Why the Bengals absolutely need to make a trade to move up in the 2022 NFL Draft
The Cincinnati Bengals greatly improved their roster this offseason simply by signing three free-agent offensive linemen to help protect quarterback Joe Burrow. Improving the offensive line was the top priority for the Bengals after watching Burrow get sacked 70 times last season (including the playoffs). The moves to improve the offensive line through free agency […]
The Cincinnati Bengals greatly improved their roster this offseason simply by signing three free-agent offensive linemen to help protect quarterback Joe Burrow.
Improving the offensive line was the top priority for the Bengals after watching Burrow get sacked 70 times last season (including the playoffs).
The moves to improve the offensive line through free agency have opened the door to more draft possibilities for the Bengals. Cincinnati doesn't necessarily need to draft an offensive lineman in the first round now.
If the Bengals want to be really aggressive in improving their roster, they should make a move to trade up in the 2022 NFL Draft to select who I think might be the best player in the draft.
I'm talking about LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
Two years ago, Stingley would've been a top-five selection in the 2020 NFL Draft — he was that good as a true freshman at LSU.
Stingley had a 91.7 PFF grade in 2019, which was the best grade in all of college football for a cornerback.
The former LSU standout has battled injuries the last two seasons, which is why he's no longer viewed as a top-five draft pick. But the talent is still there. Stingley showed this week at his Pro Day in Baton Rouge that he's the same elite shutdown cornerback now that he was in 2019.
Stingley, a potential top-10 NFL draft pick who underwent surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in his left foot last September, posted times of 4.37 and 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash and a vertical leap of 38.5 inches, according to the school's numbers. NFL teams in attendance recorded times between the mid-4.3s and low 4.4s on his first run, according to some scouts in attendance. Stingley also drew praise for how well he moved in position drills.
There's no substitute for having a shutdown cornerback — they're incredibly difficult to find.
The Bengals currently have Chidobe Awuzie, Eli Apple, Tre Flowers, and Mike Hilton as their top four cornerbacks.
Apple and Flowers are set to be free agents after the 2022 season. Stingley would be a great option to start opposite Awuzie in 2023, which would possibly give Cincinnati one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL.
Stingley has Darrelle Revis in his prime type potential. Those types of players don't come around often.
The Bengals could trade the No. 31 pick and their second-round pick (and maybe another later-round pick) to the New York Jets for the No. 10 overall selection (which should be high enough to land Stingley).
If Stingley is healthy (and he says he is) then he should return to this 2019 form. And if that happens, it'll make trading a second-round pick to get him look like a major steal.
And let's not forget, drafting Stingley would make it five players from LSU's dominant 2019 national championship team that would be on the Bengals' roster (joining Burrow, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, tight end Thaddeus Moss, and defensive lineman Tyler Shelvin). That might have been the best college football team of all time, so I think it goes without saying that drafting more players from that team would be a good thing for the Bengals.
Featured image via Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
