JLH'S MOCK DRAFT

JH Draft 6

  • JLH DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Jer'Zhan Newton Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (CIN)
Jer'Zhan Newton
DL Illinois
Brian Thomas Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR LSU
Edgerrin Cooper Head Shot
PICK: 80 RND: 3 (CIN)
Edgerrin Cooper
LB Texas A&M
Jacob Cowing Head Shot
PICK: 116 RND: 4 (CIN)
Jacob Cowing
WR Arizona
Braelon Allen Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (CIN)
Braelon Allen
RB Wisconsin
Roger Rosengarten Head Shot
PICK: 175 RND: 5 (CIN)
Roger Rosengarten
OT Washington
Ethan Driskell Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (CIN)
Ethan Driskell
OT Marshall
Jalen Green Head Shot
PICK: 235 RND: 7 (CIN)
Jalen Green
S Mississippi State
Zakhari Franklin Head Shot
PICK: 252 RND: 7 (CIN)
Zakhari Franklin
WR Mississippi
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B
ValueB+ NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
Larceny in pick 80 lands the Bengals a B, Cooper and all.

The Bengals did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Edgerrin Cooper fell into pick 80. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.

A whole weekend of picks and cornerback is somehow still a want. Interior defensive lineman is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.

They trusted the board more than the depth chart.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the cornerback spot they never got to.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 Jer'Zhan Newton
In pick No. 18 they get an anchor for the defensive front at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick49 Rnd2 Brian Thomas Jr.
Brian Thomas Jr. at the Round 2 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick80 Rnd3 Edgerrin Cooper
The board fumbled Edgerrin Cooper all the way to the 80th pick, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
Pick116 Rnd4 Jacob Cowing
The board had Jacob Cowing higher than No. 116, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick148 Rnd5 Braelon Allen
A straight-up fair deal on Braelon Allen at slot 148, value and slot in agreement. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick175 Rnd5 Roger Rosengarten
No drama and no debate, Roger Rosengarten went about where he belonged in pick 175. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick196 Rnd6 Ethan Driskell
Ethan Driskell at Round 6, Pick 21 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick235 Rnd7 Jalen Green
Jalen Green in the 235th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick252 Rnd7 Zakhari Franklin
Taking Zakhari Franklin in pick No. 252 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.