Bengals fumble the bag in expert's mock draft
The Cincinnati Bengals have some very capable pieces on the interior of their defensive line in D.J. Reader and B.J. Hill. Like any area, though, the Bengals could use more talent here. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has the Bengals addressing this with the 28th pick of his recent two-round mock draft. He has them snagging […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have some very capable pieces on the interior of their defensive line in D.J. Reader and B.J. Hill. Like any area, though, the Bengals could use more talent here.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has the Bengals addressing this with the 28th pick of his recent two-round mock draft. He has them snagging Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee.
We've focused a lot on the Bengals' need at tight end, but what if they think they filled it with often-injured veteran Irv Smith Jr.? This is the direction they could go if that's the case. Cincinnati ranked 29th in sacks last season (30), and it needs to get more of an interior push on late downs. Bresee could provide that. At 6-foot-5, 298 pounds, he tested extremely well at the combine. He's powerful at the point of attack and is instinctual after the snap. This is another team without many holes, so it can afford to select a player who might not start immediately.
Bresee had a very decorated collegiate career. He was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and racked up three All-ACC honors thanks to his 51 tackles (15 tackles for loss) and nine sacks.
Under normal circumstances, there wouldn't be anything wrong with this pick, but there's a catch here.
Another big-time interior defensive lineman was there for the taking as well, Pittsburgh's Calijah Kancey. During his time with the Panthers, he racked up 91 tackles (34.5 tackles for loss) and 16 sacks which led to two first-team All-ACC selections, a conference Defensive Player of the Year honor (2022), and a Unanimous All-American nod (2022).
Here's how Bresee compared to Kancey in several key categories over the past three seasons according to Pro Football Focus.
Run defense grades
Bresee: 57.5, 76.1, 63.4
Kancey: 81.7, 77.3, 80.9
Pass-rush grades
Bresee: 81.2, 66.8, 82.0
Kancey: 79.7, 84.1, 92.4
Defense grades
Bresee: 68.2, 69.4, 73.5
Kancey: 80.4, 84.6, 91.8
As you can see, Bresee is a very good player. However, he only edged out Kancey in one of these categories since 2020. Kancey is simply more explosive off the line of scrimmage and has more of a ceiling as a pass rusher and a run stopper than Bresee.
Bresse would be a solid pick, but if Kancey is still there, the Bengals should take him instead.
