Mock draft season has been fun for Cincinnati Bengals fans.
Some mock drafts feature the Bengals passing on shocking names in Round 1. Other mock drafts see the Bengals getting aggressive with trades up. Overall, the Bengals target a pretty widespread list of names during the mock drafts, too.
The latest, courtesy of USA Today’s Tyler Dragon, has the Bengals staying put at No. 17 and still trying to fill the void left by DJ Reader’s departure with Michigan’s Kenneth Grant:
“The Bengals devoted a lot of resources on offense. They must get better on defense through the draft. DJ Reader’s departure in free agency last offseason was a significant loss. Grant is the type of player who can fill the void in the interior.”
The Bengals attempted to massage the loss of Reader last year with a committee approach that includes rookies Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson to mixed results. While the coaching staff isn’t giving up on either sophomore and brought back B.J. Hill in free agency, more help there is a must.
Whether the Bengals want to address the issue as early as Round 1 (and whether the board falls that way) remains to be seen. But he’d be yet another high-end talent who can potentially win interior matchups while offenses remain forced to focus on an edge presence like Trey Hendrickson.
Overall, like changing Dax Hill’s position multiple times after attempting to make him the successor to Jessie Bates, this is still the Bengals trying to make up for letting good players go. But it’s a corner they’ve backed themselves into right now and is a must.
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