Did the Cincinnati Bengals have a good draft?
The Cincinnati Bengals are one of those teams in the past couple of years that has worked itself deep into the playoffs. Unfortunately, that elusive first Super Bowl win has beguiled them but, the pursuit of their first Lombardi Trophy has never been more intense. Their ability to advance far into the playoffs is proof that the team is strong, well-built, but missing one or two key pieces to put them over the top. However, ironically enough, those pieces that could do so are often now out of their reach due to how late their selections are, a byproduct, and victim, of their own success. Nonetheless, a team does not have to make big splashes in the draft to be successful, we have seen teams build their roster intelligently and methodically with quality selections throughout the draft and across draft classes. It is in this position that Cincinnati now finds itself, and it is a role the team must embrace and excel in if they have any hopes of taking that next step.
Who did the Cincinnati Bengals pick in the draft?
The Bengals appear to have done just that, drafting from the fourth to last position in each round, Cincinnati was not particularly splashy with their selections but, they did a good job of identifying value and addressing needs. This was evident as early as the first round as they selected defensive lineman Myles Murphy – Clemson. Murphy is solid, but interesting, selection primarily because while he is labeled an edge rusher, I have doubts this may be the best usage of his skill set. In The ORANGE Report I made special note of an attribute that Murphy possesses, that being, he has “great positional flexibility, can be shifted around”. This is absolutely true and could make him an interesting option for Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo. Already two two solid options at defensive end, Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson, both of whom are under contract for at least the next two seasons, Anarumo may look to kick Murphy inside on some packages in an effort to attack with more speed and quickness. Conversely, he is just as likely to put Murphy on the edge, but drop him into coverage on some plays, as Murphy has shown the ability to do so effectively. At Clemson, when playing with his hand in the dirt, Murphy would often drop back into a middle zone while his linebackers would cover the flats. This could be an interesting wrinkle, especially since the Bengals often utilize a 4-2-5 defense which, in what I am proposing, would allow the two linebackers to cover the flats, Murphy to drop into a middle zone, allow three linemen to pass rush, with five defensive backs utilizing overlapping zones or a hybrid man zone scheme. While this would not likely be used a significant portion of the time, it could prove to be highly effective in circumstances where Cincinnati needs to make a stop on a passing down.
On Day Two the Bengals continued to hammer on the defensive side of the ball with the selection of cornerback D.J. Turner – Michigan at the 60th overall pick. The selection of Turner is, in my opinion less about any transition planning as many early round picks tend to be, and more about providing multiple options in the secondary both for specific packages and in the event of an injury. Refer back to the previous paragraph where I discussed the selection of Murphy, there I mentioned that Cincinnati heavily employs the 4-2-5 defense, a formation that employs the use of an extra defensive back, sacrificing a linebacker in the process. To this end, any team using such a formation, or a variation of it, would be wise to make the acquisition of high-end defensive backs a priority. Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what the Bengals have done. Over the past two drafts, Cincinnati has used four out of six of the Day One and Day Two selections on defensive backs, a testament to how highly they value their secondary. In Turner they get an undersized, albeit high-effective coverage specialist. His exceptional 4.26 second 40-yard dash time proves he has the speed needed to match up with any wide receiver he is assigned to cover, making it very difficult for opponents to beat him deep. Additionally, he is very tough to fool when he is in man coverage, rarely biting on any double moves or head fakes. His size, coupled with his coverage skills and speed, make it likely he will be used in two very specific ways, first, he could be used as a slot cornerback, assigned to cover smaller, more shifty slot receivers, and second, he could be assigned to shadow the opponent’s fastest receiver and defending against the deep pass. Either way, Turner is a great asset to have and the Bengals will likely look to utilize his strengths as part of their focus on the secondary.
Just two childhood friends who made it to the league.@BigMurphy_25 | @djturner_5 pic.twitter.com/R2LC3nBkmC
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 27, 2023
Speaking of that focus, the second selection of Day Two not only stayed on the defensive side of the ball, it also maintained that focus on building up the secondary. You may have noticed I tipped off what this selection was, to a degree, in the previous paragraph when I mentioned that four of the last six early round selections were used by Cincinnati on the secondary. While it is not a secret who the team selected, a simple Google search would provide that information, I will save you the time and reveal that they used the 95th overall selection to add safety Jordan Battle – Alabama to the mix. Prior to the draft, as part of The ORANGE Report, I actually projected Battle to the Bengals at exactly this pick. I will not lie, I am actually pretty proud of that. A strong safety by trade, Battle appears unlikely to supplant first round draft pick from last season, Daxton Hill, but he provides exceptional depth and could be used in certain packages where the likelihood of a rush is just as likely as them passing the ball. In these situations Battle provides a balanced skill set that helps mitigate the risk of having the wrong personnel in the game despite which type of play the offense ultimately runs.
Jordan Battle was born for AFC North football. #Bengals #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/2Rt48CQkcW
— Cincy Stripes (@StripesCincy) May 25, 2023
The Day Three selections for Cincinnati featured a collection of five players with some of the best collective upside assembled by any team in the league. That group is comprised of wide receiver Charlie Jones – Purdue (Pick 131), running back Chase Brown – Illinois (pick 163), wide receiver Andrei Iosivas – Princeton (pick 206), punter Brad Robbins – Michigan (pick 217), and cornerback D.J. Ivey – Miami (pick 246). The selection of the three offensive players, Jones, Brown, and Iosivas, was absolutely masterful in the identification of upside and value. The Jones selection is my favorite of the bunch as he was exceptional at Purdue last season and simply found ways to get open and to keep drives alive. With Tyler Boyd in the last year of his contract, I could easily see Jones being moved into a starting role next season as the slot receiver for Cincinnati. Additional value and upside is present in the selection of Brown in the fifth round. With Joe Mixon potentially facing a suspension stemming from a misdemeanor aggravated menacing charge that the Cincinnati Police Department refiled in April after initially being dismissed by a judge in February, Brown could see immediate playing time. Brown will likely have to split time with Trayveon Williams, but the Bengals may have potentially found a significant contributor to the offense in the fifth round, and objectively, who could argue with the value such a pick represents?
What grade are the Bengals in the 2023 draft?
Overall, it would be difficult to argue that Cincinnati had anything other than an impressive draft. I say this with full knowledge that not a single player drafted in this class, with the exception of punter Brad Robbins, are likely to find themselves in the starting lineup for the first game of the season. To that end, obviously, the immediate value, and grade, suffers a bit. The grade that feels most fair in this case is a B- based on the aforementioned lack of an immediate starter. However, fear not Bengals fans, their grade as it relates to long-term value makes up for it. As I said to open the piece, Cincinnati did not need to make any big splash to come out of this draft successful, and that holds true even now at the end of the piece as well. The team managed to navigate the draft while adding no less than six players that could significantly contribute within two to three years. I have no qualms awarding them a grade of an A+ for their efforts in identifying long-term value that will allow them to continue deep pushes into the playoffs.
