Our next mock is after the chaos of Free Agency and using Bengals super-drafter Joe Goodberry’s draft board, which appears on the Fansided mock draft simulator.
Let’s see what it gives us.
Words: Andrew Dockerill
Round 1, Pick 18
Johnny (Jer’Zhan) Newton, DT, Illinois
I’ve been crying out for this guy since November and, despite no combine or Pro Day testing, I still believe in Newton as one of the biggest game wreckers in this draft.
Formerly Jer’Zhan, Johnny to his friends, is one of five brothers- Jervon, Jerquan, Jerjuan and Jershaun. Newton, still only 21, continues to recover from a January surgery for a foot fracture that he played through the second half of the 2023 season. He is likely to have a solo pro day in April. Newton is just a monster up the middle and wins with speed and power but also a polished variety of pass-rush moves and impressive bend for a man on the inside. The media seems to lean towards Murphy over Newton but I’ll go for the guy who managed to be an All-American playing on one foot. Newton may not play snaps up and down the D Line for the versatility Lou loves but when Newton is so dominant at 3 tech (22.5 TFLs,12 sacks last two years), and in both run and pass scenarios, just plug him in and let him do what he does best with the likes of Rankins and Hill to give him some veteran guidance. At 6’1 there are notes of Geno Atkins, and his role model, 6’2 Warren Sapp. I’ll take that at 18 any day.
Round 2, Pick 49
Patrick Paul, OT, Houston
Athletic, long, huge. These are the three sparknotes that come to mind for Houston LT, Patrick Paul. Possessing 6’7 height with 36”+ arms and 330lbs to his frame, Paul carries it all well and posted solid testing with an impressive 30 on the bench press given that arm length. So why do we find a guy like Paul outside the first round? Firstly the OT depth in this class helps but Paul is certainly a rough diamond from a technique perspective. The footwork is sloppy and his timing and use of hands is far from a top-tier NFL tackle but this is what the Trent Brown signing unlocks: time. Give me a year developing Paul as the swing tackle behind the Brown bookends because, although the tape isn’t outstanding right now, Paul does, on the whole, get the job done… refine him some more and we’re talking about an NFL tackle.
Round 3, Pick 80
McKinnley Jackson, DT, Texas A&M
In a division featuring Nick Chubb, Lamar Jackson and now Derrick Henry, the Bengals have to be able to dominate the middle of the trenches. Not getting a NT in Free Agency and waiting until the third round does make me a little nervous, even with the additions of Rankins and Newton, but adding Jackson here helps release that stress. An older prospect, with some injury and off-field red flags to look into, Jackson also hasn’t exploded statistically with only 15.5 TFLs to the 1Tech’s name. He does, however, offer much-needed bulk to this DT room and the Bengals have shown interest with a top 30 visit for this two-year team captain.
Round 3, Pick 97
Jaheim Bell, TE, Florida State
With his Combine performance (4.61 40, 10’04 broad), I’d be shocked to see Bell make it outside of day two in Detroit and in this scenario, we will gladly take him here and make sure he doesn’t with our third-round compensatory pick. A statistical anomaly, Bell blows all draft-eligible TEs from the last eight years out of the water in relation to YAC and missed tackles per reception. Bell is undersized at 6’2, 240 and certainly would be filling the Y (receiving) TE role rather than a reliable inline blocker, where he’s shown (as with a lot of college TEs) a lack of awareness and consistent ability to finish and move guys in the run game.
Round 4, Pick 115
Jacob Cowing, WR, Arizona
Jacob Cowing is 5′ 8″, and 168 pounds. These stats don’t often project will to the NFL. Some good stats? Cowing is 99th percentile in dominator rating, 99th percentile for target share and has a 96th percentile breakout age. Cowing is slot-ready, having spent 75% of his college snaps there and shows fluid ability to accelerate and make space in the 10-15 yards over the line of scrimmage. Cowing also has some (admittedly limited) kick return experience, with the new kick-off rules, the Bengals need more of these explosive weapon-type players. You take a punt here and hope he can become the next Tank Dell outlier.
Round 5, Pick 149
Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky
Phillips might be my favourite day-three prospect. He’s a gritty, sticky corner who played boundary in the SEC but his strong press technique and willingness to tackle may convince teams to try him inside first. I think I’d back him to succeed on the outside. Under 6ft, Phillips possesses a 42” vert to challenge taller receivers at the catch point. His footwork is often messy and can be found relying on his swift recovery turns too often but Phillips is fresh to starting, with 2023 being his first full year as a starter. Phillips did not find the football in terms of an interception in his career but did take a lateral pass from his teammate 49 yards downfield versus Vanderbilt. He’s raw but has got a lot of upside that I’d be willing to bet on in the fifth round.
Round 6, Pick 194
Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville
Continuing on the ‘Let’s get more returners’ front… why not draft the fastest RB from the Combine? Guerendo has a truly impressive Combine RAS – posting a top 20 score since records began (1987). A transfer from Wisconsin, where he sat and developed behind Jonathan Taylor, Guerendo managed an honourable mention for All-Big Ten returner in 2022 before grad transferring to Louisville for the 2023 season. For the Cardinals, he then managed 1,255 all-purpose yards at 6.1 yards per rush and 10.6 per reception. Guerendo isn’t super sudden in his initial movements and his cut-and-go tape doesn’t match the athleticism but as a two-year starter, there’s lots of tread left on his tyres…
Round 6, Pick 214
Matt Lee, C, Miami
Everyone in Cincinnati loves Ted Karras but we need to start working on a development plan behind him – so here we introduce Matt Lee. A Grad transfer from UCF, Lee allowed no pressures on his 21 pass-pro snaps in the Shrine game and in a larger sample, only one QB hit and zero sacks allowed in his 434 2023 pass-pro snaps. Lee is an impressive athlete for the position, posting a 9.78 RAS (14th best ever for a Center). An older prospect who’ll be 23 come week 1 of the season, Lee will bring 47 career starts to the NFL and represents a big upgrade on the current questions at back-up center.
Round 7, Pick 234
Kimani Vidal, RB, Troy
A college running back who’s an accomplished pass protector… In round seven?! Yes. Please. I could see Vidal climbing as high as round four because he’s an incredible back through contact and has sub 4.5 40 speed. Only one college RB (Ollie Gordon) had more rush yards and forced more missed tackles than Vidal in 2023, despite his 5’7 size. In 297 rush attempts last year, he only fumbled twice, showing his security with the ball in his arms. Now there’s a fair bit of wear on the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, with 781 career carries and 92 receptions, but I’d be happy adding him and Guerendo as a tandem to the room giving the uncertainty behind Brown and Moss.
Round 7, Pick 251
Bayron Matos, OT, NFL IPP
We’re going for a wild card with our final pick and using a draft pick on one of the NFL’s International Player Pathway draft-eligible players to ensure we get first dibs on a raw talent.
Bayron Matos is a 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic who is a mountain of a man – he checks in at 6’7″, 310 pounds and ran a sub-five-second 40 with a 9’5 broad at the IPP Pro Day. Matos, who grew up playing baseball alongside the likes of Wander Franco, moved to the United States at 16 to play basketball in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The forward went on to play Division I basketball at New Mexico and the University of South Florida before Matos walked onto the USF football team in 2022, but he didn’t play during the regular season.
Working with the NFL IPP program at IMG Academy, Matos will be developing specific offensive line movement skills quicker than most. He is smooth, with good foot/hand coordination, and possesses rare punch explosion. One evaluator was quoted saying: ‘You just know rare punch/explosion when you hear it and see it. You can hear his punch from the other side of the field.’
I would not at all be surprised to hear his name called on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft next month. What price he joins his Dominican compatriot Elly De La Cruz in Cincinnati?
Bengals UK 