With the first two days of the NFL Draft dedicated to defense, the Cincinnati Bengals put their resources into their offense on Day 3.

The first of those picks was Purdue wide receiver, Charlie Jones. He's not the biggest guy at 5'11 and 175 pounds but Jones is explosive with 4.43 speed and athletic as he posted a 36.5-inch vertical and a 10'4" in the broad jump.

When Pro Football Focus put out its analysis of what the Bengals did in the draft, they made an interesting notion as to why Jones was selected. 

If the Bengals are looking to find a long-term replacement for Tyler Boyd in the slot, Jones could be just what they are looking for. He dropped just 2.7% of the catchable passes thrown his way in 2022 and averaged 2.70 yards per route run over the season.

Boyd has been a steady contributor for the Bengals, averaging around 800 yards and five touchdowns per season since 2021 as the team's third option behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. However, Boyd is an unrestricted free agent in 2024, and although they will look to bring him back, it made sense to cover their bases with Jones.

One of the most respected names when it comes to the draft, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, gave Jones some big-time praise after he was taken by Cincinnati. 

"He's got big-time, big-time juice," Jeremiah said on the Move the Sticks podcast. "Every year there's a guy like this where you're watching other players and this guy pops. And you're watching these other corners, I'm like 'dang, Charlie Jones is running by all these Big Ten corners.' He was someone I thought was pretty interesting. In the fourth round at pick 131? I like that value."

Of course, the word of an analyst, while respected, doesn't carry the same weight as someone on the sidelines. Well, Bengals wide receiver coach, Troy Walters, also raved about the Bengals' new weapon. 

"A combination of a lot of things. He has great ball skills. Anytime he’s in a 50-50 contested catch situation, he seemed to come down with it," said Walters. "And so, really everybody on our roster, all the receivers that we have have great ball skills, and so he adds to that as a guy that no matter where you throw the ball, he’s going to make the play. He’s a technical route runner. If it’s a 15-yard route, he’s going to run 15. If it’s 12 yards, he’s going to get 12. He knows how to manipulate coverages to beat the defenders at the top of his routes.

“He just knows how to get open. He’s a football player, and that’s what we need. Very similar to when I was in Indianapolis with Peyton Manning. With Joe (Burrow), he wants you to be in the right spot at the right time, and that’s what Charlie does.”

Jones led the nation in receptions last season with 110. Also, his 1,361 receiving yards ranked second, and his 12 scores were tied for fourth.

If the Bengals do retain Boyd next offseason, Jones is still an excellent pick for depth purposes at receiver plus he can provide help in the return game.