Bengals land immediate impact player in recent mock draft
The Cincinnati Bengals have a hole to fill on offense. Their current situation at tight end is shaky after losing Hayden Hurst to the Carolina Panthers. I mentioned three players the Bengals could trade for to remedy this issue, but NFL Media Analyst Charles Davis has them solving the problem in the first round of […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have a hole to fill on offense.
Their current situation at tight end is shaky after losing Hayden Hurst to the Carolina Panthers. I mentioned three players the Bengals could trade for to remedy this issue, but NFL Media Analyst Charles Davis has them solving the problem in the first round of his recent mock draft by taking All-American Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame.
Mayer does everything well and is extremely dependable. Bengals QB Joe Burrow values and utilizes the TE position.
Mayer started making an impact as soon as he arrived in South Bend.
As a freshman in 2020, Mayer was the starting tight end for the Irish and garnered third-team All-ACC honors after tallying 42 receptions for 450 yards and two touchdowns.
Mayer's sophomore season is when he made his mark as a top college prospect. He racked up 71 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns and was named a third-team All-American.
Mayer followed it up with 67 catches for 809 yards and nine scores in his junior campaign in 2022 and received Consensus All-American honors, making him the first player to do so at Notre Dame since 1976 (Ken MacAfee). Also, he became the all-time leader in receptions for a tight end for the Irish passing Tyler Eifert.
Coming into the NFL, Mayer has a combination of size at 6'4" and 249 pounds and good speed (ran a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash). Plus, he's good at making contested catches and can provide good blocking at the tight end position.
Mayer has turned himself into a very sought-after player and arguably the top guy at his position coming out of college, and he's spoken with every team in the NFL ahead of the draft.
All the Kentucky native is focused on though is getting back on the gridiron.
“I’m excited to find my city, find my home, start learning the playbook and start getting after it," Mayer said. "It’s been a long process. I’m ready to start playing some ball.”
The Bengals already have a high-powered offense with Joe Burrow at the helm and what many believe to be the best trio of wide receivers with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. Bringing in Mayer could make it unstoppable.
