It’s not a lock that the Cincinnati Bengals will take an offensive tackle with the No. 18 pick in next month’s NFL Draft, but the likelihood is too immense to ignore.
And even with the top four tackles taken in the top 17, Duke Tobin and the front office fill one of the two biggest needs right off the bat in our latest Cincinnati Bengals 2024 Mock Draft, which was conducted using Pro Football Network’s new Mock Draft Simulator multi-user tool.
Cincinnati Bengals 2024 NFL Draft Picks
The Bengals own double-digit picks for the first time since 2021 after earning a pair of compensatory picks (third and sixth rounds) and obtaining a seventh-round selection from the Houston Texans in the Joe Mixon trade.
With Dakota Randall drafting for the New England Patriots in this exercise, the Bengals return to one of their favorite trade partners to move back into the fifth round and acquire an extra sixth-round pick to help address their thin linebacker corps.
- Round 1, Pick 18: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
- Round 2, Pick 49: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
- Round 3, Pick 80: Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
- Round 3, Pick 97: Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
- Round 4, Pick 115: Mason McCormick, IOL, South Dakota State
- Round 5, Pick 180: Ryan Flournoy, WR, SE Missouri State
- Round 6, Pick 193: Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville
- Round 6, Pick 194: Drake Nugent, IOL, Michigan
- Round 6, Pick 214: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
- Round 7, Pick 224: Fabien Lovett, DT, Florida State
- Round 7, Pick 237: Omar Speights, LB, LSU
Bengals 7-Round 2024 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 18: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
The Bengals did what they had to do in free agency by securing Trent Brown on an affordable one-year, $4.8 million deal. However, finding the right tackle for the future is the top priority in this draft, and waiting until pick 49 or later to do so would be a gamble the team can’t afford to take.
JC Latham will have every chance to unseat Brown from his assumed role as the starting RT. Even if that doesn’t happen immediately, the Alabama product still could find himself in the starting lineup in Week 1.
The Bengals are still trying to get more out of left guard Cordell Volson as he enters Year 3. If that’s slow to happen in training camp, Latham could steal that job for a year before kicking out to right tackle — where he started 27 games for Alabama — in 2025.
Latham is 6’5″ and 342 pounds, and his 35 1/8″ arms measured as the fourth longest at the NFL Combine. After Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Joe Alt, Taliese Fuaga, and Amarius Mims went in the top 13, the Alabama product was by far the best tackle option available.
Round 2, Pick 49: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
The Bengals aren’t trading Tee Higgins, but they’re not operating under any delusions that their 2020 second-round pick will be with the team beyond 2024.
Yes, Cincinnati says they would like to sign Higgins to an extension and keep him paired with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. But in the same way, I would like to drive a Lamborghini. I’m just not willing to pay what it costs to do so.
The 6’1″, 203-pound Ja’Lynn Polk isn’t a newer model Higgins, but he still has good size, and his versatility makes him a good fit.
You want to draft someone outside of the first round who attacks the ball at the catch point and has strong mitts? Ja'Lynn Polk from Washington is that guy. pic.twitter.com/i47e0A8oEn
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) March 22, 2024
Polk can fill the role of Tyler Boyd’s replacement in the slot this year, but he also can line up outside, presumably his main role after Higgins departs.
“I really like Polk, and early on, I think that alignment versatility will play really well,” PFN draft analyst Ian Cummings said during the multi-user draft.
Round 3, Pick 80: Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
With T’Vondre Sweat off the board, the Bengals do what they did in free agency with the Sheldon Rankins’ signing and target a 3-tech pass rusher they hope can be solid enough against the run, particularly against AFC North offenses.
Braden Fiske transferred from Western Michigan after the 2022 season and got even better playing against Power Five competition, including a three-sack, 4.5-tackle for loss destruction in the ACC Championship Game to cap the Seminoles’ undefeated regular season.
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A 6’3″, 297-pounder, Fiske has a 9.9 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) and will team with B.J. Hill and Rankins as an interior pass rusher. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and DL coach Marion Hobby will see which of that group is best equipped against the run.
.@FSUFootball's Braden Fiske led all DTs in the:
– 40-yard dash (4.78)
– Vertical jump (33.5")
– Broad jump (9'9")📺: #NFLCombine continues today at 3pm ET on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/2tscM4pGWT— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024
“Fiske holds up really well in run defense, better than you might expect,” Cummings said. “McKinnley Jackson was on the board, too, and he’s got a really good build for (nose tackle). But Fiske is the higher-graded player on my board.
“I think if you’re going with even fronts in nickel, Fiske and Rankins is a great rushing duo to have,” Cummings continued. “Fiske plays with his hair on fire. With his motor, I have a hard time believing he won’t be successful.”
Round 3, Pick 97: Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
For the first time since 2019, the Bengals are drafting a tight end.
This is similar to the Latham-Brown situation, where the team signed Mike Gesicki to an affordable, one-year contract in free agency, but a long-term answer remains a need.
Cade Stover told that sled to MOVE.
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/TCsFbE9HIV— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024
At 6’5″, 251 pounds, Cade Stover is slightly bigger than Hayden Hurst and comes with every bit of his fire. He’s not explosive, but Stover fits what the Bengals are looking for in more of a well-rounded tight end that is strong enough to drive defenders in the run game but athletic enough to make defenses regret putting too much focus on Chase and Higgins.
Round 4, Pick 115: Mason McCormick, IOL, South Dakota State
For the second time in three years, the Bengals go to the Dakotas for a country-strong FCS interior offensive lineman.
Like Latham, McCormick could push Volson for the starting job, and his projection to have center-guard versatility makes him a snug fit for an offensive line thin on depth on the interior.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
“He doesn’t have a ton of center experience and didn’t really try it out at the Senior Bowl, but I think he has starting upside at center too if you can let him marinate for a couple years,” Cummings said.
“The fun part with him, too, is at guard he’s really good at driving power and torquing through extensions. So if Cordell Volson doesn’t work out, McCormick could fill in there and then eventually shift over to center when (Ted) Karras moves on.”
Round 5, Pick 180: Ryan Flournoy, WR, SE Missouri State
With several similar options available at 149, the Bengals trade back with the Patriots to 180 and land an extra sixth-round pick to help special teams coach Darrin Simmons find some pieces to fit the puzzle that is the new kickoff rule.
Ryan Flournoy flashed at the Senior Bowl, and the 6’1″, 202-pounder would bring the deep-threat element opposite Chase that the Bengals will miss when Higgins leaves.
Round 6, Pick 193: Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville
The Wisconsin transfer is less a burner and more similar to Zack Moss, whom the Bengals signed on a two-year deal in free agency.
Isaac Guerendo’s ability to add explosiveness to Cincinnati’s offense will come in the form of subtle side steps against defenders to add extra yards rather than powering through them.
The 6-foot, 221-pounder will show power in pass protection. And in his first year at Louisville in 2023, Guerendo caught a career-high 22 passes while averaging an impressive 10.6 yards per.
Round 6, Pick 194: Drake Nugent, IOL, Michigan
This isn’t about hedging bets on McCormick. It’s about adding much-needed depth to the interior of the offensive line, with Karras set to be a free agent after the season.
CONTINUE READING: Top iOL in the 2024 NFL Draft
Drake Nugent (6’2″, 300 pounds) started all 15 games at center while leading the Wolverines to the national championship, and he has the football IQ and team-captain pedigree the Bengals covet.
Round 6, Pick 214: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
The only position thinner on depth than the interior offensive line is linebacker. The 6’2″, 234-pound Marist Liufau would be a developmental project that could make an impact on special teams immediately.
Round 7, Pick 224: Fabien Lovett, DT, Florida State
Fiske’s college teammate, the 6’4″, 314-pound Fabien Lovett, is the more traditional run-stopping DT the Bengals need, and he has room to add mass to his frame.
“He’s really good against the run,” Cummings said. “He doesn’t quite have the mass that you’re looking for, but he is pretty solid 6-4 with 35-inch arms. So he’s really good at acquiring leverage and kind of absorbing blocks against really physical players.”
Round 7, Pick 237: Omar Speights, LB, LSU
The Bengals throw another dart at the LB position with Omar Speights, a 6’1″, 237-pounder who played 55 games in a five-game college career with Oregon State (four seasons) and LSU (one).
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!
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