Regardless of the approach, Cincinnati will place a high priority on offensive guard and defensive end, with other needs at safety, linebacker and cornerback to be addressed over the six picks currently in hand. Here is a look at some of the first-round options that mock draft “experts” are suggesting at No. 17, why they make sense and what they say about them.
Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Williams has consistently shown up as a Bengals’ pick in mock drafts this offseason for good reason. With Trey Hendrickson in the last year of his contract and no extension imminent, there’s even more uncertainty around Cincinnati’s pass rush.
Sam Hubbard retired and the Bengals did not replace him in free agency, so that leaves a largely unproven group of Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample.
CBSSports.com’s Josh Edwards and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believe Williams would be the ideal pick and, as Edwards notes, add “some excitement to the room.”
“Last year, the Bengals drafted a toolsy offensive lineman from Georgia in the first round (Amarius Mims),” Brugler wrote. “They flip to the other side of the ball and do it again in this mock. Williams looked like a future top-10 pick as a freshman, but he didn’t quite reach dominant status over his three seasons in Athens. The talent, however, is there for him to grow into a game-wrecker off the edge.”
Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
Williams was still on the board when Pro Football Focus analyst Dalton Wasserman picked Stewart at No. 17 for the Bengals in his latest mock draft. He had Williams going to the Seahawks with the next pick. So what was Wasserman’s logic for Williams?
“Stewart has been one of the biggest risers throughout the pre-draft process after a dominant Senior Bowl showing and a historic combine performance,” he writes. “Whether or not the Bengals re-sign Trey Hendrickson, they need help on the edge and should gamble on high-upside talent. Stewart would be a powerful run-defending complement to Hendrickson, even if they have to wait for him to develop as a pass rusher.”
Stewart tested as one of the most athletic pass-rushers in combine history, posting a 98th-percentile broad jump (10-foot-11) and a 96th-percentile vertical jump (40 inches) while also running an impressive 4.59-second 40-yard dash — a strong time for someone measuring 6-foot-5, 267 pounds with elite 34 ⅛-inch arm length.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Grey Zabel, G/C, North Dakota State
Coach Zac Taylor indicated the Bengals essentially are done looking at guards in free agency and focusing on that position in the draft instead, so it’s a clear priority. They released Alex Cappa but need an upgrade over Cordell Volson, too, and they only signed Lucas Patrick and brought back Cody Ford to compete for a role.
ESPN’s Field Yates acknowledges the Bengals’ biggest needs are on defense but suggests they start with the one notable spot on offense that is still a big problem. Zabel, coming from the same college as Volson, fills that hole in his latest mock draft.
Yates writes: “Zabel has had an outstanding pre-draft process. He was the best player I saw at Senior Bowl practices, proving he can dominate against top competition after starting 41 games at the FCS level. Plus, teams believe he has the positional versatility to play guard or center in the NFL, and he is always in control as a pass protector.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
The top-ranked safety on many boards, Starks would be a safe bet if the Bengals are going “best available.” They’ve invested heavily into defensive backs in recent drafts but still are looking for the next Jessie Bates.
Cincinnati didn’t get what it needed from Geno Stone in yet another attempt to rebuild the safety tandem and although he remains on the roster, there has to be a better plan than just hoping what didn’t work last year gets better.
CBSSports.com’s Chris Trapasso went with Starks as the best player on the board at No. 17, and The33rdteam.com’s Tyler Brooke also had the Bengals picking Starks in his latest mock draft.
“Malaki Starks is an elite safety prospect who checks a lot of boxes as an instinctive field general in the secondary, which is something the defense could really use if they’re able to hold onto Trey Hendrickson as a star pass rusher,” Brooke wrote.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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