With a new era underway, the Cincinnati Bengals are a bit of an unknown heading into the 2019 NFL draft.
Granted, Duke Tobin will still be leading the charge after doing the same when finding Zac Taylor as the team’s next head coach. But with a handful of needs and premium picks, the Bengals should be one of the more interesting teams on draft day.
Round 1 (11): Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
The Bengals need to stop playing the annual game that is relying on Tyler Eifert.
Noah Fant isn’t popularized as the best tight end in the draft yet, but he will be soon. He’s a big-play weapon who won’t be much help as a blocker right away, but in an offense with A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and others, he’d shine even on a situational basis.
A 6’5″ target with 18 touchdowns over his last two seasons, Fant is a nice piece to pair with more of a blocker type like Tyler Kroft to shore up a critical piece of the offense.
Round 2 (42): Devin Bush Jr., LB, Michigan
The Bengals have to completely gut the linebacking core, so the second round would be a good time to go get a smaller linebacker who can hold up well in coverage.
Devin Bush out of Michigan fits the bill there and will flirt with early second-round status as teams prioritize more premium positions.
While Bush is one small piece to a much bigger fix, he’s more in the mold of modern NFL linebackers who can better counter the pass.
Round 3 (72): Ben Powers, OL, Oklahoma
In theory, the Bengals will use free agency to address the offensive line this offseason, or make some bold moves like giving a starting gig to a Christian Westerman.
If not, Ben Powers in the middle rounds is a good way to tackle the problem.
Powers is instant-starter material if the right coach gets their hands on him and the scheme fit is right. Getting him out in front of Joe Mixon could improve the entire offense.
Round 4 (110): Bobby Okereke, LB, Stanford
The assault on linebacker continues.
While the Bengals can go out and get an instant fix in free agency, the staff needs to rebuild the depth as well.
Bobby Okereke is another coverage-minded linebacker who could boost the depth and subpackages, saving free agency for more boring role-fillers like the run-thumping Preston Brown.
Rebuilding the core from the ground up means more than one expenditure at the position and Okereke is an athlete who can help all over the place.
