The picks are in, the Bengals have chosen their next batch of young stars, and we can now take a breath. But was this class a slam-dunk success, or a bit of a weird one. Let’s find out.
Words: Andrew Dockerill
Round 1, Pick 18
Amarius Mims, OT; Georgia
Draft Grade: B
Mims certainly has ELITE upside at only 21 years old and bringing a 6’8, 340 (7’3 wingspan) frame that’s been highly touted since HS (a number-eight recruit in the country) with freakish movement skills. Actually, freakish likely doesn’t do justice to Mims’ athleticism. His impressive 9.5 RAS score shows up on tape in how quickly he shuts off the corner from edge rushers and how quickly he gets out, and how comfortable he looks in space. So why is Mims not a top-10 pick and up there in the discussion with Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu? Well, simply, it’s all to do with sample size and injuries – Mims managed just eight starts in his three years in college. Concerningly for a guy his size, Mims has already had surgery on a left ankle, which he then reinjured during the SEC championship game. And then… he doesn’t truly move guys as much as you’d expect for a guy of his size and his hand striking is erratic at times albeit in limited tape.
The player in isolation gets an A grade but in a scenario where the Bengals sat on their hands and let DT1 and EDGE1 go in the three picks before them – and, lest we forget, let CB1 Quinyon Mitchell go by – I have to knock this forward-thinking pick going for my OT5, given the current Superbowl window pressure. He’ll likely fill in as the sixth OL in jumbo sets and help manage Trent Brown’s workload/injury potential but I’d have loved that instant upgrade at DT/CB. However, this doesn’t make me any less excited for Mims’ future.
Round 2, Pick 49
Kris Jenkins, DT; Michigan
Draft Grade: B+
This one felt like a pick broadcasted for a long while – he had a top 30 visit, comes from a powerhouse school and fits the team captain mould. After the Bengals didn’t go DT in the first round, and weren’t moving up for either Newton or Fiske, it looked like they’d be after Jenkins.
He has a good pedigree (his father played DT for 10 seasons, and racked up Pro Bowls, while his uncle played for 14 seasons), but as a player himself, Jenkins dominates against the run, leading the country in run stops in 2023 and the only prospect in this DT class to have a 25%+ positive run snap rate and <10% negative play rate.
His gym work is notorious, ranking sixth on Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks List’ prior to the season with numbers like 32 bench press reps, a 7.16 3 cone and 4.33 shuttle being mentioned along with top 10 pick whispers. That did not come to fruition, with his production stats not really growing from his 2022 numbers (2022: 3.5 TFLs, two sacks; 2023: four TFLs, two sacks) with some excuse coming from a six-week stretch playing with an eye infection where his vision was limited and he played to a lower snap count. But Jenkins is certainly inconsistent in his rush and penetration and he lacks pass-rush move variety or a counter plan. However, he’s far from a run-only guy, with a 73rd percentile pass rush grade. The lack of arm length may cause some issues at the next level, but I’m willing to bet on his heart and motor to be a productive piece for the Bengals.
Round 3, Pick 80
Jermaine Burton, WR; Alabama
Draft Grade: B+
Where to begin with this one? Eight teams in eight years for Jermaine Burton, an incident with a female fan during a field-storming and multiple reports of coaches calling him ‘difficult’. Additionally, Burton has never hit 800 yards receiving in a season. So why is he a top-80 pick? As with Mims, the upside is there in abundance. He has a solid frame and plus athletics (9.09 RAS with 11’01 Broad- 95th percentile). Despite not having the box score statistics, Burton’s numbers are really impressive when you get into the detail- he led all draft-eligible prospects in Yards per Target at 12.1 and Yards per Target over expectation and averaged over 20 yards per catch in 2023.
Burton truly can take the top off the defense but also his footwork helps him win and separate on curls. He’s also happy to get physical and win jump balls with hand strength or take the ball at full speed over the middle on in-breaking routes. The catching ability really stands out with Burton, with only four drops on 197 targets. He’s an exciting prospect with inside/outside versatility, but what’s not exciting is his lack of effort in blocking plays, and there are also a few injuries in his 50 games of SEC football for the medical team to review.
Still, turning 23 this June, you hope he starts to mature into adulthood and becomes a true professional. The Bengals certainly have the locker room to assist with that. This could become an A+ or an F when we get to review this midseason/end-of-year.
Round 3, Pick 97
McKinnley Jackson, DT; Texas A&M
Draft Grade: B+
The Bengals take hold of one of the only Nose Tackle bodies left in the draft – he was another Top 30 visit, he’s another captain and someone who we’ve mocked to the Bengals here in the third round before. Here’s what we said:
“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 4, Pick 115
Erick All, TE; Iowa
Draft Grade: B+
Yep, another former captain and another top 30 visit player who’s lucky to be here after being rescued from a burning building as an infant. An Ohio HS kid, All committed to Michigan as the number-10 recruit out of the state and played there for four years as a bit-part player for the Wolverines. He transferred to TE factory Iowa after a dispute regarding a back/spine injury in 2022. Despite playing in only seven games (he missed the final seven with an ACL injury), All still led the team in receiving… albeit with only 299 yards. He’s an all-around TE, and when healthy can help inline, split out or as an H back. There are a few concerning drops on tape but overall he tracks the ball well and plays strong at the catch point. A solid TE2/3 type.
Round 5, Pick 149
Josh Newton, CB, TCU
Draft Grade: A
I really like the value here for yet another team captain. Newton is a transfer from small school Louisiana-Monroe, and had a productive two years for the Horned Frogs – he was named first or second-team All-Big 12 both seasons. He’s a super competitive and team-first type, with over 59 collegiate starts and a useful 512 special teams snaps.
Running a >4.5 40 time makes you worry when it comes to long speed but Newton is a super willing tackler and can play inside and outside. Keep him in short zone coverage and he’s going to do fine, a lovely back-up option to a weak corner depth chart this late in the draft.
Round 6, Pick 194
Tanner McLachlan, TE; Arizona
Draft Grade: A
Another guy we’ve mocked before, Canadian McLachlan is a 25-year-old with injury concerns (ACL and then recent core muscle surgery) but he certainly played like a man amongst boys, breaking Gronk’s Arizona TE reception record in just two years. Here’s what we said about him in our mock:
“Another TE, and weirdly, another Canadian one. I just couldn’t say no to a guy who broke Gronkowski’s Arizona receptions record for TEs. A converted WR and former basketball collegiate commit, McLachlin ran a 4.61 40 (fourth, 0.04 secs behind Johnson) this weekend and also posted the fourth-best vertical jump for the TE group. That combination of speed and vertical translates onto tape as does the high-point basketball heritage. McLachlin, a former Southern Utah Thunderbird, walked on at Arizona in 2022 and has ascended into a starting role where he shows fearlessness over the middle in traffic, helping his QB with an excellent QB rating when targeted of 108.3. In pass protection, he isn’t the finished article but did only give up four pressures and no sacks in the past year, per PFF.”
Round 6, Pick 214
Cedric Johnson, EDGE; Ole Miss
Draft Grade A-
There’s decent value here as we get a prospect who had three-plus sacks in all four of his collegiate seasons and won’t turn 22 until September. Another great locker room guy, Johnson was awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award given to the Ole Miss defensive player that ‘embodies courage leadership, perseverance and determination’. He has solid size and length at 6’3, 260 with 33” arms, which plays into both run and pass, but pass rush is where he gets his production. He’s an intriguing mix of tools who needs to work on a smoother, more varied pass-rush plan but could easily be added as a subpackage pass-rush player. You have to be happy with that level of ability and production this late into day three.
Round 7, Pick 224
Daijahn Anthony, S; Ole Miss
Draft Grade: B-
Back-to-back Ole Miss picks here. Daijahn Antony is a former no-star recruit who walked on at Div II school Shepherd before transferring to Liberty as a walk-on because of the cancelled Div II season due to COVID. He used his extra year of eligibility from the COVID break to transfer again in 2023 to play in the SEC where he led his team in interceptions and pass break-ups. A real gritty ‘lunch pail’ competitor, he only has 4.55 40 speed, which is again a concern, but Anthony is a guy who plays at full speed. Plus, he’s had snaps at boundary, nickel and safety DB roles. I’m just not sure how he makes this roster and he seems like a bit of a low-upside project for a late-round shot. I personally would’ve loved a project like NFL International Player Pathway’s Bayron Matos here.
Round 7, Pick 237
Matt Lee, OC; Miami
Draft Grade: A
I’m going to be a bit of a homer here and give this an A grade (I’ve mocked him on these pages before, the THIRD player I’ve mocked to the Bengals in our four mocks. JUST SAYIN’), but giving the gaping hole behind Karras this genuinely feels like a need even if he has not a super-high, long-term ceiling.
Here’s what we said about Lee: “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.”
Post Draft Overall Grade: B+
This was a really important draft for the Superbowl chances of this team and I think the future for a lot of these prospects is really exciting. BUT… I stop short of an A grade based on how few of these picks I think are immediate contributors. Additionally, the ceiling of a lot of our day three guys, who are mostly older prospects (something this class has a lot of due to the NIL changes returning a lot of kids to school), isn’t spectacular.
With all that being said, Mims could be a perennial Pro Bowler and Kris Jenkins should also be a pain for AFC North interior lineman. Burton has elite upside if he can mature and fit in with the Bengals culture, and a lot of the aforementioned day three guys can force their way into the 53 with impressive camps.
I do wish Duke and the gang were a bit more aggressive by using our later picks to trade up, especially given they didn’t shoot for project high upsides late on. Like many, I would’ve loved to have traded up for Byron Murphy or traded pick 97 to get Johnny Newton over Jenkins, for example.
But it is what it is (or rather, they are what they are). We are in a good place though, and this will be an interesting class to review come mid-season!
Bengals UK 
If they all stay injury free and reach their potential, this might be a historically good draft. But if they all are as injured in the pros as they were in college, this could make the 2015 class seem like an all-world team.