Official Prediction: Here's Who the Bengals Are Taking With the 31st Pick in the 2022 NFL Draft

Cincinnati has the 31st overall pick in this year's draft.

Author:
James Rapien
Updated:
Apr 27, 2022 11:29 PM EDT
Original:
Apr 27, 2022

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have the 31st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

In a perfect world, guys like George Karlaftis, Daxton Hill, Kaair Elam, Andrew Booth Jr., Kyler Gordon and Tyler Linderbaum would all be available when the Bengals are on the clock on Thursday night.

Unfortunately for Cincinnati, most of those guys will probably be off the board by the time it's their turn to pick.

If at least 3-4 of those guys are still on the board, then they may consider trading down to add an extra mid-round pick in this year's draft.

If they keep the pick, then they'll probably take a cornerback. This is the same organization that used their first round pick on a corner in five of 11 drafts from 2006-16 (Johnathan Joseph, Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson III).

Since the Bengals are picking 31st this year, here are the three cornerbacks I think they're hoping are still on the board when they're on the clock.

Andrew Booth Jr.

Andrew Booth celebrate smile — © Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bengals brought Booth in for a top-30 visit and could have them near the top of the board out of the realistic candidates that may be there at 31.

He's got good ball skills, tracks the ball well in coverage and isn't afraid to make a big hit. He has dealt with injuries and didn't go through pre-draft workouts.

Despite that, the Bengals take Booth with the 31st overall pick if he's available on Thursday night, assuming the medical team clears him. If not, they'll go with Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.

For more on Booth, watch our film breakdown here.

Kaiir Elam

If Booth is already gone, then Elam could be the Bengals' guy. Elam might have the highest ceiling of the cornerbacks they could realistically take in round one.

He has good size, excels in man coverage and ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, which shows he has the speed the Bengals look for in their cornerbacks.

For more on Elam, watch our film breakdown here.

Kyler Gordon

If Booth and Elam are both gone, the Bengals could still take a cornerback. Even if Tyler Linderbaum is staring at them, I think they pass on the star center and take Gordon.

The 22-year-old is a tough, physical player that isn't afraid to deliver big hits. He's a high-end athlete, even though he ran a 4.52 40-yard dash. He's quick, has good hands and is certainly on the Bengals' radar.

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