Last week I did my first mock draft of the offseason, and this is now my second. As I mentioned in last week’s article, I plan on going over a number of different scenarios as the offseason progresses. My first mock featured TE Brock Bowers in the 1st round, but this one will pivot to the other side of the ball, focusing on the interior pass rush.
Rd 1, Pk 18: DT – Byron Murphy
Murphy is one of my favourite prospects in this year’s draft. He isn’t the biggest guy, but he is not lacking in strength either. Enough is there to handle himself against the run. But where he makes his money is as a pass rusher. Murphy is a fast, twitched up athlete, whose ability to penetrate will cause problems for offenses at the next level.
Rd 2, Pk 49: DT – T’Vondre Sweat
Sweat makes his second straight appearance. I will be varying my NT selections as I go along, but he was on the board, and decided to take him again in this mock draft. The Bengals have big shoes to fill after losing DJ Reader in free agency. Sweat has the potential to become a high end player at his position pretty early on.
Rd 3, Pk 80: OT – Patrick Paul
Paul is an upside pick in the 3rd round. His technique needs work, and I don’t know if he is a plug and play rookie. But luckily for the Bengals, newly signed OT Trent Brown gives them the chance to take a rookie along slowly. Paul brings a ton of power and strength, as well as a long reach that will make things difficult for any opponent. His plus athleticism further adds to the upside, but he’ll need to clean things up in order to reach his full potential.
Rd 3, Pk 97: WR – Roman Wilson
Wilson brings a lot of speed to the WR room, something that has been lacking for quite a while. Though Higgins might be traded, it seems more likely that he will suit up for the Bengals this season. If that happens, Wilson can slide inside to the slot, and potentially serve as Higgins’ replacement in the future if a long term deal isn’t reached. Or if they do happen to trade Higgins, Wilson can replace him on the outside. His speed, precise route running, and good hands should allow him to be productive as a rookie if he gets the playing time.
Rd 4, Pk 115: G – Zak Zinter
Zinter makes his second mock draft appearance on this site. The Bengals are in need of iOL depth. Zinter is coming off of a season ending injury suffered late last year, and seems to be falling as a result. Passing up this value would be tough. He brings size and strength to the table, and is someone who should be a starter at the next level.
Rd 5, Pk 149: C – Drake Nugent
Nugent is the third straight player in this mock draft to come out of the National Champion MIchigan offence. He is lacking in length and may have some leverage issues at the next level. However, he is a strong player and anchors pretty well. The Bengals are in desperate need of C depth behind Ted Karras. Trey Hill hasn’t done anything to suggest he could competently fill in if Karras goes down. Nugent would help out their depth.
Rd 6, Pk 194: TE – Tanner McLachlan
McLachlan has a much earlier grade from me, but the hype doesn’t seem to be there in the national media or around the league. But he would be a steal this late. McLachlan has good hands and a large catch radius, as well as the athleticism to threaten down the field. He is coming along as a blocker, but has room to add muscle to his frame, which would help him improve in this area.
Rd 6, Pk 214: CB – Nehemiah Pritchett
Pritchett is a size/speed outside CB prospect with the ability to play in man and zone coverage. He isn’t the twitchiest player, and his run support will need work, but he has enough to work with and could potentially develop into a starter down the road. Pritchett’s play at the Senior Bowl was impressive, which is something that should help his stock in the upcoming draft.
Rd 7, Pk 224: DT – Myles Murphy
This mock draft would certainly make the Bengals DL unit interesting. Two Murphys in this draft, and another one named Myles, to go along with last year’s 1st round pick. This year’s Murphy was a bit underwhelming as a college prospect. However, he impressed at the East-West Shrine Game, showing good power and flashing some athleticism that isn’t always evident in his game on tape. The question is, can he keep the upward momentum going?
Rd 7, Pk 237: OT – Caedan Wallace
Wallace has average traits and some technical issues to clean up, but doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses that would prevent him from becoming a solid depth piece with some development. He has enough strength to handle power, and some speed to block in space. Wallace isn’t the best lateral mover and his length won’t be tipping leverage battles in his favour, but he is someone who could bring solid depth and some outside/inside positional versatility.
