After the conclusion of the Super Bowl and another victory for their biggest interdivisional rival, the Cincinnati Bengals have officially begun the 2024 offseason process. While the season may not have gone the way both the fans and the team anticipated, the next six months will be focused on rebuilding the roster so that this team can contend for a Super Bowl next postseason. On that note, Cincinnati is currently facing the biggest conflict that faces every team during the offseason: whether to be conservative or to take aggressive steps.
Sports Illustrated Makes Bold Mock Draft Prediction for Bengals
In a recent Mock Draft released on Saturday morning, Sports Illustrated (SI) recently made a bold prediction for Cincinnati during the 2024 NFL Draft. According to SI, Cincinnati will aim to move up from the 18th Overall Pick in the Draft all the way to 12th in order to select tight end Brock Bowers out of the University of Georgia. Bowers is currently projected by ESPN as the 6th best prospect in the upcoming draft after the tight end made a name for himself with the Bulldogs over the past several seasons.
While SI doesn’t provide a prediction for trade details, it is likely that trading up 6-spots in the first half of the first round would cost Cincinnati either a second round pick or next seasons first round pick. The Denver Broncos (picking 12th) would happily give up a few spots for the additional trade collateral after the 2022 offseason acquisition of Russell Wilson has ended in complete disaster. The team surrendered back-to-back seasons of first and second overalls to complete the trade and have recently felt the sting of the lack of youth on their roster.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, should put the proposed trade under a more skeptical lens. While Bowers is a tremendous athlete, the modern decline of the tight end position means that Bowers will likely drop past 12th overall and giving up valuable draft collateral for a low priority position seems misguided. For reference, Cincinnati hasn’t put any real emphasis on the tight end position since the elite 2015 season from Tyler Eifert led to his accelerated decline in later years.
One of the biggest arguments in the affirmative is that Bowers would be a solid replacement with the possible exodus of Tee Higgins this offseason. Although he’s a wide receiver, Higgin’s massive 6’4″ and 219 pound frame provides Cincinnati with a pseudo-tight end on the offensive side of the ball and his departure could force the team to apply more attention to the position. Bowers’ major weakness is a lack of traditional muscle at the tight end position as he weighs in at a limited 240 pounds but his utilization as a receiver would be a perfect replacement for Higgins’ size.
The Queen City Club is in desperate need of help at the offensive and defensive tackle positions this offseason and while a shiny new tight end might appeal to the fans, it certainly wouldn’t align with the team’s greatest needs at the moment. Look for Cincinnati to draft either an offensive or defensive lineman with their first round pick this offseason.
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