guy's feeling
off of injury, which I thoughtimmediately was the probably the idea with the
Johnny Newton right like he had thatfoot injury, he wasn't able to work

(02:19):
out at his pro day. Let'ssee how he's doing and get our hands
on him and talk to him faceto face. But as I DM Johnny
Newton back and forth on Twitter,it sounded like that it went very well
and it was a very positive anda very hopeful first round meeting type of
thing, like a very real let'sput him on the board. And when
we did our board, when wedid the show what last week on your

(02:42):
channel, James, we were like, do we put Johnny Newton in the
one see? Like that first guyin the one see? Is he a
trade back or disaster scenario where youknow, seventeen of the guys we wanted
in the first round are gone andwe've got to dip into this pool.
Or is he one of the lastone B players. I still don't know
the answer to that, but Ifeel like it could be one of those
two, and that he's on thecusp of being in consideration depending on how

(03:05):
the board goes. I do thinkthey want to address defensive tackle, not
just for the immediate I don't thinkhe's a nose tackle right If you're using
the nose tackle position to say whythey should take Byron Murphy Johnny Newton,
they are not that. But Ido think they want some more pass rush
juice on the inside while also lookingat the future with BJ Hill being on
a one year deal. Newton makesa lot of sense on film and with
the data. Do we think thathe's still behind the tackles? I mean,

(03:30):
I guess that's kind of what you'resaying. Back of one B,
top of one C being the differenttiers, the different parts of the first
round, one A being the topof the first round, one B being
the middle of the first round,one C being if we have to trade
back or all the guys we wantor gone kind of thing, or perhaps
some of those tackles or guards,and the Bengals would have Newton ahead of

(03:51):
them. Yeah, I think that'spossibility. It sounds like the league is
high on this offensive tackle class.I would expect the Bengals to feel very
similarly. Right as we're getting close, I'm seeing these mocks. I just
saw one today where I had sixguys go before, six offensive tackles go
before the Bengals were on the clockI think nine total in the first round,
and I'm like, okay, sothere's a part of the scenario we're

(04:12):
going to talk about in today's show. It's like, Okay, what if
you get there and there's not anoffensive lineman, or what if the Bengals
view Troy Foutanu who as a guard? Right? What if they view Fuaga
as a guard? Would they spendthe eighteenth pick on a guard? I'm
not so sure, right, Idon't. Based on their history and how
they do things, I feel likethey would say no, those guys can
be tackles. Yeah, maybe they'llplay as rookies and could challenge Quarto Wolson

(04:32):
at the left guard spot. Butonce you get into those waters where you
have to decide how a guy iseven going to play, I think that
lessens their value just a little bit. And if you had if you go
back and say Johnny Newton was atop twelve to fifteen player when we started
this process, I think that stillholds weight for the Bengals. I think
when they get their scouts grades atthat point and that guy is ranked really
highly. Sure he had a quietdraft process, he had that foot injury,

(04:56):
didn't do any of the All Starstuff, didn't do the Combine or
the Pro Day. He wasn't putin his visits out there on social media
like some players were. He hada lot of visits. It sounds like
I think teams are probably more interestedand less the health concerns are a big
thing. But I think, youknow, just based on what they saw
in their grades, I think Newtonprobably is a top twenty or so player
on the Mango's board, So itjust depends on the scenario. Yeah,

(05:18):
and he should be. And whatI think is interesting is if you go
value wise, I totally get whythey would look offensive tackle first, because
you're right, and maybe they getone, but they're going to fly off
the board, and the quality ofplayer that you get at forty nine,
or if you wait till round threeto get an offensive tackle versus what you're
getting at eighteen, the dropoff couldbe very, very real. At the

(05:42):
same time, I think they wouldsay that the drop off a defensive tackle
from a Johnny Newton to whatever you'regetting day two is greater than taking a
guard at eighteen, and so Idon't even think that they would entertain that
Honestly, I think there would be, and we can get into the other
positions, but I think Johnny Newtonwould easily win that tiebreaker. If it's
Troy fai Utanu the guard versus JohnnyNewton, if they're seventeen and eighteen on

(06:05):
their board, let's just say they'rethat close. I think Newton win's the
tiebreaker because of the need just havinganother defensive tackles that would be under contract
for at least four years, probablyfive years. We'd give you some more
pass rush and what's today's game?How valuable is it to have someone like
that that can wreck a game?It's more valuable, and I think the

(06:27):
Bengals review it is more valuable thana guard, especially because this interior offensive
line class is deep ish when youget into rounds two through four. Yeah,
before we had the report of thevisit with the Bengals, I think
we were putting Johnny Newton on theback burner of like, everything's just been
too quiet. Let's push him backwith someone we all still like, but
we just don't have a feel forwhere he's going or where teams are viewing

(06:49):
him. So we'd always have likeJoel Olu Fashionu and then probably JC Latham
and maybe Amarius Mems. I thinkMems and Newton maybe a lot closer for
NFL team's boards than we maybe thoughteven a month ago. But if it
comes down to that and it's justthose what's that four guys, and then
you're not sure of Fatanu or Uaga, I think that's when we get into

(07:11):
that scenario of okay, so maybehe's a little bit higher. Maybe he's
right on that cusp of eighteen andthey needed to be sure about him before
they make that selection. Well,I wonder where he is compared to a
guy like Brock Powers. Sure that'sthe name you didn't mention. You mentioned
all those tackles, and we spenta lot of time in that big board
stacking exercise trying to figure out where'sbrock Powers related to these tackles. We
decided we think he's ahead of mostof the tackles for the Bengals. We

(07:34):
think, But if perhaps plan Ais still offensive tackle and maybe all the
offensive tackles get scooped up quickly asthe six players picked before eighteen you mentioned
scenario plays out. Maybe that's ascenario where Bowers falls. I still think
that his floor might be fifteen judgingfrom what people have said about the Colts

(07:56):
in this process all along. Butdo you have any any feel there,
Joe Bauers Newton, how that stacksthe first? Would we just transition and
then start talking about another position grouphere? Well, I think this does
transition to another group. So,like, what guys would they also have
in that grouping of we hope he'sthere at eighteen or would consider them in
his Bowers in that group? Ithink he probably is, But is he

(08:16):
ahead of a guy like So Let'ssay I saw Mack today with old fashion
new falling still the eighteen, like, I would have Oulu over Bowers,
right, I think that's a toptackle. I think the Bengals would go
that position. Would they take ByronMurphy, who's probably a lot higher than
we thought, you know, thana month ago, And I think they'd
have Byron Murphy. So if Murphyand Browers are both there, I think

(08:37):
they would go Byron Murphy. Sothis is breaking a lot of hearts,
I think for the weapons people outthere that really love Black Bowers. But
those two are really strong prospects inthe trenches that are probably harder to find
those positions, you typically have todraft those positions earlier than you do tight
end, so it makes a lotof sense I think to transition to the
next position. What if there isa cornerback one still available for the Bengals

(08:58):
at eighteen It's a perfect tease.We will answer that question coming up next.
Today's show is brought to you byeBay Motors. Passion, Drive in
Patience, the formula for winning championships, is also what keeps your rider Die
alive. eBay Motors has everything youneed to maintain your vehicle level it up
to peak performance, from superchargers,roofras, exhaust gits, led headlights,

(09:20):
and more. Whether you're into speed, power or style, eBay Motors as
you covered. With over one hundredand twenty two million parts for your number
one rider Die, you'll always findexactly what you're looking for the first time.
And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, yourpart is guaranteed to fit your ride
every time, or your money backbecause with eBay Motors, you're burning rubber,

(09:41):
not cash. With all the partsyou need at the prices you want,
it's easy to make your car theMVP and bring home huge wins.
Keep your Rider Die Alive at Ebaymotorsdot Com. Eligible items only. Exclusions
apply eBay Guaranteed Fit only available toUS customers. Lockdown's NFL Mock Draft is
now now available on the Lockdown NFLDraft podcast and YouTube page. Find the

(10:05):
ultimate six episode series to hear whothe local Lockdown experts are picking for every
NFL franchise, with instant reactions fromlocal college football experts, national NFL analysts,
and even discussion on the fantasy footballangle. There's only one place you
can find this level of expertise.The Lockdown NFL Mock Draft available to stream

(10:28):
now on the Lockdown NFL Draft Podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network Your
teams every day. As we're transitioningto corner, one of the things that
I thought was interesting as we're talkingabout some of those guys that may or
may not be available to the Bengals, is I was looking back at some
of those twenty twenty four two earlymock drafts from a year ago and Newton

(10:50):
Fashanu, both of those guys,I mean Newton went eighteen and the one
I'm looking at an SI dot Comfashion who is still a top ten player.
Of course, the Bengals in thisone are picking like twenty eight and
picking the leak neighbors in this waytoo early mock from twenty twenty four,
So a little fun looking way backin the past. There Kingsley Sumtea going

(11:11):
at thirty one and that one lookinga little bit prescient as well. So
let's give credit to Luke Easterling fromthis Sports illustrated mock bath that he put
together with Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison, oulu Fashion new Drake made Dallas Turner
Brock Powers all very early and inaddition to Joel tered verse, I mean
pretty on it for a year aheadof time. A lot of times these

(11:35):
things look really silly a year later. But JC Latham fourteen and Johnny Newton
right there at eighteen. Interestingly,some of the corners we're about to talk
about we're not in the first roundof this year too early, and this
is one of those things that changesyear over year. But Kolaid McKinstry was
not that we're talking about kol Aidmckinstrey. But we have mentioned in passing

(12:01):
in the last month or two thatcornerback is something that I think we've all
thought the Bengals would consider it ateam. We just have all thought for
a while that it wasn't Plan Aor maybe even Plan B. But perhaps,
Joe, we should be paying moreattention to the top of this corner
class for a team that could usea dominant corner if one we're available.

(12:24):
Yeah, it's funny because we've hadso many warning stories of how the Bengals
leave a position available until the draft, and then they address it in the
draft right the Billy Price years andthere's been others that they've done this,
whether it's first round, second round, there round theyeem to attack the remaining
needs that they've left open through freeagency. And this year we kept saying,
why why haven't they signed a corneryet? Don't they need a veteran

(12:45):
corner. Don't they need a guythat has played or can play, when
when the fourth corner for them hasplayed so much in the Zach Taylor era
has been basically a starter because they'vedealt with injuries every single year at that
position. And then I, youknow, I get to this draft and
we get to the end of theprocess and you know, for our spreadsheet,
Jake, these guys straight out incrediblyhigh the Quinyan Mitchell's out of Toledo,

(13:05):
who is PFF's top corner like gradingwise for the last few years.
His ball production is tremendous. He'sgot the length, he's got the athleticism.
He tested like one of the bestathletes, if not the best athlete
of all the corners in this classwhen using a relative athletic score, and
you're like, how is that guynot a top twelve pick? And then
I saw Josh Norris mock today whereQuinyan Mitchell is still there at eighteen and
who do he take for the BengalsQuinyan Mitchell And they're Charles Burke's their defensive

(13:28):
backs coach, right secondary coach coachQuinyan Mitchell at the Senior Bowl down in
Mobile, Alabama this year. Sohe got his hands out of him.
He knows exactly what he is.And we have to look at the Bengals
roster as well. Do they havea cornerback one? Now, if you're
a huge Cam Taylor britt fan,you're probably screaming right now, Yeah they
do. It's Cam Taylor britt Well. He's only played about sixty percent of
the snaps his first two years andI'm not sure the Bengals agree. Let's

(13:50):
compare it to the wide receiver roomfrom a couple of years ago. Cam
Taylor Britt is probably the t Higgins, Mike Hilton's the Tyler Boyd. They
did not have a Jamar Chase.They like the receivers. Everyone in the
league likes those two, but doyou have a number one? You do
not, And that's why they wereso convinced and so felt so strongly to
take a Jamar Chase as high asthey did. I think the same scenario

(14:11):
can apply to this. And yes, they just drafted DJ Turner, but
the difference between DJ Turner and KamTaylor Britt and a guy like Quinyan Mitchell
or even Terry and Arnold and weshould probably in passing continue to mention Cooper
Dejan Koolaid, McKinstry. And who'sthe other one I'm forgeting Nate Wiggins.
Yes, of course, the guythat's been mocked by Jeff Hobson recently.
Because if they're high enough on theBengals board, and I'm expecting at least

(14:33):
two of them to be Mitchell andArnold, those other guys could be knocking
on that door as well, Andis that the scenario where we end up
in a Johnny Newton versus Terry andArnold and it's like, Okay, here's
two guys here that we really like. It's not what we expected. The
draft went a little weird, butthose are two really good players that really
help elevate two positions on your defensiveside of the ball. Yeah. I

(14:54):
think that's that's a heck of adebate. So with that one, I
lean. I think I would leanNewton. But what would they do?
It's it would be tough. Iwould say getting after the quarterback would take
the priority. And I do thinkthere's some Day three depth at corner that
you could certainly like. At thesame time, if it's quinyon Mitchell,

(15:16):
or maybe let's say Arnold goes aheadof him and goes ahead of Mitchell.
Maybe that's the scenario where Mitchell makesit. But if it's Mitchell or Newton,
I think they would take quinyon Mitchellbecause he's kind of answered every checked
every box during this process. Newtonhasn't. And I do think that that
could be part of the tiebreaker ifthere is a tiebreaker needed, and they

(15:37):
may just have Mitchell well ahead ofNewton on their board. No, I
agree, Sorry, Joe, goahead, No, I agree. I
had Mitchell when I was doing therakings and trying to figure it out,
just behind the fashion new Byron Murphyand then Quinyan Mitchell as like a premium
position top twelve type of prospect thatif he's still there at eighteen, I
could see them even taking him overbrock Powers and that would make people freak

(16:00):
out a little bit. But Ithink Mitchell provides them with something they don't
have, instant starter, cornerback onepotential. And yeah, he's coming from
Toledo. It happens from the maconce in a while. The Khalil Max
of the world, the Corey Davisis that go in the top ten,
Right, Quina Mitchell has checked everybox you said, past, every test
that was in front of him,whether it was at the combine where he

(16:21):
looked incredibly well, moving fluidly andstanding out amongst guys that are at the
tops of their position, maybe thefreakis athletes on football field at corner in
terms of that speed and agility andacceleration, but at the Senior Bowl as
well, just completely locking down risingto that challenge and looking like a future
corner one. The last time theBengals picked a player that wasn't an SEC

(16:42):
ACC or Big ten first round playerwas John Ross still a major conference,
and before that William Jackson from Houston. Before that's Cutter Kabahi. So they
had a few years there where theywent away from those big, big conferences.
But since that be, you're not, no, I actually think qu

(17:07):
I think Quinnon Mitchell pretty confidently,and this is coming from the John Ross
guy is a better prospect than allof those guys. There's no there's no
like huge and I'm not saying you'recomparing them, but just for for everyone
listening and watching, Ross had injuryissues, obviously a boy, he was
injured. And William Jackson he wasa good player, but it's not like
he was the same level of cornerbackprospect as Quinnon Mitchell. No, we

(17:32):
really liked him as a prospect.I'm just saying that in their last since
twenty eighteen, so what is thatsix drafts Ohio State, Alabama, LSU,
LSU, Michigan, Clemson, bigbig college football playoff type programs and
since Zach Taylor came to town,their first two picks in most years are

(17:52):
College Football Playoff type teams LSU Clebsand LSU Clemson, Michigan and then obviously
Cam Taylor britt Nebraska not a CFPteam. Clubs in Michigan in twenty twenty
three, Alabama in the third round. Like they have leaned into those big
schools, which is why Quenya Mitchellis such an interesting conversation because he is
such a tantalizing prospect. And you'reright, Joe, there are players like

(18:15):
that that come out of the MACfrom time to time, but the Bengals
typically haven't been the ones to takethat swing. And that's why it's very
interesting. I will say though,from a sample size though, right we're
talking, probably ninety percent of thefirst rounders are coming from those big programs
or big conferences, and it's justa couple that usually squeak in from the
you know, the PAC twelve orwhatever it is called now and the Big

(18:38):
whatever and the A whatever. Idon't know as you're getting here, but
you know what I'm saying, Yeahfor sure, and so the likelihood is
for them to usually pick from thatgroup. I mean, look at the
guys we're talking about the other prospects. It is kind of weird that we
have even though it's it's still theBig ten Illinois Toledo. Ye, it

(19:00):
is a bit unique. But let'skeep the conversation going with more first round
conversation here and maybe some other noteswith Joe Goodberry coming up next. We've
all been there, either as aplayer or a fan. It's halftime.
The scoreboard isn't looking good. You'refeeling low. You're not sure if you
or your team can pull out awin. And that's when you dig deep,

(19:21):
You lift your head up, andyou say to yourself, it's time
to get back in the game.Pull off some bank heists and take as
much of my friend's money as Ipossibly can. That's right. The smash
hit mobile game Monopoly Go. Let'syou compete with your friends to get the
most riches and build the biggest empire. It's the monopoly you love, but
it's on your phone. You canplay at any time with tons of new
twists, including leaderboards to compare progressto your friends. There's so much to

(19:47):
do. You have countless dynamic monopolyboards. You can make your friends bankrupt
by smashing their landmarks with a wreckingball. You can even work with your
friends to crack open community chess andin tournaments to get extra awards. And
I'm the leader boards. So getback out there, put on your game
face and download Monopoly Go now freeon the App Store or Google Play.

(20:08):
We've talked about Corner, We've talkedabout Johnny Newton. Let's quickly hit on
Edge Rusher, a position that wetalked about last week, and then we'll
talk a little bit about second thirdround, Day two ideas. No,
no is there, I'm sure voice. Is there anything that has shifted in

(20:29):
your estimation, Joe since we lastdiscussed ed Rusher. Do we think there's
a real chance that they would dipinto that bucket? Or are the outliers
for age for Jared Versu and LayatuLatu the tipping point there where you don't
expect Dallas Turner to be available.So are they really picking Chop Robinson that
early in the first round ahead ofsome of these other guys we've talked about,
Because if you're eliminating Verse and Latufor age reasons, both of them

(20:52):
over the age of twenty three,those would be the guys you'd be thinking
about. Yeah, so you justtook all my analysis because yeah, I'll
plug and it into the I waslike, oh man, they only draft
ends that are young, like haveall the positions. This is a strong
correlation for them and Chop Robinson.At the same time, we were having
the conversation about them bringing in Robinsonfor a visit that that was interesting and

(21:15):
yeah he's the youngest guy of thegrouping and it's like, okay, maybe
that's why they wanted to see wherehe's at, where you know, what
he looks like in his development,how much room there is to grow.
But that can't be at eighteen.Would that be the off the rails surprise
pick? Oh, no doubt aboutit. I even think like Tyler Geiton
would be less of a surprise,of course, but but yeah, I'm
not in favor of doing any ofthose two not to put that into the

(21:37):
universe. Maybe then's a trade back. Let's keep our eye on Chop Robinson
because he checks our boxes. Well, what about other potential surprises out at
eighteen, Like you talked about Geyitonand Chop Robinson there, and if I'm
looking at the second round, there'ssome young guys that Ed Drusher's a could
surprise in the second round. AustinBooker Jonah ellis the two younger defensive ends
that could be Day two guys.But what else would surprise you at eighteen

(22:00):
before we transition to day two.Yeah, I think it would just be
us spending more time talking about thoseother three corners. If it's Cooper Dejene,
if it's Coolian McKinstry, If COOLimcinstry is a high recruit guy that
played as a freshman, still young, and checked the boxes every single year
he started at Alabama, big timeprogram. Has the athleticism, has the
ball production, played in a sophisticatedzone defense that should be able to translate

(22:25):
very quickly. He look at hisPFF grades, it's like rookie or freshman
year's like a seventy five, thena eighty and then an eighty nine.
He just got better. I thinkpeople got tired of talking about him.
He was a top fifteen pick projectedthroughout the prophesied he was always going to
be a top fifteen pick, andnow we're sitting there at eighteen saying he's
not worth it. I think alot of teams are still going to have
him, and if he goes topsixteen or so right at that customer,

(22:47):
right before the Bengals pick. Don'tbe shocked, and if the Bengals have
a high opinion on him, Iwouldn't be absolutely surprised. Yeah, makes
sense. It does, like thecornerback. They've prioritized cornerback in the past
couple of so the fact that theywould be in at the top of this
class depending on who's there, wouldmake a ton of sense. I think.
Do you think they would go NateWigans still despite his weight? Like

(23:11):
in a trade down scenario, let'ssay they moved down to twenty five with
the Packers, they about theother weightof Emmanuel Forbes, right, like that
was the guy we were all prettysure they liked. Sure, but you
already have DJ Turner. That doesn'tmatter, does it matter? I think
that's the interesting because you can onlyhave so many guys that are that way
less than James and j you know, combined. Yeah, and so I

(23:33):
agree. Maybe that's our own internalbids of I pretended that you are one
hundred and twenty pounds, But yeah, I think that might be our own
personal thing. Like when we getto receivers talking in a second here,
that what we think they should have, or what they should want, or
how they can maximize things. Iwould hope they would go with a bigger
corner. You know, maybe that'scam Hart or somebody that could hold up

(23:55):
a little bit more on the outside. Oh yeah, yeah, pick cam
Hart all right? Or are QuantesStiggers perhaps interesting? I'm going to just
keep mentioning that name. That's threestraight episodes. How about you get them
both heart round five and one ofthose sixth rounders because they're not going to
be able to trade them all andso finish the conversation on corner. It's

(24:15):
kind of funny because like we're saying, hey, corner one they could really
be into because gets to the second, third round, we're talking about cornerback
two and three types. Like Idon't know that the Bengals have to have
that. I think it's more aboutthe opportunity to get something that you don't
have. Yes, they need acorner four, but that can be third
round, fourth round, fifth round. Other than that, I think we're
talking about it at eighteen because theseguys are special and the second round corners

(24:38):
that are projected right now are notguys that fit a lot of what we
think the Bengals like, which isespecially a priority on speed, Max Melton
being one that stands out as apotential Day two corner, and there's probably
a couple others, but Max Meltonhas been the one throughout the process that's
really stood out as far as theprofile is concerned. But Joe, you

(25:00):
hinted at it. We're going totalk about wide receivers again. Yeah,
much to everyone who loves wide receiverstalks Joy. We have thought for a
lot of time in this process thatthe Bengals would prioritize a wide receiver of
some sort, probably not in thefirst round. It's never seemed like that
would fit. But if Roman Dunzefalls is certain mock draft published on Sunday

(25:23):
suggested, oh I know which oneit was, then maybe they would consider
it looking at Day two better.If that happens, they better. I'm
just yeah, I mean they shouldpick from a Dunze, yeah, and
then trade T right away, right, and then trade T right away to
get right there, and then tradeback up into the first round to get
an offensive tackle or one of theYeah. Absolutely, we're talking fantasy land,

(25:47):
though. Let's talk about reality alittle bit here. Sounds like we
just got hired to be the GM. Okay, we talked a lot about
versatile receivers, and at times I'vewondered, is that something that we want
them to do so that Jamar Chasecan play more in the slot and they
can kind of align in more ofan amoeba, or is that something we

(26:12):
think that they will do and thatmaybe instead they're looking at it like we've
got a hole at slot receiver.Maybe we just need a slot receiver.
Yeah, the same way we've saidthat they've kind of left corner alone.
In free agency. They didn't addressnose tackle. We know that, but
you can't draft a nose tackle inthe first two rounds typically unless they want

(26:33):
to go completely rogue, which isone of my nightmare scenarios. Also Mason
Smith at forty nine. But yeah, if they want to address their open
holes, I think wide receiver threebeing the slot guy is one of them.
And yes, I still think thatAndre Josubash has a role on the
team. Charlie Jones will have arole on the team. But we're talking
about potentially forty nine, eighty ninetyseven for those picks. Those are complete

(26:57):
upgrades for what they after Charlie Jonesand Andrea Oshibosch, even though Charlie was
a fourth round pick. Was theend of the fourth round. So we're
talking about a decent enough gap towhere they could look at it and say,
hey, we need to fill theslot position this year. Charlie didn't
play it at Purdue or at Iowaor at Buffalo like Andrey Oschbasch actually had
more career snaps in the slot atHarvard or Princeton then Charlie Jones did one

(27:22):
of those IVY schools. But whitit is. He needed some development.
Charlie needed some development inside. Justbecause he's white and sneaky fast doesn't mean
he's just an automatic slot guy.Right, you're shaking your head, but
it's true that you get your handson it and get him in the room
and you go, oh, heactually needs to learn a little bit more
than we thought he did. Andhe's already twenty five years old. And
he told me that straight up.He's like, I'm way more comfortable outside

(27:45):
and I'm learning playing inside, whichmakes sense because there's a lot to learn
when it comes to playing slot receiver. So if the Bengals need a slot
and view they need a slot andcould find an upgrade in this class.
That makes me more comfortable with thisclass number one from a personal thing,
because I look at it and saythat there's not a lot of number ones
or even maybe good number twos,but there's a lot of solid twos and
good number threes in this class.It's a good receiver class. But for

(28:07):
what we could potentially need the Bengalscan need. It makes sense. So
is that where we see them attackand maybe the versatility is more of a
bonus for the guys like Jalen McMillanor the Rocky Piersalls Or is it,
Hey, we're gonna have to kickKeon Coleman inside in the slot, but
he can play a little bit outsidestuff. He can be a jump ball
receiver on the outside tjshmans out.He used to geut there once in a
while. They throw them deep ballsand let them be a big box out

(28:30):
type receiver. Can you do someof that stuff with Keon Coleman? Or
is it like? And I thinkthat's why when we go over with these
mincrafts sometimes we don't target those slotsonly the Roman Wilson's right, we kind
of bypass them looking for more versatility. But I don't know if we're actually
correct on that, and maybe theywould value like a guy like Roman Wilson
that is just a slot, butyou know what, he can play slot,

(28:51):
and he can play it this yearfor us. It's interesting that Wilson
specifically at five ten, give itat five to eleven nearly when when you
consider their history of the time,Yeah, player they drafted even to play
in the slot. Yeah. Iagree that typically they like bigger guys,
whether that's from t J. Hushman'sauDA Mohammed Sanu or then Tyler Boyd.
They want the bigger guys that becausethey're gonna be through wide receiver team.
You need that guy to block alittle bit, You need them to dig

(29:12):
out those those nickel corners and safeties. That's why I think Kean Coleman still
at forty nine makes a ton ofsense for them. And then when I
start to get to the Jalen mcmilliansand the Ricky Piersalls and and say,
yeah, I could see them seeingthat as a slot with plus versatility.
Can my guy Luke McCaffrey get alittle love? How about him having fourth
Town I mean six' one,he's got the size one ninety eight.

(29:33):
I mean he doesn't weigh less thanListco or Rapine or or good Barry.
For that, Matt McCaffrey is readyto go. Yeah, I think Brendan
Rice as well. In that rangefrom the ninety seven to one point fifteen.
You know, these guys fit asguys that you may have to convert
them inside, but yeah, Ithink they're both gonna be slot receivers at
their best in the NFL. Iwonder also if we're the what am I

(29:55):
trying to say? Zach Taylor hasnot drafted a slot receiver, That is
what I'm trying to So think abouttheir trends at receiver. They did draft
obviously T Higgins, a bigger guywho's always going to play outside. They
drafted Jamar Chase, whose size doesn'tmatter because of the way he plays football
and his level of athleticism. Andthey drafted a couple of Day three wide
receivers. We haven't seen them aggressivelytarget a slot receiver. So maybe maybe

(30:22):
we are reading too much into thesize issue. That's led me to dismiss
the Roman Wilson types the slot onlyis that are a little bit smaller the
Malik Washington, Taj Washington, AndI mean they spent a lot of time
with Jacob Cowing Arizona, who's fiveeight one sixty eight at his pro day,

(30:42):
So maybe maybe that is a littlebit of an overread back the lighter
than us. Just for those wondering, you think they're in on Malachai Corley
Joe, that is an interesting one. Yeah. Maybe that's another guy too
who's a lot of slot Deebo Samuelversatility in terms of backfield things, and
he's got a lot of fun tapebecause they manufacture a lot of touches for
him. But I think you mayhave to And what does that do for

(31:04):
guys like you know, will atKala Shannon to bring up a devo?
What will Kyle see them as,Oh, this is a guy I can
use, no doubt. Where ZachTaylor, who isn't well, I wouldn't
say they complain. I was gonnasay it isn't scheming guys open consistently,
I would say that they're prioritizing schemingopen Jamar Chase and t Higgins and Tyler
Boyd and the guys they've had.But if my Malakai Corley ends up being

(31:25):
your number two option in a yearor two. Yeah, you could see
a way where they're like, yeah, we know how to get the ball
into his hands. And they don'thave another screen guy, right, They
don't have another yat guy other thanJamar Chase, And that's a big issue
in this offense. When you're gettingthe umbrella cloud coverages, defenses are saying,
okay, check it down and seeif we can come tackle you.
And the Bengals don't have anybody that'llmake you miss or run through your face.

(31:45):
And guys like Malik Washington Malachai Corley, while small and shifty, they'll
take that ball and they'll run rightthrough a corner's face and try and run
them over and run through them andbounce around him and stay on their feet
and gain extra yardige. Yeah,the Bengals could use that. So I'm
not completely against it. And ifthey recognize that same need, yeah,
I could see it happening. Theother thing, I just want to mention
it before I forget last year.Obviously, they go slot with Charlie Jones,

(32:08):
and they projected him to be aslot and then they go get Andre
Josabash, two guys that they've showedinterest in, or at least one one
guy that you like a lot JoeJaylen Coker out of Holy Cross late sixth
round, seventh round, Josh Cephist. They've developmental outside guys and prioritize the

(32:29):
guy that's actually going to play andmake an impact on Day two of the
draft. Yeah, I could seethat. It's the wide receiver of the
double dip situation. Now you haveTrent Irwin, who's probably one of your
top five or six guys, right, So it depends on how many you
draft, if that guy in theend, if if Jalen Coker makes the
roster, or is that you know, I don't know if we knew that
Andrey Jostabash was going to make theroster either until they get here in camp

(32:50):
and they're like, oh, theguy can play. And then this year
especially beat out Stanley Morgan who's beena fixture on the team for a long
time. But you're not gonna havet Higgins in camp more than likely,
right, we don't expect them toshow up until a week before the first
game. Let's say, based onhow Jesse Baits situation went, and how
typically franchise tag situations go. Soif you only draft a slack guy this

(33:13):
year, you're gonna be rolling outthere with Jamar Chase, that slock guy,
Charlie Jones, andre Yoshibash, andTrenton Irwin on the outside replacing t
Higgins. Trying to run a fullfunctioning camp in the summer with that not
ideal. So there is a scenariohere where yeah, you may want to
spend even if it's a third orforty nine, and then a fourth round
thirty nine, and then a fifthround or forty nine, I might say,

(33:34):
and then a fifth round. Yeah, I could see them double dipping
and adding to that room because you'regonna need it throughout the summer. So
appreciate the time and insight as alwaysas we talk about some of the things
we think the Bengals might do,reading the tea leaves here on Lockdown Bengals,
getting mystical with it right before thedraft. That's gonna do it for
this episode. Find his show Bengalson the Brain on the first Star Logistics

(33:57):
YouTube channel. Until next time,we'll do a per addictive mock draft here
on Lockdown Bengals. What jackon receiversthe Bengals will do on Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday this week. Thanks forlistening to this episode of the Lockdown
Bengals podcast. Who Day and havea good one. Hey Prime members,

(34:19):
You can listen to this Lockdown podcastad free on Amazon Music. Download the
Amazon Music app today

All Episodes

Identifying Bengals Darkhorse Options in First Round | Targeting Johnny Newton?

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Cold Case Files: Miami

24/7 News: The Latest

Crime Junkie

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Identifying Bengals Darkhorse Options in First Round | Targeting Johnny Newton?