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Bengals 2024

  • Oz DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Olumuyiwa Fashanu Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (CIN)
Olumuyiwa Fashanu
OT Penn State
Kool-Aid McKinstry Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Kool-Aid McKinstry
CB Alabama
Brandon Dorlus Head Shot
PICK: 80 RND: 3 (CIN)
Brandon Dorlus
DE-EDGE Oregon
Brenden Rice Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (CIN)
Brenden Rice
WR USC
Maason Smith Head Shot
PICK: 115 RND: 4 (CIN)
Maason Smith
DT-EDGE LSU
Mason McCormick Head Shot
PICK: 149 RND: 5 (CIN)
Mason McCormick
OT South Dakota State
Jared Wiley Head Shot
PICK: 194 RND: 6 (CIN)
Jared Wiley
TE TCU
Michael Barrett Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (CIN)
Michael Barrett
LB Michigan
Carson Steele Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (CIN)
Carson Steele
RB UCLA
Hayden Hatten Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (CIN)
Hayden Hatten
WR Idaho
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Bengals a B-.

The Bengals treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending the 224th overall pick on Carson Steele a full 102 spots early. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.

Spending an early pick on DT-EDGE with interior defensive lineman and quarterback open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. They banked enough surplus on McKinstry to cover a lot of smaller sins.

They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it. Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.

Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 Olumuyiwa Fashanu
In the 18th pick they get a long-term starter on the line, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick49 Rnd2 Kool-Aid McKinstry
Kool-Aid McKinstry in the Round 2 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick80 Rnd3 Brandon Dorlus
Brandon Dorlus at Round 3, Pick 16 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick97 Rnd3 Brenden Rice
Brenden Rice in pick 97 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick115 Rnd4 Maason Smith
A want over a need in No. 115: Maason Smith adds a DT-EDGE while interior defensive lineman and quarterback keeps waiting.
Pick149 Rnd5 Mason McCormick
A reasonable price with a little left over, Mason McCormick in the 149th overall pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick194 Rnd6 Jared Wiley
A premium they did not need to pay, Jared Wiley a notch or two before his time. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick214 Rnd6 Michael Barrett
Michael Barrett at the 214th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick224 Rnd7 Carson Steele
They reached a country mile for Carson Steele at pick No. 224, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
Pick237 Rnd7 Hayden Hatten
Hayden Hatten at Round 7, Pick 17 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.