Merry Draftmas! | Predicting the Bengals' 2024 NFL Draft - Locked on Bengals with James Rapien

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
It's the Locked On Podcast Network,Your team every Day. The NFL Draft
is one of the most unpredictable eventsin football, but let's take a stab
at predicting who we think that Bengalswill pick in twenty twenty four. You

(00:26):
are Locked On Bengals, your dailyCincinnati Bengals podcast, part of the Locked
On Podcast Network, Your team everyDay. What up, Bengals fans and
welcome to another episode of the LockedOn Bengals podcast. It is Draft miss
or Draft Missive, depending on whenyou're listening to this episode. I'm Jake,
Let's go. He's James Erpeen.We're the Locked On Bengals podcast on

(00:48):
the Locked On Podcast Network, coveringyour team every day on YouTube and everywhere
you get your podcast. If you'renew to the show, you can subscribe
to one. Make sure you getthis content Notify on your phone when it
drafts, so you know when there'sBengals using an analysis out there for you
to take in and to It helpsus out and we appreciate it. We

(01:10):
appreciate all of you as well,who make us your first listen and who
are every dayers? And James Intoday's episode sponsored by Monopoly Go, which
you can get for free on theApp Store to mess with your friends banks
or on Google Play. We're goingto talk about predicting what we think the
Bengals will do in the twenty twentyfour draft, as impossible a task as
that is. Yeah, it mightbe impossible and it's not going to be

(01:34):
completely right. But guess what thisexercise is good for, and guess what
mock drafts are good for giving youin giving everybody the knowledge of the prospects
that the Bengals are targeting that couldpotentially go where they could go ahead of
the twenty twenty four NFL Draft.So it's an extremely valuable exercise. I'm
learning more and more every time wedo it. And so, yeah,

(01:56):
let's predict who the Bengals are goingto pick, and who knows, maybe
we go ten for ten today,Jake, I would not put it past
us. I would, and it'sit's a familiar face going at eighteen.
I would put it past this,James. We usually get a couple,
but man, getting into the seventhround figuring out where guys are going to
even be available for the Bengals topick. There multiple reasons it's impossible,

(02:17):
but yeah, we've talked about allof the first round options. I think
quite a bit. Whether it's jC. Latham, whether it's Tally Fuaga,
whether it's a Marius Mims, whetherit's one of the corners Quinnon,
Mitchell, Terry and Arnold, whetherit's Byron Murphy falling where he's now expected
to go top ten, or JohnnyNewton, who we talked about with Joe

(02:38):
Goodbert yesterday. Had a great visitwith the Bengals. We talked about almost
all of the guys we think theycould realistically pick at eighteen. But when
you combine the will he be availablewith the will he like him cross section
of players, we land on aMarius Mims as a one that we think

(02:59):
is most likely to be available tothe Bengals. And we still think you
and I, I believe, areon the same Patriot that Plan A is
an offensive tackle, and we don'tthink brock Bauers is going to be there.
We don't think that, you know, maybe Byron Murphy would throw them
off that plan. We don't thinkhe's going to be there either. But
even then, I think Plan Ais offensive tackle. It is I even

(03:21):
would go past saying, think youjust look at who they've brought in,
who they've looked at. They wouldlove to add a franchise offensive tackle,
someone that's under contract for the nextfive years or maybe longer. They want
to find their whitworth for Joe Burrow, and that doesn't necessarily mean left tackle.
They want to find their Willie.They want to find this guy that's

(03:42):
going to be there, done thatfor the next five years, eight years,
ten years, hopefully longer. AndAmarius Mims is someone that there.
We know they like, we knowthey like a lot. We know Frank
Pollack likes him. And if allthese other offensive tackles are gone, they
may like him more than some ofthese guys, by the way, But
if they're gone, the jac Lathamsof the world are gone, then I

(04:03):
think it makes a ton of sense. Now, I think you're right,
Quinjon Mitchell. If he falls toeighteen, if all of the offensive tackles
that they feel our tackles are gone, well then they're going to go in
another direction. I don't think they'regoing to force it. I don't think
Tyler Geiton is going to be theeighteenth pick. Knock On Wood. Don't
think that's going to happen. Butwhat I do think the Bengals, in

(04:25):
a perfect world, one is aLufashanu or Amarus Mims or J. C.
Latham or maybe Fuanga as well.If he's there, they could go
that route if they view him asa tackle. I think it's unique that
some teams think he's more of aguard. Fautanu is probably lower because they
probably view him as a guard asan interior alignment, and that's when I

(04:45):
think you do get into right isit Johnny Newton versus Quinjon Mitchell versus Terry
and Arnold. It's the tackles thatthey view. Our tackles are gone that
could very well happen. And Ithink they're comfortable picking Newton, which I
wouldn't have said a month ago.I think that that visit helped them a
lot, helped him a lot,and it certainly changed my perception because in

(05:06):
February there was no talk of himbeing the eighteenth pick, and the talk
was, oh yeah, I'll bethere at eighteen for sure. Even a
few weeks ago it felt that way, but certainly at the NFL combine.
So for those that are holding outhope for Johnny Newton, maybe you love
Quinnon Mitchell maybe you like Amarus Mims. I do think that any of those
guys are certainly in the running ifthey do fall to eighteen Mitchell. Of

(05:30):
the three, Mitchell's the least likelyof that trio. And as we often
do in late April, we getback to where we were in January before
the combine, with a guy likeJohnny Newton being back in consideration a point
that I know Joe has made alot as well. Joe a frequent guess
on this podcast lately. My lastthought here on the Bengals first round is
what has been all the chatter inthe last twenty four hours is other teams

(05:53):
trading up. We got reports ofthe Colts and Eagles feeling out the trade
up market to go after a cornerback. We've got reports of every team that
was talking to Daniel Teremia I thinkit was on a Wednesday morning, trying
to trade up for an offensive tackle. Five sixteams trying to trade up for

(06:14):
an offensive tackle. All the sudden, you got Dan Graziano with ESPN reporting
that the Bengals could be worth watchingfor a potential trade up. They like,
according to Graziano, J C.Latham a lot and so are you
buying any of that? I mean, everybody's to trade up all of a
sudden. The Bengals have not tradedup in the first round forever. I
think that would be a long shot. But there is at least some smoke

(06:38):
they're connecting them to Latham, whoI think is not our pick here because
we think he's been picked already atthis point in this prediction. But a
lot of smoke they're connecting the Bengalsto Latham as well. Sure, if
Latham's there, I think they pickhim. I think they're also comfortable standing
pat saying, oh, well,Patrick Paul will be there, Blake Fisher
will be there, one of theseother offensive tackles that we like will be

(06:58):
there at forty nine, and let'sgo with Johnny Newton. I don't think
they are going to push super hardto get the offensive tackle at eighteen,
because they're fine with defensive tackle ateighteen, or they're fine with Mitchell or
Arnold. And so the comfort levelof knowing, hey, there's going to
be four quarterbacks off the board,there's going to be a three receivers.
They'll be fine and they'll get areally good player. So no, I

(07:21):
would be shocked. If they tradedup, even in Fantasy Went realms,
it would be surprising, let alonein real life. So yeah, we'll
see. I wou wouldn't be toostunned if they traded up later, maybe
at round two. Should we discussround two or you want to wait?
Yeah, let's go there. Next, let's talk about day two, and

(07:42):
they're now three picks on day two. Appreciate that comp pick fix NFL giving
us a little bit of extra workto do, and the Bengals a little
bit more draft capital. We'll goto day two coming up next. We've
all been there, either as aplayer or a fan. It's halftime in
the scoreboard. Well, it's notgoing your way. You're feeling low.
You're not sure if you or yourteam can rebound. And that's when you

(08:05):
dig deep, lift your head upand say to yourself, it's time to
get back in the game. Pulloff some bank heists and take as much
of my friend's money as I can. That's right, Jake, let's go.
I want all of your money andI'm going to take it. With
the smash Hit mobile game, MonopolyGo, it lets you compete with your
friends to get the most riches andthe biggest empire, and it's the monopoly
you love. But there are aton of twists, and it's on your

(08:28):
phone, and it includes leader boardsand you could compare your progress all the
time and play when you want to. You don't have to sit around a
board in your living room. No, no, no. You can play
it on your phone when you havethe time. And there's a bunch of
different boards. You can smash friendslandmarks with a wrecking ball, and you
can even work with friends to crackopen community chess and tournaments and gain extra

(08:50):
rewards. So get back out there, put your game face on, and
download Monopoly Go now free on theApp Store or Google Play. Today's episode
of Lockdown sponsored by fan Duel.It's playoff time in the NBA. In
the NHL, baseball is going infull swing. Li de la Cruz looks
like one of the best players inthe game, putting up a stat line
that looks a lot like the statlinehe had when he was the number one

(09:11):
prospect in baseball in Louisville. AndFanDuel is your place to bet on every
game and whether you're looking for draftstuff, because this is an NFL podcast
and you're fixated on the NFL draftright now, or you're paying attention to
those other sports as well. Youcan get one hundred and fifty dollars in
bonus bets guaranteed right now with vandulwin or lose one hundred and fifty dollars
in bonus bets guaranteed, whether you'rebetting on home runs, whether you're betting

(09:37):
on the NHL, whether you're bettingon the Bengals first player drafted, which
now as of the time of recordingis plus three point fifty for cornerback.
FanDuel seeing this is more and morelikely that cornerback should be in the conversation
for the Cincinnati Bengals, Vanduel hasthose options for you. Visit FanDuel dot
com slash locked on to make yourfirst bet an automatic win with that one
hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets. FANDORL is America's number one sportsbook.

(10:03):
All the talk Jake about a Roundtwo wide receiver, and I think there's
a very real possibility that the Bengalsgo wide receiver in Round two. I
also think they stick with the trenchesand do what a lot of our listeners
want them to do, which isprioritize offensive tackle round one, defensive tackle
in round two, or vice versa. And that's why I think Chris Jenkins

(10:24):
makes a ton of sense and that'swhy we're mocking him to the Bengals with
pick forty nine. The defensive tackleout of Michigan. Now, there are
a lot of contenders for this pick. Obviously, it's hard to predict who's
going to be there who's not ChrisJenkins, great run defender at Michigan,
obviously a big part of their nationalchampionship team. If he does make it
there, and he's higher on someof these boards, but if he does

(10:46):
make it there, I do thinkthey'll be tempted to not wait and add
to their defensive line on Day twowith their first pick. Yeah, I
think that it's a pick that couldfit them for a number of reasons.
Tested well enough, has good enoughsize, He's a little bit smaller than
you would want for a guy whoexcels and hangs his hat on run defending,
needs some work as a pass rusher. That the pass rush data is

(11:09):
not quite what you would want itto be. So maybe it's a different
defensive tackle here in the second round. If they go offensive tackle first round,
you could certainly see defensive tackle inthe second round. Maybe they'll really
like Bradon Fisk in his NonStop motorand character despite him being undersized as well.
Maybe they'll really like the upside withMike Hull in the second round.
Maybe they'll really like Ruco Roverro's versatility. And again there's upside there with a

(11:33):
rover Row despite him being a fifthyear player coming out of Clemson. But
defensive tackle I think is certainly realistichere, especially if fun falls, but
very in general, I think forme, I'll speak for myself. I
have the hardest time with round two, and I see it as a branching
paths kind of thing, like ifthey go offensive tackle in round one,
the most likely picks to me inthe second round, or wide receiver or

(11:54):
defensive tackle. So maybe it's someof the wide receivers we've talked about in
the second round, Ricky saw TroyFranklin keyon Coleman. Maybe it's a guy
like Xavier Lguet who we haven't talkedabout very much. Maybe that's the guy
that they really like the late breakout, which is not something they typically like.
But they like him blossoming into aplayer that they think could be a

(12:15):
good outside player in the NFL inthe long term, and they see him
as a developmental option. Of course, they go defensive tackle in the first
round. We're not talking about probablyany of these guys. We're probably fixated
on offensive line here, guys likeRoger Rosengart, and you're hoping, hoping
or falling. Maybe this is whereyou talk about Patrick Paul, a guy
whose size and athleticism you'd think theywould really like, even if he's not

(12:37):
necessarily as high on our boards andsome of the people we've talked to.
But landing on Chris Jenkins here afteran offensive tackle in the first round certainly
could make sense. But this iswhere you start to see and I'm trying
to illustrate. Maybe it's hard tokeep up because there's a lot of names
and positions, this branching path ideawhere what they do early is obviously going
to dictate the way they go laterand the way that in our heads,

(12:58):
the position as we think they prioritizeare going to work out. You can
really see how how these different pathscould start to go. By the way
the complete disrespect because he's a little, a little short. Lad McConkey,
I'm gonna I'm gonna mention him becauseI do think if he does fall there,
they would consider him. I thinkthey would consider Zavier Worthy as well.

(13:18):
I don't think either one's gonna bethere. I'm gonna throw those names
out, so we cover Cya rightjust in case. So we mentioned make
sure we mentioned whoever's picked that atforty nine. The thing that I think
is interesting here is if they goJohnny Newton round one, there is a
scenario where the tackles they're hoping arethere, the Patrick Pauls of the world

(13:39):
are just gone, where it's maybeit's not even a Blake Fisher. Maybe
Blake Fisher's gone. And that's what'swhat's really tough. I think the day
two defensive tackle depth versus the daytwo offensive tackle depth, it could be
much much different depending on the paththey choose. And that's why that's why
you hear about these teams trading out, probably because they're like, well,

(14:01):
let's go get our guy, becausethere's a clear drop off and when you
get to this part of round two, you don't know who's going to be
there because it's going to be pickedthrough from the tail end of round one
and early round two if you didn'ttake one of those offensive linemen and land
one of them. So there isa butterfly effect for the Bengals and the
rest of the teams. I'll mentiona couple others. I don't think they

(14:22):
go running back at forty nine,but this is when Jonathan Brooks would start
to be talked about for NFL teamsin general. Trey Benson another one.
I think in both of those guyswould be in play either here or at
pick eighty if one of them wereto fall. I'm not sure they'll make
it that far, but I justwant to throw their names out there.
But I think we've covered If KingsleySuematia, by the way, somehow falls,

(14:43):
he could be in line here.But yeah, I think we've covered
it as far as who they couldtake. My guy, Troy Franklin,
by the way, I'm going tospeak it into existence. Let's go Jake
Troy falls to pick forty nine,and all as well in the neighborhood,
but we're going with Chris Jenkins there. I think the only ones who didn't
mention or some interior offensive line options. I don't think that either of us

(15:03):
think it's terribly likely, but itwouldn't be shocking, I guess, is
the way I would put it.But like a Cooper Beby or Christian Haynes,
or if Zach Taylor falls this far, he might be picked around the
one to two turn. Those guysI think, sorry, Zach Frazier would
be guys. I was like,Man, you ain't picking Zach Taylor at
forty nine? Holl even tell youthat's a real don't do that. No,

(15:24):
you bring him in late as hesays, to call plays in camp.
But I do think there's some interioroffensive line guys that we should at
least mention as possible, and withinthat realm of possibility in Roman Wilson,
who we haven't mentioned as a secondround wide receiver. Oh yeah, and
you could even throw in Jalen Polkfrom Washington as a potential one. I

(15:46):
don't think they would necessarily go thatroute there. There are major breakout age
outliers there for him and Roman Wilson, So that's why I'm kind of less
inclined to project them to the BengalBut names we should mention, no doubt,
no doubt about it. And that'swhat's interesting about pick eighty as we
moved to their first pick in roundthree, is one, is this where

(16:11):
they start to look to trade up, whether it's forty nine going from forty
nine to forty five, yeah,or here eighty to seventy three to get
their guy. And that's where itgets really interesting. We're going with the
corner here and would not shock mewe didn't mention any corners in round two
because there is a gap a cornercould be in play in round one,
and then I think we don't reallysee it come back into the conversation until

(16:33):
pick eighty. I do think they'regoing to take a corner. Who knows,
maybe they double dip with all thepicks they have on day three,
But we're going with Max Melton hereout of Rutgers, and I think this
is someone you just look at hisprofile and he's someone that they will like.
My question about mocking him here doeshe make it to eighty because there's

(16:55):
kind of a drought here cornerbacks wisein this part of the draft. I
do wonder if he just doesn't fallall the way to eighty and gets picked
in that sixty five to seventy fiverange. There are other corners that will
be picked in the second and thirdround. It's just they're not guys that
we would think the Bengals would like. And maybe we're way off on Mike
Sandroschraal and we should be in onMike Sandrochraal at this point still, and

(17:17):
I'm not sure he's there at fortynine. Yeah, that's definitely possible.
I just have a really hard timeprojecting the Bengals to go slot corner,
and he's slot corner through and through. Even though they love Mike Hilton,
I just have a hard time withthat currently. But Max Melton the guy
in this group that has the speedthey would be after, and that's why

(17:38):
the speed size combo is why that'sthe name that we've kind of focused on
here. He's not the biggest guyin the world, but he has adequate
size to play outside, good length, and he ran a sub four four
forty. They've really prioritized speed andathleticism at this position, and so for
guys projected on day two at corner, he really does stand out having that

(18:00):
combination. Everybody else is either sloweror smaller, projects to the slot only,
and we are avoiding some of thoseslot only options here, like TJ.
Tampa, a guy that by consensusis the second round guy that we
should have talked about in consideration inthe second round, but running a four
or five eight is just not thekind of corner the Bengals have drafted.
If it's not cornerback here, MasonSmith, I think a guy they brought

(18:22):
him for a visit and seems tobe ascending and maygo earlier than our board
suggests he should. Could even bein consideration at forty nine, not a
pick we would love there, butcould certainly be in consideration at eighty as
well. And Ben Sinnett I thinkis currently favored to be the second tight
end drafted, but if he doesfall, I think you would have to

(18:42):
consider him very strongly at eighty.And this is probably the beginning of the
range for Jayalen McMillan as well,a potential Tyler Boyd replacement if they do
not go wide receiver in round two. And that's where we're going here with
Pig ninety seven is Jalen McMillan,and they've looked at him obviously, they
brought him in for a visit,and it's someone that can come in right

(19:03):
away and be your Tyler Boyd slotreceiver has been productive in college, and
it's not like he's learning a newspot. Charlie Jones was doing that.
He played outside a ton of Purdue, had to learn it, and so
he helped solidify your wide receiver corps. And heck, we had Steve Disovich
on earlier this week. What didhe say wide receiver depth? You can
get guys in round three that arecomparable to the player you're getting in round

(19:26):
two. And so I think withthe either eighty or ninety seven, those
are probably the favorites. I knowI made that forty nine, pick forty
nine for wide receiver, and Ido think that they could take a receiver
that early. That's where it startsto get in play. But you pick
eighty pick ninety seven, if theyhaven't yet, I think this is the
hot spot where they want to getone because it drops off again. And

(19:47):
so I will get Jake's reaction tothat pick, and we will continue to
discuss not only pick ninety seven,but the rest of our mock draft.
Jake, We're gonna have to speedup. We will do that coming up
next. Today's show has brought toyou about LinkedIn. When you're hiring for
your small business, you want tofind quality professionals that are right for the
role. That's why you have tocheck out LinkedIn jobs. LinkedIn Jobs has
the tools to help find the rightprofessionals for your team faster and for free.

(20:12):
And heck, who knows, maybethe Bengals are leaning on LinkedIn jobs
right now as they analyze the draftand finalize their board. Actually, you
don't have an entire front office doingthat for your small business, and that's
why you should get LinkedIn jobs becauseit's not just a job board. It
helps you hire professionals that you can'tfind anywhere else. Over seventy percent of

(20:32):
LinkedIn users don't visit other leading jobsites. So find the quality candidates you
want to talk to faster with LinkedInJobs. Post your job for free at
LinkedIn dot com. Slash locked onNFL that's LinkedIn dot com. Slash a
locked on NFL to post your jobfor free. Terms and conditions apply.
Locked On's NFL Mockdraft is now availableon the Locked onn NFL Draft podcast and

(20:55):
YouTube page. Find the ultimate sixepisode series to hear who the local Locked
On experts are picking for every NFLfranchise, with instant reactions from local college
football experts, national NFL analysts,and even discussion on the fantasy football angle.
There's only one place you can findthis level of expertise, The Lockdown

(21:17):
NFL Mock Draft, available to streamnow on the Locked onn NFL Draft Podcast,
part of the Locked On podcast network, Your teams every Day. No
real reaction for me on the JalenMcMillan in the in the second third round
pick there, James, as youteed up before the break, I come
on, certainly see it were justnot a wo touchdown I would like to

(21:41):
pick. I think fine. Ithink that there's a chance, talking to
Mike Venner yesterday that he makes itinto the third day of the draft as
well. Some other receivers I couldconsider here. Brendan Rice is primarily the
name that stands out as a receiverthat hits a lot of their checkboxes that
they would consider along with keon callearlier I mentioned his name and then some

(22:03):
other names here. I think thisis when Baker starts to come into conversation.
I think both picks. I thinkeight ninety seven potentially for Javon Baker
Bernardo Green. This is probably thebeginning of his range as well. In
the third round. It's possible hegoes a little bit earlier if teams fall
in love with him as one ofthose guys that could be a type of

(22:23):
corner the Bengals would like. Theonly other names that I've got here is
our Dominic Pooney. In some worlds, I can see that one on Ann
Intarior offensive line option, Makai Wingoanother LSU defensive tackle. We're going to
be talking about a lot of LSUdefensive tackles between now and Saturday, potentially
as options for the Bengals. Butlet's go fourth round, James. We're

(22:45):
into day three now, and boywould it be nice to after going and
Marius Men's, Chris Jenkins, MaxMelton, Jalen McMillan, go to another
skill player here before there is abit of a drop off and odrics me.
I think this is where his floorwould be if you're the Bengals.
He might already be picked at thispoint, but I certainly don't think he's

(23:06):
making it to you At one fortynine. I lean back to a flexible
offensive line option. A guy thatcan play interior and has experience outside the
guy they met with, Brandon ColemanTCU, who's played tackle and guard in
college. Sign me up. Thisis this is where I want them,
whether it's pick ninety seven, pickone, fifteen nine, get one of

(23:30):
these versatile linemen that you think canhelp to stabilize the interit of your offensive
line. And that's what Brandon Colemancould do. And maybe he goes earlier
than this. Other guys that Iwould like, Tanner BORDERLINI We've talked about
him a lot. I'm in onhim as early as ninety seven. I
don't know if the Bengals will bemaybe they should be if they're not,
but getting another interior offensive lineman itshould be a priority. And it really

(23:56):
doesn't even have anything to do withvolcan or cap or cares. It's just
I want someone behind those guys atminimum this year, because we know what
happens as the season goes on.Guys get dinged up. They had to
play an AFC Championship game without threestarters on their offensive line. That is
not the recipe for success. Youwant to have guys that you can bank
on and so get another bite ofthe apple. I would love a Brandon

(24:18):
Coleman pick in this range. AndI know there will be some that say,
well, you got to get thenose tackle, and I want them
to realize, and I think theydo because they've met with all. There
are a lot of nose tackles inthis class, and I think a lot
of them are similar. So youhave a lot of day late day three
picks, So push it back.Focus on the interior of the offensive line
makes a ton of sense for me. Other names that I think start to

(24:42):
come into play. You mentioned sToma. I think Bucky Irvings starts to
come into play here if they haven'taddressed wide receiver Malik Washington. I think
Luke McCaffrey, Javon Baker stays inplay. I'll mention Dwayne Carter out of
Duke as well. Another defensive tacklethat who knows. Maybe they don't go
defensive tackle and they doubled up onlate Day two, early Day three.

(25:03):
You wouldn't shock me. Yeah,I think those are worth mentioning for sure.
McKinley Jackson if they do choose togo nose tackle early. I know
you just talked about pushing it laterinto day three. I think this is
probably the ceiling there, but you'reright that there should be a lot of
similarly tiered late day three nose tacklesin this class. They could pick one
of one forty nine. That's notthe route we're going. They could pick

(25:25):
Quntest Stiggers here, a guy thatI'm going to continue to talk about until
he's like it. You sold meon him. I'm in. It's a
fun story. It's a really goodstory, and he's good. That's why
I'm in. I don't care abouthis story. It is a fun story,
and he's got a great name.He's good. That's why I like
him. I like good. There'ssome development time, But a guy whose
experience is playing in the CFL asa twenty one to twenty two year old

(25:48):
is very interesting, and they've goneto the CFL well before. But Jaheem
Bell is a guy that maybe thisis wishful thinking. I've been targeting and
hoping the Bengals would would go thatroute on day three, and so one
nine for jahem Bell could be thefit. That's what I'm going to project

(26:08):
here. But you could see themshying away because he's an undersized kuy.
They just need that yard after catchweapon in this offense. And if you're
not getting Senate and you're not gettingBowers, because we don't think that they're
getting Bowers, Jahem Bell would bethe other guy to do it, and
he could be available in this range, yep, no doubt about it.
Also, you just mentioned yard aftercatch. We didn't mention him. I

(26:30):
think pick eighty Malachi Corley could bein the next sure if he's there,
I don't think we mentioned him.So I just want to throw it out
that and I thought of Yak andI was like, oh, Cory,
yeah, and you mentioned Malik Washingtonas well, talking about Yack. Guys,
you did just mention that name.And then that would be another guy
in that same same caliber. We'vegot four picks left here, James Late
Day three yep, and real quickEric All another tight end in this range

(26:53):
that they met with three times.Brought him in for a top thirty as
well. So maybe they go thatroute. But let's go to these other
picks here after Jaheem Bell another guythat they've met with, and they get
their nose tackle Evan Anderson out ofFlorida Atlantic. I love it. I
love waiting till now. I thinkthis is when you get the value.
I think Evan Anderson can give youthose snaps right now and you're not reaching

(27:18):
early on. You're still able toget that interior offensive line help in a
quality offensive lineman. You add aguy like Jaheem Bell and then you still
get your nose tackle and Evan Andersonsomeone that. Again. I think at
this stage of the draft, ifyou find someone that can contribute as a
rookie, really hard to do.And I think they did it with Evan
Anderson. And maybe it's Jordan Jefferson, the other LSU tackle I told you

(27:41):
we would be mentioning. Maybe itis m ckiley Jackson going in the Dane
Brugler range more than where you've seenhim on some other big boards where Dane
has him as a day six oraround six to seven guy. Maybe it's
Chris Boyd from Iowa who Northern Iowawhere they sent their position coach. Maybe
it's the local guy Jaan Bit JawanBriggs. There are some no sackles later.
I would be surprised if they're inon to Andandre Sweat at this point.

(28:04):
To be fair, I know wehaven't mentioned his name, but since
we're on the topic of no sackleswould be shocked outside of that tip Raymond
perhaps if they don't get a tightend before this point, is a guy
that I would think about here inXavier Thomas ed Rusher from Clemson, who
they had a lot of contact with. I think starts to come into play
around this area as well. I'msure there's some other guys we're not mentioning.

(28:27):
We will tee up day three beforeday three, after day two a
little bit at the end of thatshow on Friday night, so there will
be other guys that we're able totalk about once we have a little bit
of a clearer picture of who's stillavailable at that point. But let's go
to the compensatory six round pick andanother guy they've met with a lot.

(28:48):
And that's kind of how you identifysome of these guys as Josh Cephis utsa
wide receiver yep, and the doubledipp at wide receiver, the double dipp
at cornerback, the double dip atoffensive line, double dip at defensive line.
I think you're going to see multipledouble dips here, which c the
sein Seinfeld reference. But no,I think getting two receivers makes a ton

(29:12):
of sense, and you want tofind someone that can contribute right away and
then maybe try to find your nextandre Yosavash And that's what stephis would fall
under. Is one of these smallschool guys that you met with that you
really like. And I don't knowthat they really like him, obviously we're
projecting that, but that's what happenedwith andre And then they got him in

(29:32):
the building and they're like, WHOA, he's better than we thought. He's
farther along than we thought. He'sgoing to be able to contribute right away.
So you never know. With joshsefhas So, I think this pick
makes a lot of sense. Andnow we're talking about a lot of the
same same names, and so Ithink we wait and go through them after
we give our next two picks inthe seventh round, and then we can
name six and seventh round potential targetsbecause you have the linebacker, and I

(29:56):
do think they take a linebacker atsome point, So get to your guy.
Yeah, I don't know that he'smy guy. I kind of picked
a name here that it looked likeit fit that would be in this range.
They did have their linebackers coach atthe Notre Dame pro Dae where there
were a couple of linebackers to see. To be fair, both of whom
could be picked on Day three,and J. D. Bertrand is the
one that I'm landing on here.He's lower on our consensus sports so it's

(30:18):
more likely that he's available, andhe was a two time captain, and
that is roughly the extent of theprojection for the Bengals here. I think
they would like a linebacker, aguy that they've seen up close, and
a guy that was a two timecaptain. Checks a lot of boxes for
the Bengals, no doubt. Andthen one position that they haven't addressed yet.

(30:40):
I do think they're going to addressit running back. Not sure when
they do. I think it couldbe as early as a Round four with
Rodrick Estime, maybe earlier, butI think it's tough. Maybe though the
right guys there at the right time. But Kendall Milton out of Georgia is
the final pick here, and weobviously didn't do any trades hard to project
trades. We're trying to give youthe prospects that they're potentially targeting. Why

(31:02):
they're targeting them where they could targetthem, and we'll see how many we
get right, if we get anyright. But yeah, Kendall Milton could
make some sense. Obviously, hehas size and would bring some size to
that backfield with Chase Brown and ZachMass And he had an injury that kind
of led to a timeshare for him, so his productivity numbers were impacted there.
But when he was on the field, six point two yards per attempt

(31:22):
on two hundred and ninety eight careerattempts, so low tread on the tires,
which is something they like, productivitywhich is something they liked, played
for a big program, which issomething they like. And one of the
best yards after contact per attempt backsin this class, especially for guys that
you could get a little bit lateron. And so there are some reasons
to think the Bengals could go thatroute. Not a burner by any means.

(31:45):
So if you're looking for speed,this is not where you get it
at the end of the draft,but some other day. Three names that
we should talk about, James,anybody on your list that you want to
mention before we get out of here. Yeah, for sure, as far
as linebackers go, jayl Ford isone, Jordan McGee another. Keep your
eyes on those two guys. Ifthey go defensive tackle Juwan Briggs. There's

(32:07):
a reason Mike Brown came up tohim at the local pro day and talk
to him. That's rare, that'sunique. Would not be shocked if they
take Jowan Briggs. The reason Ididn't push to mock him Jake. I
think he's gonna go a bit earlierthan some are anticipating, in a little
bit earlier for the Bengals. Forthe Bengals to take him. Another name,
Dylan Johnson, big running back outof Washington that I certainly think they

(32:30):
could target maybe round six with thatone of those first or that first round
six pick, or maybe he's therein that second round six. He had
one hundred and ninety three receptions incollege and that was some injuries. But
at that stage of the draft,you're willing to take that risk. I
think that's all safety. If theygo Trey Taylor air Force maybe at the
end of round seven, I couldsee him in round seven at some point.

(32:53):
So there's I think that's everyone.I'm just trying to make sure did
we mentioned we didn't mention Christian Boydyet, did you I think I did?
Okay, Christian Boyd, Justin Rodgers, all those nose tackles, certainly
keep keep them on your radar aswell. But literally, our goal right
now is to make sure we're mentioningguys that should be on your radar.

(33:13):
We'll do it throughout the draft,but this we are at least aware and
you're like, oh, hey,I heard that on lockdown. I've got
a couple two really quick. Justwe've talked about some of these guys.
Malik Mustafa wake Forest safety, theBengals had their safety coach at the PRODA
there died Jon Anthony. They broughtin for a top thirty. The Ole
Miss safety we talked about contest Siggersplenty. Don't need to bring that name

(33:36):
up again. Jalen Green, JamesMadison linebacker, slash edge player. I'm
not sure what exactly position you playin the NFL, A guy they have
showed some interest in if you're lookingat late Day three options. In addition
to Trajhon Jeffcoat from Arkansas, wegot Avery Jones into your offensive lineman that
we added to the draft spreadsheet whenit was reported that the Bengals had extended

(34:00):
time spent with him at his proday and in virtual meetings. You mentioned
I think before we started recording favoriteMatos, the guy who didn't play football
who is now being looked at asa potential football player. He would project
to be an offensive lineman at sixseven, three thirteen. Giovanni Manu for
another late offensive tackle prospect from theUniversity of British Columbia who we've talked about.

(34:22):
Those guys could be more priority freeagent types, but the NFL seems
to be blowing up Manu in particularas a late target for tight end.
Just wanted to make sure we mentionedTanner McLaughlin and Trey Knox, and for
wide receiver, wanted to make surewe mentioned Jacob Cowing as well. And

(34:43):
I think that is all the namesthat I have on my list to mention
as potential Bengals target. So it'stime for the draft or your next episode
will be of reaction to the firstround. It's draft time, baby,
It's draft time, Jake, Yeah, can't wait, really excited. We
will join you on Thursday night,Friday night, Saturday night, so when

(35:07):
you wake up Friday morning, youobviously have our reaction. When you wake
up Saturday morning, you'll have ourreaction, and then heck, Sunday morning,
you're gonna have our reaction and that'llbe there for you Monday as well.
So it's gonna be a busy weekend, Jake, But obviously we're excited
always is, and you can makesure you stay tuned to our socials as
well for any in draft live coverageand maybe one or two of us are

(35:30):
doing I'm doing. I don't knowwhat your plan is, James, but
you can find out if we're doingany live plans on socials as well at
Jake Let's go app, James.Repeat until next time. Thanks for listening
to this Draft preview episode of theLockdown Bengals podcast. Who Day and have
a good one, Hey, Primemembers. You can listen to this Lockdown

(35:52):
podcast as free on Amazon Music.Download the Amazon Music app today

All Episodes

Merry Draftmas! | Predicting the Bengals' 2024 NFL Draft

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

24/7 News: The Latest

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

.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;}Merry Draftmas! | Predicting the Bengals' 2024 NFL Draft