Ranking the Cincinnati Bengals' Last 10 Draft Classes: 5-1

Earlier we looked at the Cincinnati Bengals last draft classes and listed the ones ranked 10 through 6.

Today we’ll look at the top 5.

None of them are going to push to break into the top 5 of the league in any given year, but you can see how a couple of good drafts back-to-back set the stage for the run to Super Bowl 56.

Doing that again in 2026 and 2027 could go a long way in extending the team’s Super Bowl window with Joe Burrow.

Here Is the list:

WR Tyler Boyd Was the Big Win In the Bengals' 2016 Class

No. 5: 2016

1R – William Jackson, CB (5 seasons, 59 games, 48 starts)

2R – Tyler Boyd, WR (8 seasons, 120 games, 77 starts)

3R – Nick Vigil, LB (4 seasons, 54 games, 37 starts)

4R – Andrew Billings, DT (3 seasons, 47 games, 37 starts)

5R – Christian Westerman, G (2 seasons, 16 games, 2 starts)

6R – Cody Core, WR (3 seasons, 35 games, 7 starts)

7R – Clayton Fejedelem, S (4 seasons, 64 games, 6 starts)

This was a tough class to grade. Jackson was fine, but much more was expected as a first-round pick. He was out of the league two years after leaving Cincinnati.

Boyd was a really good second-round selection.

Vigil never materialized into anything special, although he did end the run of absolute whiffs with third-round linebackers.

Billings is still active as has put together a solid career, and Fejedelem was one of the Bengals’ best special teams players this century.

Four of the seven picks played at least 100 games, and as a whole, the group combined for 608. With 308 starts.

Second Contracts: Boyd signed a four-year, $43 million extension in 2019 shortly after Zac Taylor arrived.

Jackson got the fifth-year option, and then the Commanders gave him a three-year, $40.5 million extension in 2021. But they traded him to Pittsburgh midway through 2020, and he never played another game.

Pro Bowls: 0

Games Played for Team: 395

Starts for Team: 214

Game Played Overall: 608

Starts Overall: 308

The 2023 Bengals Draft Class Continues to Ascend

Oct 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II (20) gestures toward his bench as he walks off the field with an apparent injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

No. 4: 2023

1R – Myles Murphy, Edge (3 years, 47 games, 10 starts)

2R – DJ Turner II, CB (3 seasons, 45 games, 34 starts)

3R – Jordan Battle, S (3 seasons, 51 games, 30 starts)

4R – Charlie Jones, WR (3 seasons, 33 games, 0 starts)

5R – Chase Brown, RB (3 seasons, 45 games, 27 starts)

6R – Andrei Iosivas, WR (3 seasons, 50 games, 18 starts)

7R – Brad Robbins, P (1 season, 17 games)

7R – DJ Ivey, CB ( 3 seasons, 36 games, 0 starts)

Another one in the “jury’s still out” category, the 2023 class got off to a slow start but received a significant bump in evaluation with the way most of them played in 2025.

It was a close call between this class and the one at No. 3 on the list.

Turner is closing in on Pro Bowl caliber, and the light appears to have come on for Murphy.

Battle had some awful missed tackles last year, but every single member of the organization spoke glowingly about his improvement in the second half of the season last year.

Brown has a chance to be one of the best fifth round picks in franchise history, up there with Marvin Jones, Al Beauchamp, Kevin Huber, Pat McInally and Evan McPherson.

And signs point to Iosivas not yet hitting his ceiling.

This is another one where five to 10 years from now, this class could be in the running to be one of the best if each of these players continue to ascend.

Second Contracts: None …. yet (all are currently eligible).

Pro Bowls: 0 … yet

Games Played for Team: 324

Starts for Team: 119

Game Played Overall:

Starts Overall: 119

Despite John Ross Whiff, the Bengals' 2017 Draft Was Solid

RB Joe Mixon: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Cincinnati Bengals) | Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK

No. 3: 2017

1R – John Ross, WR (4 seasons, 27 games, 20 starts)

2R – Joe Mixon, RB (7 seasons, 97 games, 88 starts)

3R – Jordan Willis, Edge (2 seasons, 32 games, 2 starts)

4R – Carl Lawson, Edge (4 seasons, 51 games, 14 starts)

4R – Josh Malone, WR (2 seasons, 20 games, 7 starts)

4R – Ryan Glasgow, DT (3 seasons, 24 games, 3 starts)

5R – Jake Elliott, K (0 seasons, 0 games)

6R – JJ Dielman, C (0 seasons, 0 games)

6R – Jordan Evans, LB (5 seasons, 65 games, 9 starts)

6R – Brandon Wilson, S (5 seasons, 60 games, 3 starts)

7R – Mason Schreck, LB (4 seasons, 23 games, 1 start)

There are some really good picks in this class, but the Ross selection drags the entire group down.

Mixon, despite the messy end to his Cincinnati career, provided great value as a second-round pick, including four 1,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl. He added another 1,000-yard season and Pro Bowl with the Texans in 2024.

Willis’ time in Cincinnati was unspectacular, but he went on to play another four seasons after leaving.

Lawson, like Mixon, was a value pick, and Elliott was one of the best kickers in the league early in his career.

Again, ignore the decision to expose him on the practice squad and lose him. The pick itself was strong.

A subtle strong point of this class is the production of two six-rounders in Evans and Wilson.

This class, which still has a few players active, has combined to play in 658 NFL games.

Second Contracts: Mixon signed a four-year, $48 million extension in 2020, but the Bengals experienced some buyer’s remorse and later asked him to take a pay cut and eventually cut him before the contract ran its course.

Lawson got a second contract with the Jets for $45 million over three years.

Elliott signed a five-year, $19.8 million extension with the Eagles 2019.

Pro Bowls: Mixon (one with Bengals, one with Texans), Elliott (one with Eagles)

Games Played for Team: 399

Starts for Team: 147

Game Played Overall: 658

Starts Overall: 183

Chase Single-Handedly Carrying Bengals' 2021 Class

No. 2: 2021

1R – Ja’Marr Chase, WR (5 seasons, 78 games, 77 starts)

2R – Jackson Carman, OT (3 seasons, 22 games, 6 starts)

3R – Joseph Ossai, Edge (5 seasons, 61 games, 12 starts)

4R – Cam Sample, DL (5 seasons, 61 games, 5 starts)

4R – Tyler Shelvin, DT (2 seasons, 5 games, 0 starts)

5R – Evan McPherson, K (5 seasons, 78 games)

6R – Trey Hill, C (4 seasons, 25 games, 3 starts)

6R – Chris Evans, RB (3 seasons, 34 games, 1 start)

7R – Wyatt Hubert, DE (0 seasons)

Talk about all or nothing.

Chase was a grand slam and enough to vault an otherwise so-so group littered with a couple of massive busts into the No. 2 spot.

Carman and Shelvin are among the most embarrassing Bengals picks this century.

Yes, worse than Burton.

Ossai was a solid double, and while McPherson had one rocky season, the Bengals don’t make Super Bowl 56 without him.

Of course, the same could be said about Chase.

McPherson has rediscovered his mojo and could end up being an even better pick than he currently looks to be.

Second Contracts: Ja’Marr Chase became the highest-paid not-quarterback in the league last year when he signed for four years and $161 million.

McPherson cashed in with a three-year, $16.5 million deal in 2024.

Pro Bowls: 5 (all by Chase)

Games Played for Team: 364

Starts for Team: 104

Game Played Overall: 372

Starts Overall: 105

Burrow, Higgins Make 2020 Class a No-Brainer for Top Spot

Joe Burrow and Tee Higgin — Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) and quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrate a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Broncos at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. | The Enquirer/Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 1: 2020

1R – Joe Burrow, QB (6 seasons, 77 games, 77 starts)

2R – Tee Higgins, WR (6 seasons, 85 games, 76 starts)

3R – Logan Wilson, LB (6 seasons, 76 games 65 starts)

4R – Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB (5 seasons, 71 games, 11 starts)

5R – Khalid Kareem, Edge (2 seasons, 23 games, 1 start)

6R – Hakeem Adeniji, OT (3 seasons, 39 games, 15 starts)

7R – Markus Bailey, LB (4 seasons, 60 games, 4 starts)

I mean, the list could be blank after Burrow, and it would still be in the running for No. 1.

But you add in Higgins, who is still borderline elite, and Wilson, who was a great pick until injuries cost him a step and forced him out of the league.

Even Davis-Gaither had a solid Cincinnati career for a fourth-round pick and is still producing elsewhere.

And 60 games for a seventh-round linebacker makes the Bailey pick a good one as well.

Second Contracts: Burrow five years for $275 million; Higgins four years for $115 million; Wilson four years for $36 million.

Pro Bowls: 4 (Burrow three, Higgins one)

Games Played for Team: 431

Starts for Team: 249

Game Played Overall: 483

Starts Overall: 264

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 63,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.