Bengals return to their roots in latest mock draft
Before they were a true yearly contender for the National Championship, Georgia football was a pseudo minor league team for the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati drafted eight Bulldogs during the Marvin Lewis era and hit on most of them. A.J. Green and Geno Atkins were the obvious best selections, but starters such as Robert Geathers, Clint […]
Before they were a true yearly contender for the National Championship, Georgia football was a pseudo minor league team for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati drafted eight Bulldogs during the Marvin Lewis era and hit on most of them. A.J. Green and Geno Atkins were the obvious best selections, but starters such as Robert Geathers, Clint Boling, and Shawn Williams were quality picks as well.
The Bengals have only drafted one Georgia player since taking Williams all the way back in 2013. Dane Brugler's latest 2024 NFL mock draft for The Athletic has them increasing that number to three.
Brugler's two-round mock published Tuesday morning has the Bengals going back-to-back with two Georgia players in OT Amarius Mims in the first round, and WR Ladd McConkey in the second round.
Mims is starting to become a common choice for the Bengals in mock drafts, and considering their potential need to upgrade from Jonah Williams at right tackle, the fit is clear despite Mims' risks.
"Mims could be drafted top 10 or fall out of the top 20, and neither outcome would be overly surprising. The former five-star recruit has only eight starts to his name, but his limited tape is intriguing. He has an unbelievable combination of size, strength and movement skills. Ideally, the Bengals would want a more established prospect, but Mims’ talent might be too good to pass up." – Brugler on Mims pick
The Bengals have gone two-straight years without drafting an offensive player in the first three rounds. Mims ending that streak is very plausible as the club has a history with taking offensive tackles in the first round (four in the last 22 years).
Second round receivers are also one of Cincinnati's bread-and-butter routes. It's where players like Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Chad Johnson have come from. McConkey would presumably fill the void that at least one of Higgins or Boyd would create upon leaving in free agency.
"The trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins and Tyler Boyd has likely played its final game together, but adding an inside-outside talent like McConkey would ease the transition." – Brugler on McConkey pick
Georgia football has certainly changed for the better since Cincinnati spent a premium position on one of its players. There are far worse ways to improve their offense this offseason.
Bengals’ spot in 2024 NFL Draft order has been finalized
Cincinnati finished the 2023 season at 9-8.
