This is the first of four Cincinnati Bengals mock drafts we'll be doing leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft. This edition will have four rounds, and each ensuing edition will have one more round added.

The first phase of NFL Draft season is in the books with college all-star weeks, and the NFL playoffs in the rearview mirror for everyone. Do we have all the information we need to make a mock draft? Absolutely not. Is that going to stop us? Absolutely not.

Before we learn about compensatory picks and athleticism testing, here's our first Bengals mock draft of the 2024 cycle.

Round 1 (18): Amarius Mims, RT, Georgia

This is looking like a popular choice for Cincinnati, and rightfully so. Had Mims played another year as a starter for Georgia, he probably wouldn't escape the top 10 picks. Being 6-7 and 330 pounds while having elite movement skills in pass protection is what offensive line coaches bang the table for.

Mims' fit with the Bengals makes perfect sense not only as the missing high quality piece to their middling unit, they also shouldn't ask him to start immediately. Signing a placeholder starter in free agency is a pre-draft must. Is that Jermaine Eluemunor's music?!

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Round 2 (49): Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

On one hand, I believe the Bengals will draft a receiver very early this year. On the other hand, I've no idea what kind they'll be looking for. Finding a 2025 replacement for Tee Higgins might be tough to do with this pick, even in a stacked class. Two of the last four drafts have seen at least 10 wideouts go off the board in the first 50 picks; the expectation is this year will be like that.

The board falling in that fashion could have Wilson, who's more of an immediate Tyler Boyd replacement, becoming the best receiver available. Wilson showed he can separate on the outside as much as he can thrive in the slot down at the Senior Bowl. 

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Round 3 (80): Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State

The third round is where the Bengals eat on defense. The meal isn't always nutritious, but it is constant. 2005 was the last year the Bengals left round three without taking a defensive prospect. They need desperate help at defensive tackle with DJ Reader either gone or unlikely to play at the start of the season, which leaves B.J. Hill entering the last year of his contract surrounded by underwhelming players.

Greater volume production and size would likely have Hall as a second-round pick, but his pass rush win rate of 18.3% in 2023 was second among Power 5 interior rushers. Texas' Byron Murphy II (19.6%) was the only one ahead of him.

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Round 4 (115): Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State

It's past time for the Bengals to develop a tight end again, and Sinnott may not make it this far in the draft. He accounted for over 21% of KSU's passing yardage in 2023, a mark that is extremely high for tight ends, and a clear sign of future success.

Sinnott isn't not going to blow by linebackers and safeties with his speed like some of the other tight ends in this class, but he does pretty much everything well. An all-around weapon at the position is desperately needed for the Bengals' offense to achieve the progress they desire.

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