The 2023 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27 as the first round picks are announced. The second and third rounds take place on Friday, and the whole thing wraps up with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday. TGH will be taking a quick look at the first few picks for some teams, and shedding some light on what direction they will go. Here is the Cincinnati Bengals NFL Draft profile for 2023.
Team Needs
The Cincinnati Bengals, for the second year in a row, made a deep playoff run only to be let down due to their offensive line. They’ve done some work in free agency to fix it (including signing Orlando Brown), but drafting more offensive lineman might be a must with the way this unit falls apart in the playoffs. They’ve also lost big pieces in the back end of their defense and at tight end that they need to replace quickly to return to the Super Bowl.
First Round
Pick #28: Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
This pick is entirely dependent on who falls to the Bengals at the end of the first round. If there’s a surprise run on lineman, they might want to take advantage of the highly-touted top-end tight ends being available. If the tight ends leave the board, they’re better off grabbing a (healthy) guy to protect Joe Burrow.
For this exercise, the Bengals are going with Darnell Washington. Not only is he an athletic pass catching prospect, but the man is massive and can be coached up to be another lineman if the opponents’ defensive package gets a bit too heavy on the fly. This seems like a can’t-miss kind of pick if he lives up to his pass catching ability.
Second Round
Pick #60: Jammie Robinson, S, FSU
Again, the Bengals need to play the board here. Take the best available safety or offensive lineman, depending on who is left. No need to really overthink the early stages of the draft given the team is looking to fill holes for a chance at a Super Bowl.
Jammie Robinson played in double-digit games in all three of his seasons at Florida State. He’s taken a fair amount of snaps in the box and is perfectly suited to play deep. The lack of turnovers may be a hurdle to overcome, but defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can steer him in the right direction there. Overall a good replacement for Jessie Bates.
Third Round
Pick #92: Jarrett Patterson, IOL, Notre Dame
Hard to envision a Notre Dame offensive lineman sliding all the way down to the third round, but the Bengals may get that lucky this year.
Patterson is a run-blocking beast that may be slow on his feet, but starts to make up for that with his impressive skill set and intelligence on the field. He may need to take a lot of snaps at both guard and center to truly live up to his combo G/C potential in the NFL, but if he gets the work, he could earn his keep as an above average backup this year.
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