CincySuperbowl'S MOCK DRAFT
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  • CincySuperbowl DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Joe Alt Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (CIN)
Joe Alt
OT Notre Dame
Brock Bowers Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Brock Bowers
TE Georgia
Jared Verse Head Shot
PICK: 80 RND: 3 (CIN)
Jared Verse
DE-EDGE Florida State
Maason Smith Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (CIN)
Maason Smith
DT LSU
Jaylin Simpson Head Shot
PICK: 115 RND: 4 (CIN)
Jaylin Simpson
CB Auburn
Mason McCormick Head Shot
PICK: 149 RND: 5 (CIN)
Mason McCormick
OT South Dakota State
Ryan Flournoy Head Shot
PICK: 194 RND: 6 (CIN)
Ryan Flournoy
WR Southeast Missouri State
Nathaniel Watson Head Shot
PICK: 214 RND: 6 (CIN)
Nathaniel Watson
LB Mississippi State
Jalen Coker Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (CIN)
Jalen Coker
WR Holy Cross
Jaden Shirden Head Shot
PICK: 237 RND: 7 (CIN)
Jaden Shirden
RB Monmouth
Joshua Cephus Head Shot
PICK: 238 RND: 7 (CIN)
Joshua Cephus
WR UTSA
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B
ValueB+ NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
The Bengals let Verse fall into their laps, and walked away with a B.

The board owed the Bengals one, and it paid up: Jared Verse, the No. 12 name on the board, sitting there at the Round 3 slot like a gift left on the doorstep.

The Shirden pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.

Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 Joe Alt
In No. 18 they get a plug-and-play piece up front, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Pick49 Rnd2 Brock Bowers
Brock Bowers in the 49th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick80 Rnd3 Jared Verse
Circle this one: Jared Verse at Round 3, Pick 16 is a fall that decides a draft. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick97 Rnd3 Maason Smith
They jumped the gun on Maason Smith, taking him earlier than his grade liked. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick115 Rnd4 Jaylin Simpson
Jaylin Simpson at the 115th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick149 Rnd5 Mason McCormick
Mason McCormick in slot 149 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The roster fit checks out.
Pick194 Rnd6 Ryan Flournoy
Ryan Flournoy in pick No. 194 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick214 Rnd6 Nathaniel Watson
No edge and no loss on Nathaniel Watson in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick224 Rnd7 Jalen Coker
Jalen Coker in the Round 7 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick237 Rnd7 Jaden Shirden
They reached a country mile for Jaden Shirden at pick No. 237, and the board is aghast. It fills a real need, too.
Pick238 Rnd7 Joshua Cephus
They reached into another round for Joshua Cephus, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.