The Best of the Rest: Options aplenty for the Bengals in round two
The Cincinnati Bengals got their man on Thursday night when they selected Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The team committed nearly $150 million to eight free agents this offseason in hopes of surrounding their new quarterback with the talent he needs to succeed. They'll look to continue that process on Friday during the second and the third-round of the draft.
The Bengals are on the clock. They have the first pick of round two (33rd overall).
"The first pick of the second day. You get a lot of time to think about it," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said earlier this week. "There's going to be some really good players there that we probably have first-round grades on. It'll just be exciting to see how it all shakes out."
There are multiple players still remaining that were expected to be long gone by the time the Cincinnati was on the clock. Here are the top candidates for the Bengals at No. 33:
Josh Jones, OT, Houston — Most analysts believed Jones was going to be a first-round pick. He excels in pass protection and should be at or near the top of the Bengals' board. He's a high-end athlete that works best when he's on the move. He isn't a perfect prospect. Offensive line coach Jim Turner will have to work with him to improve his technique. They would also have to decide where he would play. Jonah Williams is set to be the starting left tackle after missing all of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury. Jones made 45 starts at left tackle during his four years at Houston. Williams did play right and left tackle at Alabama. Jones fills a need, but is he the top player on the Bengals' board?
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor — Mims had a great offseason to help boost his draft stock. He was impressive at the Senior Bowl and ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Most thought his rise would land him in the first-round. Instead, he's on the board and the Bengals are on the clock. Current Bengals wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell was his wide receivers coach at Baylor in 2017.
Mims averaged a career-high 17.8 yards-per-catch under Bicknell and finished his college career with 186 catches for 2,925 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has great size at 6'3", 207 pounds. He's explosive and has all of the physical traits necessary to be a great NFL wide receiver.
“Each guy has a different set of attributes, whether it's size or speed or inside/outside guy,” Taylor said earlier this week. “There's a healthy amount of players there that a lot of teams can view differently. We know we've got our order at that position."
Mims is at or near the top of their board. He's a great fit for the Bengals and it's reasonable to think he could be the pick.
A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa — Epenesa may be the highest rated player on the Bengals' board going into day two. Edge rusher is a sneaky need with Carl Lawson in the final year of his contract. Lance Zierlein compares Epenesa to Carlos Dunlap, who has been one of the best Bengals' draft picks over the past decade. Dunlap, 31, has two years left on his contract. Epenesa isn't the athlete that Dunlap is and could end up being a defensive tackle in the NFL.
Epenesa finished last season with 49 tackles (14.5 for loss), 11.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. He was a second-team Associated Press All-American. Most evaluators believe Epenesa's sack production will translate to the NFL.
Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah — Johnson is a press-man cornerback with good length and ball skills. Some thought he would be picked in the first-round. Johnson underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in early March.
He tested well at the combine and has the physicality to matchup with bigger wide receivers in the NFL. Much like edge rusher, cornerback is a sneaky need for the Bengals.
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson — Higgins is a big, physical wide receiver that the Bengals could target in the second-round. He was a top-25 player on most boards and 30th on SI's big board.
He finished with 27 touchdowns in 37 games and has the size the Bengals are looking for at 6-4, 215 pounds. If Taylor wants to add a weapon for Joe Burrow, Higgins could be his man.
Yetur Gross-Matos (YEE-tore gross mah-toes), DE, Penn State — Gross-Matos is another pass rusher that was supposed to be off the board by this stage of the draft. He may have the highest ceiling of any of the players on this list. He compiled 94 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks over the last two seasons at Penn State.
Evaluators believe he's solid against the run, but could develop into an elite pass rusher. He has the speed, power and athleticism to be a problem for opposing quarterbacks at the next level.
