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April 28, 2025 12 mins
James Rapien from BengalsTalk.com joined us to recap what the Bengals did and didn't do during the NFL Draft. 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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He has become like my my co host over the
last few days. James Rapeene Bengals Talk dot com locked
on Bengals Podcast Enter the Jungle. A very busy man
and we appreciate his time as always as we recap

(00:52):
the draft.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Hi, James, that's an idea.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Maybe we should do a show from like noon to one.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Or something'd be fun, be fun and then see if
eventually it can be expanded to three hours.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, I expanded the three hours and and uh, some
lost up quarterback can take over.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I don't know, I'll run that pass management.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
I was talking about Austin Almore.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Of course, sure he was. He was really good. Give
me one word to describe the Bengals draft class.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
Safe?

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Safe?

Speaker 3 (01:29):
I think, I really I look at every pick and
it's like, I don't think that guy's going to be
a complete bus that's out of the league in four years.
And from Shamar Stewart, I get it. That's build the
risky pick. The more I look at and the more
I think about it, I think there's the risk is
does he actually hit and become a star when you

(01:49):
had guys that that project more favorably to be a star, right,
the Derek Harmon's, the Jahad Campbell's. But from a is
he going to be a quality NFL player? I think
our Stuart's pretty safe just because he's such a freak
and I think he has the right attitude, mindset and mentality.
And after that all these guys, anything that Demetrius.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Knight is going to start.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
And while I wasn't a fan of the pick at
that time, start right away, made of the right stuff.
Why wouldn't you start for this team for quite some time?
Dylan's Fairchild, same thing. And then you can go on
down the list where I think all of these guys
are not only going to make the team, but contribute
as rookie. So I think safe is probably the word
of the day.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Demetrius Knight in particular, if they really wanted him, couldn't
they have waited?

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, yes, yes, they should have at least traded down,
and two teams around them traded down. And look, there's
really no way. And this is coming from someone that
talked to Demetrius, really likes him. I think he's going
to be an awesome person and player.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
For the Bengals.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
There's no way in the world you take him over
Tate Ratlich, who I know, because one I know the
Bengals like Kate Ravlich. This isn't made up or some
kind of ah well, they didn't have them on their board.
This isn't like Johat Campbell, like joh High Campbell Medicals
wasn't in consideration at seventeen. Kate Ratlige was one of
the dudes.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
And so to say, all right, we're going to pass
on one of the best guards in this draft class,
and then we're going to take this linebacker.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
If linebacker was that big of a NEEDMO either prior
reevaluate those medicals on Johiah Campbell or or address it
in free agency, because what it did is it set
the tone for the rest of the draft. You take
linebacker where a top guard is there, and now in
round three you have to get a guard. You can't get.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Kevin Winston Jr.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Who I think it's one of not only one of
the top safeties in this class, but he had no
business falling to round three, and the Titans got to
steal there, so they they kind of backed themselves into
a corner. And that's that's the tough part about the
drafting because I don't really have an issue with any
of the players in a vacuum, but the when and
how they did it and how they approached it, I

(04:03):
have an issue with that because they really had a
shot to hit it out of the park and instead
they're like, I'll walk, I'll take my base, and it's like,
I just feel like I hit.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
The home run button, right, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
I just I feel like and maybe this is an
unfair way of putting it. I just feel like if
in multiple positions, position groups, because they took two linemen
and two linebackers, if you were going to do that,
you had to add a pick.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
And they didn't.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
And I think they tried. You know, I don't think
that they necessarily thought that this is going to be
the case. But it's hard, really hard to get trades done.
And I know they happened, but it's still is because
it's hard for the value to line up. One team's
trying to win, Bengals are trying to win the deal.
I get all that, but I just come back to

(04:54):
that round two pick and to say, all right, well
we're going to get to Mutrius night June here. It
sounds good because of what he can bring to your
defense and now needed it. But if it was such
a big need that you're going to prioritize it over
probably the third best guard in the draft, maybe higher
on some like plug and play right guard, if you're

(05:17):
going to do that, then maybe you should have addressed
linebacker before the draft. And that's a I just I
can't believe that they went that route, especially because they
still got Barrett Carter. They still got a linebacker that
they really really liked and had a higher grade on
than a fourth round grade where they ended up picking him.
And so you could have ended up having a Tate
rat Ledge, a Kevin Winston junior, and then a Barrett

(05:37):
Carter and or maybe you just go Ratledge and Dylan
Fairchild and you have three Georgia offensive linemen and you
feel great about your line. I wouldn't argue that one bit,
but they kind of backed themselves into a corner and
went that route.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
What is the more glaring omission?

Speaker 2 (05:54):
If you will no defensive tackle or no safety defensive tackle.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
They needed a guy that would give them, give them
a little juice.

Speaker 1 (06:05):
And I think they.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
Probably take Walter Nolan over from oar Stewart. If he
was there, he didn't get there, so you go with
fromar Stewart. Fine, you're sticking with your board.

Speaker 4 (06:16):
But you got to get one somewhere instead.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
You look up and.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
It's like, all right, so how are you? How are
you asking out golden? And again this is the linebacker thing.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
If you're born with two linebackers, what's more important?

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Another body in the defensive tackle room that you hope
can give you a little pressure, a little juice. And
to your point, this is what happens when you have
six picks. I mean it didn't It didn't need to
be even a day two guy. They could have waited
until day three. Ty Robinson out of Nebraska, someone that
I thought made a ton of sense for them, but
he doesn't get to them. I pick one nineteen, he

(06:54):
goes one to eleven to who the Philadelphia Eagles, who really.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
Don't evaluate defensive line. So I think adding a pick
training down and then still.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
Getting Demetrius Knight Junior, maybe you get a fourth round pick,
like you probably could have moved down to sixty five
from pick forty nine to sixty five and still got him.
Well you would have gotten a really sizeable.

Speaker 1 (07:16):
Pick, you might.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
That's a fourth rounder and so maybe that would have
been enough to address defensive tackle. Yeah, I'm that that's
the spot where it's like and it just really hurts
you not that safety isn't a huge issue, because I
think it is. And at the same time, I would
much rather have another another guy up front that Kareek

(07:39):
Havoc than another safety.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
I just from a defense I agree with you from
a defensive perspective. If if I would have said to
you after the season ended, here's how the off season
is going to unfold.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
On defense.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yes, they're going to hire a new DC, but their
defensive acquisitions are going to be TJ. Slayton and Orenburg.
And then in the draft they're going to use half
of those six picks on defense.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
And that's it. You would have said, what.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
They must have done a hell of a lot on offense.
They must have the great wall in front of Joe Burrow.
That's what I would have said. You know, I think that's.

Speaker 4 (08:21):
What's so frustrating about this offseason in general, is what
you knew they had too many needs going into the draft.

Speaker 5 (08:26):
Right.

Speaker 4 (08:27):
We knew they only had six picks.

Speaker 3 (08:28):
We knew they weren't going to be able to address everything.
We knew that we were going to be having this conversation. Yes,
I was like, ah, right, they're going to have to
do without in one area or another. And I hate
it because it doesn't have to be this way. And
I think some like, ah, stop being so negative, and
it's like no, like the standards should be high. This

(08:49):
is the Joe Burrow era, right, Toximize, Yes, from the
first time in franchise history. By the way, if they
do that, it gives them so much much equity that
they can half ask free agency for a decade and
it won't matter because everyone will be able to say, hey,
we got that ring. And that's what's weird to me
about it is we're they're like football lifers. They have

(09:14):
to understand that, Like if you did push a little
more and you were a little more aggressive and it
resulted in the ring, then you can go back to
your old ways and that you could just say, oh,
we've done it. We know when to do it when
not to. And I just I don't think they've done enough.
That doesn't mean that what they drafted didn't help. By
the way, if your first three picks are starting for you,

(09:37):
you know, and we're underwhelmed, especially on day two by
the picks and some people day one and day two,
maybe your roster isn't good enough, right, maybe you know,
because I think those three guys are going to start,
And so that's that's where it's like, just doesn't feel
the way a.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
Championship contender should feel, given how important of an offseaton
this was for the Bank.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
The word overhaul was used a lot in November, December,
and January. What they've done on defense is not an overhaul.
They've added guys, but it's not an overhaul. When I
think a lot of it is felt like an overhaul
was needed.

Speaker 4 (10:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
And the one that really, honestly, I think gets me
and is why they're so comfortable in the defensive tackle
room and I think they're going to regret it. And
I like them a lot, but signing DJ Hill to
that deal, it kind.

Speaker 4 (10:26):
Of prevented them in their minds, I think, from one
signing someone.

Speaker 3 (10:29):
Else or two really pushing it in free agents or
in the draft to get one of these defensive tackles.
And they felt kind of comfortable with it, they had
invested in it last year. And it's like, man, I
just don't like that because I think they need more
juice up the middle. I think that's what matters, especially
when you're going up against a Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes,

(10:52):
a Josh Allen, some of these guys that you're planning
on beating and getting to the super Bowl, and it's
going to be tough if you can't get consistent pressure
up the middle.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
Well said I know you have been busy. Uh take
take a nap or something. Hopefully we'll see you soon.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
Thank you for everything, absolutely thanks for having me me
You got it.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
That's our guy, James Rapine.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
You can check him out at Bengals Talk dot com
under the Sports Illustrated Umbrella.

Speaker 1 (11:21):
Also enter the Jungle and the Locked on Bengals podcast.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
NFL Draft analyst Ryan Roberts next on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (11:29):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
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