Here’s why the Bengals drafted two linebackers in the first four rounds

Draft expert Kent Lee Platte breaks down the selections of

A lot of fans were left scratching their heads when the Cincinnati Bengals selected a 25-year-old linebacker in the second round, taking Demetrius Knight Jr. out of South Carolina.

Then, two rounds later, the Bengals double-dipped at linebacker, taking Barrett Carter out of Clemson.

So what was the reasoning?

We asked the founder of RAS, Kent Lee Platte, better known by his Twitter/X handle, “MathBomb”.

Why the Bengals drafted Demetrius Knight

Platte explained that sometimes positions that we think aren’t as valuable can be crucial to the success of a defense just because of the scheme it runs. He shared the example of Mike DeVito and the New York Jets. When the nosetackle went down, the defense went down with him.

The analyst then highlighted the fact that a team that runs a lot of front seven looks can rely heavily on linebackers blitzing when they can’t get consistent pressure from the front four.

“It may be a lower value position, and he may be older than most prospects,” Platte said, “But it’s still a position the team feels it needs to run an efficient defense.”

Why the Bengals drafted Barrett Carter

First Platte gave fans hope that Carter could surprise people.

“He’s a modern linebacker, so a smaller linebacker with speed and explosion,” Platte said. He then talked about how Bobby Wagner was overlooked in the Draft before developing into a versatile playmaker all over the field.

Then Platte explained how drafting Carter could be a sort of backup plan in case guys like Shemar Stewart need more time to develop:

“If you do have some concerns about Shemar Stewart’s learning curve in being able to tackle, if they have legitimate concerns about themselves being able to coach him up, you can do a lot worse than putting some guys behind him who can catch up when he misses,” Platte said. “If you’re thinking to yourself ‘We need a contingency plan in case our front line guys aren’t able to hold up’, getting linebackers with speed is a good way to cover that up.

You can watch the entire analysis below.