What Bengals rookie not named Joe Burrow will have the biggest impact this season?
Joe Burrow was the obvious headliner in the Bengals' 2020 draft class.
The 23-year-old quarterback is expected to hit the ground running in Week 1, but what rookie besides Burrow will make an immediate impact for the Bengals this season?
The first name that comes to mind is second-round pick Tee Higgins, but the Bengals are loaded at wide receiver. He isn’t going to get a lot of targets this year unless there are multiple injuries. He should be competent as a rookie, but don't expect crazy numbers from him statistically.
Logan Wilson is the rookie that should have the biggest impact [outside of Burrow] this season. Wilson was a reliable three-down linebacker at Wyoming. He's an athletic, intelligent football player that should produce right away in Cincinnati.
Linebacker was a position of need for the Bengals heading into the 2020 offseason. Wilson was one of the headliners of the new group brought in to fix their issues. He should see a solid amount of field time in year one, playing alongside Germaine Pratt and veteran Josh Bynes.
Another player that could make an immediate impact is fourth-round pick Akeem Davis-Gaither. The former Appalachian State linebacker was projected to go much higher, but fell in the draft due to a knee injury. The 22-year-old is an athletic linebacker with big play potential. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is expected to move him around this season. He excels as a blitzer off the edge and arguably the best athlete Cincinnati drafted.
The Bengals fifth and sixth-round picks were Khalid Kareem and Hakeem Adeniji. They could both play this season, but it would be a surprise if they had more of an impact than Wilson, Higgins or Davis-Gaither.
Linebacker Markus Bailey was expected to be selected much earlier in the draft, but due to two torn ACL’s, he had to wait until the Bengals called in the seventh-round. He's an ultra-talented player with great coverage skills. If he can stay healthy, Bailey could be one of the biggest sleeper picks of the draft.
The rookie Bengal most likely to make the biggest impact in year one will surely be Burrow, but aside from the top pick, Wilson will likely step in and contribute immediately for Cincinnati.
