Senior Bowl proving Bengals will be equipped to handle looming need at wide receiver
For the first time in a handful of years, major change could be on the horizon for the Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver corps.Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are pending free agents, and it's looking like at most one will be back for at least one more season. By the time 2025 rolls around, it could […]
For the first time in a handful of years, major change could be on the horizon for the Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver corps.
Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are pending free agents, and it's looking like at most one will be back for at least one more season. By the time 2025 rolls around, it could be Ja'Marr Chase and completely new faces.
The best way to handle the inevitable transition is to get out in front of it. The 2024 NFL Draft class appears to be stacked at receiver, and the Senior Bowl is proving that case to be true.
Two wideouts projected to go off the board sometime on Day 2 of the draft shined during the first practice down in Mobile, AL. The Bengals are intimately aware of one of them, as his father beat the Bengals in their second-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Brenden Rice, the USC receiver and son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, impressed onlookers by out-muscling opposing cornerbacks and making difficult grabs.
Rice is currently slotted 90th on the Consensus Big Board, and in an already deep class, he may not be able to rise into first round consideration. That's great news for the Bengals, who have a history of hitting on receivers after the first 32 picks. Higgins and Boyd are two of the best examples.
Also in that Day 2 range is Georgia's Ladd McConkey, who looks exactly like the kind of player the Bengals would want to replace Boyd in the slot.
McConkey's silky smooth route running got plenty of attention, but the 22-year old feels like there's much more he can do in that department.
"I feel like I could've got out of breaks a little better on some of those routes, McConkey said after practice. "But I thought I did well. I go against this depth every single day of practice at Georgia."
Like Rice, McConkey could have trouble rising too far ahead of the Bengals' Day 2 picks. Here's what A to Z Sports' Travis May had to say about McConkey's profile:
"His analytics profile at Georgia left a lot to be desired, failing to ever account for more than 21% of the team receiving production, missing most meaningful rate stats as well. However, with a full week of dominance on the field it will be tough to see him dropping beyond the middle of Round 3." – A to Z Sports' Travis May
One-on-ones in Mobile are how some of the best NFL success stories begin. Look no further than what Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell did this past year. Cincinnati is in good hands to find the next one.
Seven highly ranked Senior Bowl players that will be coached by a Bengals assistant coach
Cincinnati’s cornerbacks coach, Charles Burks, will be keeping a close eye on some of the NFL Draft’s top prospects at this week’s Senior Bowl.
