Who Will Bengals Pick? Sans Shares First and Only 2023 NFL Mock Draft

Cincinnati has seven selections in this year's draft.

Author:
Mike Santagata
Publish date:
Apr 25, 2023 7:06 AM EDT

In this story:

Drafting late in the first round makes it very difficult to predict what the Bengals will do this year. The draft is unpredictable and that statement rings especially true for this year.

Many anonymous scouts, general managers, and other people within the league have been saying that this is a weaker draft class. That adds extra uncertainty to the draft and even in strong years it is nearly impossible to predict.

The most accurate experts are typically wrong within the first five picks and only hit on about 10 picks total. With that said, it's still an interesting exercise to see if anyone can predict what will happen within the draft.

Here are my predictions for the Bengals' 2023 draft class:

Round 1, Pick 28: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

Mar 3, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Mississippi State defensive back Emmanuel Forbes (DB12) participates in drills at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Forbes has picked up quite a bit of steam as a potential pick for the Bengals in round one. It makes sense with Chidobe Awuzie entering the final year of his contract only has one year left on his contract and cornerback being a strength of this draft class.

Forbes has insane ball skills and is one of the most productive cornerbacks that has ever come out of college football. He could fall to 28 (and farther) because he weighed in about 20 pounds lighter (166) than teams would like. Currently, he is 35th on the consensus big board with an average ranking of 41st and the ESPN simulator gives him about a 60% chance of being available at the 28th pick.

The Bengals have met with Forbes twice and it seems like more of the smoke is that they are interested in him rather than them having a ton of questions about him. Mike Potts, director of player personnel for the Bengals, said that he is looking for players that affect the quarterback.

That is quite a wide range of players as it could be rushing the passer, covering receivers, picking the ball off, catching the ball, or protecting the quarterback. Not exactly narrowing the field, but it may hint towards their valuation of some of these top guys. Forbes certainly has an effect on the quarterback and opposing offenses.

Honorable Mentions:

Myles Murphy (EDGE), Bryan Bresee (IDL), Michael Mayer (TE), Dalton Kincaid (TE), Jahmyr Gibbs (RB)

Round 2, Pick 60: Sam LaPorta, Tight End, Iowa

LaPorta is a smaller tight end in this draft, but don't discredit him because of it. He returned for his senior season after a 670 yard campaign in his junior year so that he could be a captain for the Hawkeyes. If that doesn't scream "Cincinnati Bengals draft target" then I don't know what would. He was essentially their only option on offense and was still able to produce at a high level. Despite the helmet, he's more of a receiver than a blocker at this moment in time. LaPorta is 59th on the consensus big board with an average ranking of 59. According to the ESPN simulator, he has just under a 50% chance of being available.

The Bengals have reportedly met with nine tight ends during this draft cycle and clearly have quite a bit of interest in the position. LaPorta is one of three players at the position to meet with the Bengals twice though and the other two are first round picks. If there is anything to take away from that it's that the Bengals will be taking a tight end in this draft. The only question is where it could happen. LaPorta would make quite a bit of sense at pick 60 if he falls that far.

Honorable Mentions:

Dawand Jones (RT), Tucker Kraft (TE), Isaiah Foskey (EDGE), Tuli Tuipulotu (EDGE), Keeanu Benton (IDL), Zach Charbonnet (RB)

Round 3, Pick 92: Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas

Oct 1, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Roschon Johnson (2) runs for yards during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports — Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Johnson is going to be a favorite among coaches. He was named a captain for the 2022 season, which the Bengals seem to value quite a bit. Johnson is the best pass protector in the class and a pretty good receiver as well. He's not a bad runner either, but he's not an elite athlete. This evaluation sounds an awful lot like Samaje Perine, who played a big role for the Bengals last season. Johnson is currently 99th on the consensus big board and has about a 62% chance of being available according to the ESPN simulator.

Brian Callahan mentioned on Locked On Bengals that they are looking for a guy to complement Joe Mixon as a runner. They're looking for a back who can catch the ball and pass protect. They'll take the juice in the run game, but they're thinking about Mixon as the feature piece in the backfield.

Honorable Mention:

Isaiah McGuire (EDGE), Zach Harrison (EDGE), Gervon Dexter (IDL), Jonathan Mingo (WR), Tyjae Spears (RB), Darius Rush (CB)

Round 4, Pick 131: Andrei Iosivas, WR, Princeton

Iosivas is not a very well known prospect. He's a big wide receiver at 6-3, 205 pounds. He thrived on the outside while at Princeton as a vertical threat, but still played 15% of his snaps in the slot.

His elite agility scores also indicate that he may be able to be used more in the slot at the NFL level as well. He's currently the 152nd player on the consensus big board, but ESPN only gives him a 61% chance of being available at this point in the draft. He also was told by his agent he's currently a third or fourth round pick.

The Bengals love wide receivers with size and athleticism. With Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins's futures undetermined, they will most likely look to find another guy in this draft. They met with Iosivas twice with both a top 30 visit and virtually during the per-draft process, which is a clear sign that they're interested in Iosivas. indicating quite a bit of interest. They are not afraid of the small school fourth round pick that's lower on the consensus big board either with Cordell Volson being the most recent example.

Honorable Mentions:

Ricky Stromberg (IOL), Yaya Diaby (EDGE), Moro Ojomo (IDL), Parker Washington (WR), Josh Whyle (TE), Ivan Pace (LB)

Round 5, Pick 163: Keondre Coburn, DT, Texas

Texas defensive lineman Keondre Coburn (99) celebrates as Oklahoma quarterback Davis Beville (11) is helped up after a sack during the Longhorns' 49-0 win Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. cover main — © BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coburn weighed in at a beefy 332 pounds at the combine. He actually moves fairly well for a nose tackle with a 52nd percentile relative athletic score, which is compared to all defensive tackles and not just nose tackles.

Coburn not only played well against the run, but did a solid job as a pass rusher as well. He's currently the 164th player on the consensus big board. ESPN gives him a 62% chance of falling to the Bengals in round five.

They want to add another nose tackle. DJ Reader plays such a vital role on the team, but they are currently spelling him with Josh Tupou or a guy who is best suited as a 3 technique. They tried to address the issue with Tyler Shelvin a few years ago, but it didn't work out. Sadly, Reader's future is also in question as he enters the last year of his contract.

Honorable Mentions:

Charlie Jones (WR), Warren McClendon (OT), Cameron Latu (TE), Kobie Turner (IDL), Mike Morris (EDGE), Juice Scruggs (IOL)

Round 6, Pick 206: Jarrett Patterson, C, Notre Dame

Patterson is a two time captain for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He's an experienced player at the pivot who has some good size for the position. He's currently 142nd on the consensus big board, which makes this seem like a steal, but the ESPN simulator gives him an 85% chance of being available at pick 206. This could be a match made in heaven as he falls to a team that values his leadership and captain status more than others.

Callahan hinted that they may be looking more towards interior guys during his appearance on Locked on Bengals. This pick would match up with those comments.

Honorable Mentions:

Nick Broeker (IOL), Jalen Moreno-Cropper (WR), Chris Rodriguez (RB), Aidan O'Connell (QB), Ronnie Hickman Jr (S), Carrington Valentine (CB)

Round 7, Pick 246: Michael Turk, P, Oklahoma

Turk from Oklahoma is my personal choice for a punter in this class. He's 25 years old, but he's 6-0 tall and a buff 234 pounds. He did 25 bench press reps of 225 at the combine and ran a 4.83 40 yard dash. He's a former safety that became a punter. His 2021 season was insanity on a college football field and while he took a dip in 2022, it can be explained some by a change in the ball and Oklahoma's punting scheme.

Trying to predict a seven round pick is nearly impossible. If I nail this pick I will not shut up about it. The Bengals are clearly interested in bringing in some competition for their punter room. Due to only having seven picks (for now), they will most likely wait until the seventh round or try to sign a priority free agent punter to compete with Drue Chrisman.

Honorable Mentions:

Bryce Baringer (P), Brad Robbins (P), Ethan Evans (P), Colby Sorsdal (OT), Antoine Green (WR), Camerun Peoples (RB)

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