Identifying Best Approach For Bengals in First Round of 2023 NFL Draft
CINCINNATI — The 2023 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away and one thing is absolutely certain about the Bengals' approach with the 28th overall pick: They have to take the best player available.
There has been plenty of talk about positional value, the need for a long-term answer at right tackle, how important it would be to bolster the pass rush, etc.
In a vacuum, most of the pre-draft topics are accurate.
Taking a running back or tight end in the first round isn't necessarily the best use of resources.
From Eric Ebron to Hayden Hurst and Noah Fant—there are s plenty of first round tight ends that haven't lived up to expectations. The same can be said for running back, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Rashad Penny and Sony Michel being recent examples of first rounders being overdrafted.
Using that history to completely rule out those positions would be foolish for the Bengals.
Why?
They aren't in an advantageous spot. They don’t control the draft the way they did in 2020. They don’t have the fifth overall pick like they did in 2021.
They experienced this in last year’s draft. Drafting at the end of each round can be brutal. It's why they traded up twice to secure Cam Taylor-Britt in round two and Tycen Anderson in round five.
With the 28th pick this year, the Bengals have to take the top player on their board.
Maybe it'll be a cornerback or defensive lineman. Offensive line is certainly in play. They would love to land a future star right tackle in the first round.
And despite all of the discourse, tight end and running back will both be considered, depending on which players make it to 28.
That is the correct approach. Recent history hasn't been kind to the 28th pick. Why would anyone want the Bengals to box themselves into a corner?
Check out every 28th pick since 2010:
It's an interesting list. It also shows that the Bengals can't focus on one position.
If Texas running back Bijan Robinson is there, he's going to be the best player available. Don't hesitate because he's a running back—sprint to the podium and laugh at the rest of the league for letting him fall to the end of the first round.
If they believe Michael Mayer, Dalton Kincaid or Darnell Washington can make their offense better and one of those guys is at the top of their board, no one should criticize them for taking one of the top tight ends in this class.
It's hard enough to pick the right guy at 28. Past history proves it.
Being loyal to the draft board is they key.
If Kincaid is the 15th player on their board and Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee is 25th, should the Bengals take the defensive lineman? There's a reason they have Kincaid ranked 10 spots higher.
That's purely a hypothetical, but it's a potential dilemma they could face on draft night.
If the Bengals want to nail the 28th pick, they'll take the best player available, just like they did a year ago when they picked Dax Hill.
That guy could be Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Maybe it will be Bresee or Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.
Cincinnati has needs, but they shouldn't reach at 28. Instead, use the same approach that helped them pick Ja'Marr Chase with the fifth pick in 2021 and Hill last year.
Taking the best player available has worked for the Bengals in the past and it should work again on draft night.
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