mbest'S MOCK DRAFT

mb final

  • mbest DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
JC Latham Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (CIN)
JC Latham
OT Alabama
Graham Barton Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Graham Barton
OT Duke
Trey Benson Head Shot
PICK: 80 RND: 3 (CIN)
Trey Benson
RB Florida State
Maason Smith Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (CIN)
Maason Smith
DT LSU
Brenden Rice Head Shot
PICK: 115 RND: 4 (CIN)
Brenden Rice
WR USC
Elijah Jones Head Shot
PICK: 149 RND: 5 (CIN)
Elijah Jones
CB Boston College
Tanner McLachlan Head Shot
PICK: 194 RND: 6 (CIN)
Tanner McLachlan
TE Arizona
Eyabi Okie-Anoma Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (CIN)
Eyabi Okie-Anoma
DL-EDGE Charlotte
Carson Steele Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (CIN)
Carson Steele
RB UCLA
Evan Anderson Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (CIN)
Evan Anderson
DL Florida Atlantic
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
Good, not great, for the Bengals: B-.

You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Bengals did exactly that with Evan Anderson in No. 237.

If one pick saves this weekend, it is Barton. A whole weekend of picks and linebacker is somehow still a want.

They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.

Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 JC Latham
In the 18th overall pick they get a cornerstone up front. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick49 Rnd2 Graham Barton
You do not let an offensive lineman like Graham Barton reach the Round 2 slot and blink. They did not. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick80 Rnd3 Trey Benson
Trey Benson in slot 80 lands just on the right side of the ledger. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick97 Rnd3 Maason Smith
Maason Smith at No. 97 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick115 Rnd4 Brenden Rice
A straight-up fair deal on Brenden Rice at pick No. 115, value and slot in agreement. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick149 Rnd5 Elijah Jones
Elijah Jones at the 149th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick194 Rnd6 Tanner McLachlan
A premium they did not need to pay, Tanner McLachlan a notch or two before his time. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick214 Rnd6 Eyabi Okie-Anoma
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Eyabi Okie-Anoma well ahead of where he belonged. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick224 Rnd7 Carson Steele
Carson Steele at pick 224 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick237 Rnd7 Evan Anderson
This one needs a full-page explanation: Evan Anderson in the 237th overall pick, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.