The Cincinnati Bengals have had major struggles at defensive tackle over the past few seasons including the loss of elite nose tackle D.J. Reader. Reader was an outstanding player who left the organization during the free agency window and left the team without a legitimate option after the team was terrible against the run last season. The organization was in desperate need of a solid player on the interior and was almost guaranteed to grab one during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati Bengals Draft Prodigy During the 2024 NFL Draft
The Cincinnati Bengals just made the decision to draft NFL royalty when they selected the University of Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins II with the 49th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Last season, Jenkins finished the season as a third-team All-American and started all 15 games for the national championship run last season. He managed to log 37 tackles. 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and an interception last season. While it isn’t an official accolade, it should be noted that Jenkins was a captain for Michigan last season as well.
Jenkins has demonstrated that he has plenty of motor and athleticism to be a solid starter at the NFL level. Obviously, his father being an All-Pro NFL defensive tackle certainly doesn’t hurt but he has some serious limitations. First, Jenkins has a fairly small frame at 6’3″ and 299 pounds as a defensive tackle. At that small size, he likely won’t be able to step in and be an NFL-caliber nose tackle and would certainly be an undersized 3-technique. That means that he is going to struggle against double teams and the leverage that short, stocky offensive guards would have against him.
Although he doesn’t have the perfect build for an NFL defensive tackle, Jenkins put up some outstanding plays last season at a Wolverine. His highlight tape from UM’s national championship season is shown below.
While Jenkins will need to add some weight in order to become the nose tackle of the future in Cincinnati,, he is going to be able to step in and be a talented player straight out of the gate. He is an extremely talented player who will likely split reps with incumbent starter B.J. Hill and fresh free agent Sheldon Rankins. It will be interesting to see how the snap count varies amongst these three players heading into the season.
Cincinnati is in the midst of a defensive renaissance after their squad has struggled on that side of the ball over the past few seasons. With the addition of last season’s first two picks defensive end Myles Murphy and defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt, this is going to be an interesting unit next season with Jenkins dominating on the interior. Hopefully, Jenkins will come in and be able to make an immediate impact on this roster next season and hopefully lead this team to another Super Bowl.
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