Top draft prospects that fill needs deemed fits for Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the best offenses in the NFL over the past two seasons finishing seventh in points per game in each. Any offense, regardless of the talent level, can always get better. Matt Bowen of ESPN recently listed 15 offensive playmakers and the teams they'd fit the best with. First, […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the best offenses in the NFL over the past two seasons finishing seventh in points per game in each.
Any offense, regardless of the talent level, can always get better. Matt Bowen of ESPN recently listed 15 offensive playmakers and the teams they'd fit the best with.
First, Bowen talked about running backs, and he feels Devon Achane of Texas A&M is who the Bengals should snag in round three at pick 92.
With Samaje Perine singing in Denver and Joe Mixon's future with the team a little cloudy at this point, Achane fits in the Bengals' run game due to his traits and play style. The speed pops here on tape. Achane ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and he plays big despite his smaller frame. He's decisive and determined in downhill schemes, with the perimeter ability to bounce the ball to daylight. Achane averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season. And the receiving skills are there, too — he brought down 36 catches and scored three receiving TDs in 2022.
I like the upside of Achane in Cincinnati, who can work in a backfield rotation to share touches and provide quarterback Joe Burrow with another playmaker.
Achane followed up his 2021 campaign where he finished with 910 yards (seven yards per carry) and nine rushing touchdowns with his best collegiate season. Achane was named a first-team All-SEC performer in 2022 with 1,108 yards and eight scores.
Achane's vision and open-field speed are fantastic, and he'd be a welcomed complement to either Mixon or Trayveon Williams.
After he touched on wide receivers, Bowen went to tight ends. He listed a very large human being, 6'7" Darnell Washington out of Georgia as the Bengals' possible first-round pick at 28.
Let's give quarterback Joe Burrow an upside target in Washington, a tight end with the physical traits to develop into a dominant run blocker and create mismatches in the pass game. He can use his size and power to seal the edge on outside zone run schemes or move defenders off the ball in gap schemes. And with his 4.64 speed and long frame, Washington has the potential to produce as a second-level option for Burrow while also creating conflict for linebackers and safeties in the red zone. He has post-up ability to dig out space in the end zone.
Adding Washington would fill a need for the Bengals after the departure of Hayden Hurst. The arrow is pointing up on the Georgia tight end, despite middling numbers last season while playing behind Brock Bowers.
After just 166 yards as a freshman, Washington only put up 145 as a sophomore due to a fracture in his foot that cost him seven games. However, his first career touchdown came against Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship Game.
Washington was a second-team All-SEC selection last season after 28 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 16.2 yards per catch. In addition to being an excellent blocker, Washington is surprisingly athletic for his size. Washington would give Burrow a big red-zone target and a solid replacement for Hayden Hurst.
Achane and Washington would be excellent picks for the Bengals in the first three rounds.
