After a good opening two days to the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bengals looked to keep it going on day 3. They had 5 selections, one of which being acquired from the Chiefs in a trade that saw the Bengals move down a few spots in the 3rd.
Their opening pick on day 3 came in the 4th round. It was the 131st overall pick, which they used on WR Charlie Jones.
This was my pre-draft writeup on Jones:
Jones was my 26th ranked WR. While I do think he *can* play on the outside at the next level, I maintain that the slot is his highest and best use. On the inside, he won’t face so much press coverage, and more free releases will play right into his strengths as a route runner.
This pick also seems to be in preparation for life without Tyler Boyd, who is entering the final year of his deal. With Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Burrow all in need of extensions pretty soon, we knew there would be some familiar faces leaving. Jones will get the chance to work behind Boyd for a year, and hopefully be ready to fill in next season.
With their 5th round pick, 163rd overall, the Bengals selected RB Chase Brown.
This was my pre-draft writeup on Brown:
He was my 15th ranked RB in this class. It is clear that he checks some of the main boxes for what the Bengals were looking for – speed, receiving ability, and pass protection.
Brown’s speed and ability to catch passes out of the backfield stand out on tape. His pass protection… not so much. However, what he did show plenty of in pass protection was a strong willingness to do the job. Most college RB’s aren’t great in protection, but having the willingness to do it gives you the foundation to build on.
Moving on to the 6th round, the Bengals added another WR, using pick 206 on Andrei Iosivas.
This was my pre-draft writeup on Iosivas.
Iosivas was my 17th ranked WR in this class.
It is a bit harder to pinpoint the thought process behind this pick, as there are a number of different angles that the Bengals could have been coming from. Iosivas is a very different player from Jones. Perhaps they wanted to diversify the skill sets they have in their depth spots. Or, given his combination of size and speed, it is not unreasonable to believe that he was simply just at the top of their draft board when their pick came up, and he was a “BPA” selection. Regardless of the thought process, the Bengals are getting someone with intriguing tools to work with.
The Bengals had two picks in the 6th round, the second of which they used to address the special teams unit. With the 217th overall pick, they drafted P Brad Robbins.
This was my pre-draft writeup on Robbins.
He was my 3rd ranked P in this class.
The thought process in taking Robbins over one of the higher rated names is pretty clear. The Bengals were looking for a specific skill set after a bad punt by Drue Chrisman, in last year’s AFC Championship, proved to be costly. The thing they were looking for is hang time.
Robbins is rated behind some of the other P’s in this draft because he doesn’t have the booming leg that they do, and will have a harder time flipping the field when pinned in his own territory. However, last year, Drue Chrisman struggled with hang time. His line drive punts usually had good distance, but he did not give the special teams unit enough time to get down the field, and some big returns were given up. So now, the Bengals draft someone who is the opposite. Doesn’t really have a booming leg, but he gets good hang time on his punts, and shows good accuracy as a directional punter.
In camp, Robbins will technically “compete” with Chrisman for the job. But it would be a huge surprise if he is not punting for the Bengals in week 1, barring injury.
Their final pick in the draft came in the 7th round, 246th overall. They selected CB DJ Ivey.
Ivey isn’t someone I scouted pre-draft, so I can’t speak much about the pick at this time. I do know that he had met with the Bengals at some point before the draft. An analysis of his game will be included in the article I will be doing in the coming weeks on the Bengals UDFA class.
