The 2024 Cincinnati Bengals Draft was a masterclass in balancing current holes vs. future needs as well as potential vs. production.

Amarius "Monstro" Mims- Not just 2 birds with this stone, you're bringing down a flock. He provides an answer to our injury issues at OT with Trent Brown, is likely our future starter at RT, can be a swing/jumbo tackle, and likely provides insurance against Cordell Volson vastly underperforming. I love the whole vibe of this pick as well, we've needed a "trenches" draft badly. I forsee no issue holding down the edge this year. That was not the case with Jonah. (Schematically, Pollack needs to grind with the interior though, thats where a lot of failed assignments came in last year.)

Kris "The Mutant" Jenkins- Reminds me of Justin Smith, maybe a slightly shorter frame, but still an absurdly strong and well anchored nuissance for any offense to trudge through. Will make a million quiet plays occupying gaps and cutting off cutbacks. I think he'll be asked to do very little third down pass rushing for a while, (which is perfect given our Hill and Rankins combo). We needed this pick no doubt. The only better Run defenders in the draft were Murphy and Sweat from Texas. So ready to not see Jay Tufele, Zach Carter and Josh Tupou getting washed off the line.

Jermaine "In the Membrane" Burton- I did not initially like the pick. I still see it as a bit iffy. On the other hand, this guy accomplishes multiple goals much like Mims. He is instantly ready to compete for Boyd's slot role. He is a possible Tee replacement for '25. He provides some inside/outside versatility to allow some swapping around with Chase in formation. And lastly, but most importantly, he should be able to provide depth at both outside spots for injury insurance (which has come up with Higgins and Chase each year). The potential here is way off the charts. The risk is a third rounder (see Carter, Coffman, etc.)

"Mt." McKinnley Jackson- This pick is a good and necessary stab at replacing our departed NT. I like his anchor, he'll be tough to move, and he may provide a fair amount of positional versatility to play at NT, 1T, or 2. What I like most about this pick is how it rounds out the room. This pick creates a lot of flexible pairing options. Jackson could line up alongside Jenkins to create tough sledding for AFCN run games, Rankins/Jenkins, Rankins/Jackson, Hill/Jenkins, and Hill/Jackson are all feasable mid-down mid-yardage duos that offer something in the rush and pass, and Rankins/Hill should be fresh on long yardage situations. I think Jenkins could also fill in at 4/3 edge as he did at Michigan fairly often, I really like the idea of Jenkins/Jackson/Hill/Hubbard to stifle the run against a Henry/Chubb/Harris led attack.

Erick "Let's Win It" All- could take a half season to debut as he recovers from the ACL but might make a major impact keeping the position fresh in the playoffs. This room needed a facelift. I mean, I do like what Sample and Hudson offer in their roles but adding Gesicki provides TE/slot flexibilty and All should be able to do everything but pass block when he's healthy.

Josh "Not Johnny" Newton- This guy has so much experience being productive while playing against top tier competition. I have faith he's an adequate Awuzie replacement as that room continues to churn in new blood and he might push Turner for snaps. With CTB, Turner, Newton, Ivey they'll be spicy on the boundary. This allows Dax to primarily spell and perhaps eventually replace Hilton at nickel, where some age-related regression is apparent.

Tanner "Arms of an Angel" McLachlan- My favorite pick of the draft. The man is an artist at the position. Great timing in the seam, pacing himself at times to set up the coverage, and he shows an excellent feel for those middle zones. It looked like he was also running a bunch of option routes, smart enough to break to the open angle consistently. Burrow's gonna get this guy into the pro-bowl if they jive well together. He sucks at blocking but he's nearly gauranteed to have a 340+ pound tackle next to him.

Cedric "Bronson" Johnson- He'll push for Ossai's spot, and that's needed. He seems to have a lot of moves in his arsenal, looked like he belonged at the Senior Bowl drills, winning some reps against the college all-stars. He's a very appropriately drafted influx of positional youth with high upside and a decent floor for depth.

Daijun "Mad" Anthony- This was a need pick. Dax didn't work out at safety because he plays an aggressive ball-centric style of play and the position literally has the word "safe" in it. This move, while panned by draft-status obsessed pundits could be a win-win-win for Hill, the team, and Hill's wallet if he gets a second contract as a corner instead of safety. This leaves an opening at 4th safety. We will need active players on kick-offs this year. This is a perfect pick to provide competition for Tycen Anderson and ensure there are able bodies and feisty minds on special teams. I don't think he'll ever start for us but we need a lot of Daijun Anthonies on the back end of this roster.

Matt "The Grudge" Lee- This dude was gonna go 2nd or 3rd round according to a lot of pundits. Never allowed a sack. He's gonna be pissed and eager to outplay that draft fall, and I fully expect him to. He fits the Karas mold very well and gives us our 2nd high-potential rookie o-lineman, but the floor is still pretty good I think. Never. Allowed. A. Sack.

Bonus:

Austin "The Other Mac" McNamara- He should beat out Brad Robbins and his stupid handle bar moustache. Kick the damn ball, Brad, don't tell it a story about your new fixed-gear bike!