Whether you're a drive away from winning the Super Bowl, or rebuilding the entire team from scratch, more is better when it comes having NFL Draft picks.

The Draft is, after all, about finding talent for the long-term. The more players you have under contract for multiple years, the more flexible you can be to make meaningful "all-in" moves.

The Cincinnati Bengals have almost always been about moving down rather than up in the Draft. Last year became an anomaly when they traded up for both Cam Taylor-Britt and Tycen Anderson. Now with massive extensions for both Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins looming over their heads, the feeling is back to stockpiling cheap talent to fill out the roster.

You know the old trope: Players picked between 20th and 40th are virtually the same. That couldn't be more factual with this year's class. Rankings in that range have been all over the place these past few weeks. The Bengals would love for one of their top players to fall to them, ala Dax Hill last year, but nothing's ever guaranteed so deep in the first round.

Starting at the 28th overall pick gives the club a chance to move back into Day 2 along with an extra pick or two. But in order for trade to happen, some team is going to want to come up. Here's what could happen. 

TRADE: Bengals acquire picks 34 and 96 from the Arizona Cardinals for pick 28

Second Round (Pick 34): Jahmyr Gibbs

• Position: Running back
• School: Alabama
• Height: 5-9
• Weight: 199
• Age: 21.1 years old

This is how it would look if the Bengals’ first pick were to be a running back. Gibbs is supremely talented, but the idea of reimagining the Bengals’ 1-2 punch at running back so early is much better when you can add another pick in the process via trading back into the second round.

Becoming a more explosive offense when defenses are doing everything to prevent that require creative solutions. Gibbs can not only break off long runs, he’s the best receiving back in this class by far. He creates yards after catch so seamlessly with his route running, elusiveness, and acceleration with the ball in his hands. He averaged 2.47 yards per route run in three years of college ball (per Pro Football Focus) and is in the 97th percentile for running backs when it comes to passing yardage market share.

Second Round (Pick 60): Keeanu Benton

• Position: Interior defender
• School: Wisconsin
• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 309
• Age: 21.8 years old

If the season started now, the Bengals would be quite alright with their defensive line. The only attribute they’d wish to have would be explosiveness inside along with DJ Reader and B.J. Hill. Reader is also playing on the last year of his deal this season. 

Benton not only provides a needed boost with 83rd percentile explosion for his size, he’d be an ideal replacement for Reader in 2024. The Wisconsin native played all over the line for the Badgers and produced at a high rate as well, sporting an 87th percentile production score (factoring in age and competition) for interior defenders. 

Third Round (Pick 92): Luke Schoonmaker

• Position: Tight end
• School: Michigan
• Height: 6-5
• Weight: 251
• Age: 24.6 years old

Everyone has a take on when to select a tight end, but the Bengals will look at options all throughout the Draft, including the first round. They need everything when it comes to traits and potential.

Schoonmaker’s lack of production (30th percentile) despite coming into the NFL already in his mid-20s makes him available at this juncture. Everything else looks really good. He’s got prototypical size and athleticism, and ranks in the 82nd percentile when it comes to speed for his size, and it comes off as natural in his route running. He’s also a very capable blocker, making him an ideal TE2 out the gate.

Third Round (Pick 96): Jakorian Bennett

• Position: Cornerback
• School: Maryland
• Height: 5-11
• Weight: 188
• Age: 22.7 years old

A cornerback being picked earlier than here feels very likely. Just like Reader, Chidobe Awuzie is coming up on the last year of his deal, and the team seems to have moved on from Eli Apple (for now). Adding another young corner to pair with Cam Taylor-Britt would be justifiable enough to target one at 28th overall.

The second-half of Maryland’s tenacious cornerback duo, Bennett has ample ball production (91st percentile pass deflection market share) to go with 91st percentile explosion and 95th percentile speed relative to his size. The former community college transfer fought hard to get where he is now after being given zero stars as a high school recruit. The Bengals should adore his drive as a competitor.

Fourth Round (Pick 131): Davis Allen

• Position: Tight end
• School: Clemson
• Height: 6-6
• Weight: 245
• Age: 22.2 years old

Boom! Trading back gives the Bengals a chance to effectively double-dip in a strong tight end class while not leaving any glaring need unaccounted for. Devin Asiasi can be the third option, but going younger is preferable.

With more speed to his game, Allen would probably be a Day 2 pick. He was a senior captain who toughed out 54 games in four years at Clemson, and he’s a jack-of-all-trades player at the position. He’s a dependable receiver with just three career-drops to his name, and improved a ton as a run blocker last year. Tight ends coach James Casey also conducted Allen’s pro day workout.

Fifth Round (Pick 163): Sidy Sow

• Position: Guard
• School: Eastern Michigan
• Height: 6-5
• Weight: 323
• Age: 24.9 years old

Cincinnati is addicted to selecting offensive linemen on Day 3 of the Draft. They’ve taken one between rounds four and seven every year since 2016, and have not done so in just five Drafts since 2000. Guard could be the position this year, as Max Scharping is adequate as a last resort option at guard, but far from a lock to make the roster.

Sow might be one of the oldest players in this class, but he’s also the most athletic guard for his size. That’s the expectation when you’re three years older than your peers. The Bengals are also not consistent when picking older or younger linemen. Last year’s fourth-round pick, another small school player in Cordell Voslon, turned 24 before the start of the season. 

Sixth Round (Pick 206): Clayton Tune

• Position: Quarterback
• School: Houston
• Height: 6-3
• Weight: 220
• Age: 24.1 years old

Finally, some competition for Joe Burrow. The Bengals were reportedly in on Cooper Rush and brought in Trevor Siemian for a visit in hopes to find a backup for their franchise quarterback, and have also met with a handful of quarterback prospects this offseason.

Tune should find himself going off the board sometime on Day 3. He’s a good athlete for the position, and completed nearly 68% of his passes during the final two years of his time at Houston. 

Seventh Round (Pick 246): Matt Landers

• Position: Wide receiver
• School: Arkansas
• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 200
• Age: 23.9 years old

Ideally, the Bengals would address the receiver position earlier, but you can’t hit everything in one draft. They’ve done their homework on some Day 3 options who play near the boundary or in the slot.

Landers has been in contact with the team, and his size + speed combo makes him worthy of a late-round pick. He blazed a 4.37 40-yard dash, and measured in with great length. After spending his first four years at Georgia and another in Toledo, he found himself as Arkansas’ leading receiver in his lone season with the Razorbacks. 

---

Mocking trades is a near futile exercise due to the difficulty of speaking for two completely different franchises. But should the Cardinals—or any other team in the 30s—be interested in calling up the Bengals, they'll likely get a worthwhile response.

Percentile ranks are provided by James Cobern's NFL Draft analytics data, which can be found here.