The Bengals got the lowest grade of all four AFC North teams.
Draft grades are largely projections as to how a team’s draft picks will impact the teams that draft them and how their careers could play out in the NFL.
You never really know how a player is going to be in the NFL, even if they are clearly ready to play at the highest level of professional football.
Speaking of draft grades, let’s look at NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter and his grade for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Reuter gives the Bengals a B- for their overall draft. He gave the Bengals a B for their first two days of the draft and then a C- for the third day.
On the Bengals’ first two days of drafting, Reuter writes: “Stewart has the potential to vastly exceed his uninspiring college production (4.5 sacks in three seasons) thanks to his elite physical traits. Knight and Fairchild should be starters before long, though impactful players at premium positions were also available at those picks.”
All three players played in the SEC, which set a record with 79 players drafted this year. That’s the most for any conference, including the SEC, in the history of the draft.
On the Bengals day three picks, Reuter writes: “Carter is a good player who will eventually start, but I’m not sure they were able to get maximum value by taking linebackers with two of their first four picks. Rivers addresses the team’s lack of depth at tackle and Brooks should compete for playing time in a crowded running back room. Cincinnati traded its seventh-round pick to Chicago for running back Khalil Herbert in November.”
Personally, I really like the Bengals’ Day 3 picks. Don’t forget, too, that defensive coordinator Al Golden was the Bengals linebackers coach the last time he was on the Bengals coaching staff. He helped develop Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, and Akeem Davis-Gaither.
Now that he’s back in Cincinnati, he may be thinking that it’s time for the Bengals to move on from Pratt. That could be why the Bengals took linebackers with two of their first four picks.
I’m really excited about Tahj Brooks. He and Chase Brown could be a really good running back tandem.
The Bengals had a solid draft, despite what some fans who are skeptical are saying on social media.
Reuter concurs with his grade for the Bengals’ overall draft, even though it ranks fourth out of four AFC North teams.
