Oz'S MOCK DRAFT

Bengals 2024

  • Oz DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
JC Latham Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (CIN)
JC Latham
OT Alabama
Ja'Tavion Sanders Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Ja'Tavion Sanders
TE Texas
Maason Smith Head Shot
PICK: 80 RND: 3 (CIN)
Maason Smith
DT-EDGE LSU
Cooper Beebe Head Shot
PICK: 115 RND: 4 (CIN)
Cooper Beebe
OG Kansas State
Jaylin Simpson Head Shot
PICK: 151 RND: 5 (CIN)
Jaylin Simpson
CB Auburn
Christian Jones Head Shot
PICK: 173 RND: 5 (CIN)
Christian Jones
OT Texas
Michael Barrett Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (CIN)
Michael Barrett
LB Michigan
Dwight McGlothern Head Shot
PICK: 238 RND: 7 (CIN)
Dwight McGlothern
CB Arkansas
Hayden Hatten Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (CIN)
Hayden Hatten
WR Idaho
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB- NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Bengals.

The Bengals treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending Round 7, Pick 34 on Hayden Hatten a full 68 spots early. No fireworks, but a solid B-.

The Smith pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at interior defensive lineman, quarterback and other spots. They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. McGlothern at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.

They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.

All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 JC Latham
In pick 18 they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value.
Pick49 Rnd2 Ja'Tavion Sanders
Ja'Tavion Sanders at the 49th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick80 Rnd3 Maason Smith
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Maason Smith adds a DT-EDGE and leaves interior defensive lineman, quarterback and other spots untouched.
Pick115 Rnd4 Cooper Beebe
A reasonable price with a little left over, Cooper Beebe in the 115th pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick151 Rnd5 Jaylin Simpson
Jaylin Simpson slid further than he should have, and No. 151 is lovely value for the cornerback. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick173 Rnd5 Christian Jones
A conviction pick on Christian Jones at Round 5, Pick 37 that the board grades a round light. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick196 Rnd6 Michael Barrett
They did well to land Michael Barrett in slot 196, just ahead of his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick238 Rnd7 Dwight McGlothern
Taking Dwight McGlothern in Round 7, Pick 18 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick254 Rnd7 Hayden Hatten
Value said wait; Hayden Hatten in No. 254 says they were not listening. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.