Cincinnati Bengals Draft Options: Who Could Be Some Early-Round Cornerback Targets?

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to be set with their starting cornerbacks before the Combine and free agency. Cam Taylor-Britt would play opposite DJ Turner II on the outside, with veteran Mike Hilton in the slot.

The picture became less clear in free agency, however, with the team signing safeties Geno Stone and Vonn Bell. Those moves seemingly will squeeze Dax Hill out of Jordan Kovacs’ safety room and move him across the hall to Charles Burks’ cornerback room.

There’s a theory in the NFL that you can never have enough cornerbacks, and the Bengals have subscribed to it since before any of their current corners were in diapers. And if you’re going to build depth with the idea you’re eventually going to use it, you might as well invest in it.

Early-Round Cornerback Targets for the Bengals

There were 58 cornerbacks who started at least 10 games in 2023, and 33 of them were drafted in the first round (16) or second (17), with Cincinnati’s Chidobe Awuzie, Taylor-Britt, and Hill accounting for three of the 17 second-rounders.

In the last five seasons, there have been 42 cornerbacks who made the Pro Bowl, and 38 of them were drafted in the first or second round.

Compare that to the positional counterpart, wide receiver, and the difference is stark. Of the 66 receivers to make the Pro Bowl since 2019, nearly half (31) were taken after Round 2, including five of the 12 in 2023 (Keenan Allen, 3; Stefon Diggs, 5; Tyreek Hill, 5; Puka Nacua, 5; Amon-Ra St. Brown, 4).

Proof that the Bengals are looking to add quality depth to the position comes from a report from ESPN’s Turron Davenport, saying that Cincinnati was one of four teams that offered a contract to 2020 second-round pick — and good friend and former teammate of Ja’Marr Chase — Kristian Fulton.

Yet, Fulton ended up signing with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Even with the signing of Sheldon Rankins and Trent Brown in free agency, it still feels likely the Bengals target defensive or offensive tackle when they pick 18th. But in no way can cornerback be completely ruled out.

"They can't let him walk out the door without a contract."

Come for our discussion on Trent Brown minutes before he signed, and stay for our #Bengals bracket where we seed the free agent signings of the Zac era.
Who are the four 1 seeds?
Who are the 8s?https://t.co/7CntoQlAyT

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) March 20, 2024

With all of that in mind, let’s look at some possible first- or second-round fits for the Bengals at cornerback.

In Pro Football Network analyst Ian Cummings’ latest mock draft, he had two corners going before Cincinnati picked at 18, with Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell 13th to the Raiders and Alabama’s Terrion Arnold 17th to the Jaguars.

Below are the cornerbacks in play for the Bengals in the first two rounds (Cummings projects Iowa’s Cooper DeJean as a safety).

Finalized Cooper DeJean's report a few days ago. Translated his numbers from CB to S, and he secured the top positional grade over Tyler Nubin.

My stance on DeJean is the same: He can play almost anywhere. But I love how his game translates in space.https://t.co/bhixlbIPvL

— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) March 22, 2024

Terrion Arnold, Alabama

Though Cummings has Mitchell going first, he ranks Arnold as his No. 1 corner, and it’s not out of the question he could still be on the board for the Bengals at 18.

Cummings: At 6-foot, 196 pounds with good length, Arnold legitimately has all of the tools to be a blue-chip NFL cornerback and a scheme-versatile one at that. He’s an easy accelerator, extremely fluid mover, and he showcases excellent discipline and reaction to stimulus in man coverage — as well as the timing and vertical athleticism to close the lid.

Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo

Has any NFL team ever had two Toledo Rockets on its roster at the same time? The Bengals drafted Tycen Anderson in the fifth round in 2022, and Mitchell could be the school’s first first-round pick in more than 30 years (defense end Dan Williams went 11th to the Denver Broncos in 1993).

Mitchell’s playmaking ability, combined with a 4.33 40-yard dash at the Combine, make it unlikely he’ll still be around at 18.

Cummings: Two words — Ball hawk. You won’t find another like Quinyon Mitchell in the 2024 NFL Draft class. The 6-foot, 195-pound Toledo product terrorized opposing passers with five interceptions and 19 pass deflections in a ground-breaking 2022 campaign. And in 2023, he was once again one of the nation’s leaders in PBUs with 18.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

Jordan Battle’s former teammate in the Alabama secondary, Kool-Aid McKinstry at one point was projected to be the top corner taken this year.

Cummings: It sounds simplistic, but McKinstry simply has it all.

At around 6 foot and 188 pounds, with 32-inch arms, he has the length to jar receivers and block passes at the catch point. McKinstry’s already a footwork technician with the movement speed, agility, and fluidity to mirror receivers at every level of the route. And his physical foundation ultimately sets him apart as a future starter at the NFL level.

Nate Wiggins, Clemson

Nate Wiggins‘ 4.28 40-yard dash at the Combine was the fastest among cornerbacks, and the Bengals are collecting a series of burners in their secondary.

Cummings: Wiggins is extremely lean and didn’t measure nearly as long as expected at the NFL Combine (6-1 3/8 and 74 1/4 wingspan). But even so, he has all the necessary speed and fluidity to go with sharp coverage instincts in both man and zone, and his vertical athleticism compounds his disruption radius.

T.J. Tampa, Iowa State

From 2012-16, the Bengals took three corners in the first round and none of them started as rookies. Taylor-Britt (2022) and Turner (2023) were second-rounders, and T.J. Tampa could be a fit to keep that trend going.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals News, March 22

Cummings: T.J. Tampa is the popular Day 2 pick we need to start talking about as a legitimate late first-round candidate in the 2024 NFL Draft CB class. Of the 2024 cornerbacks, Tampa best embodies the physical profile of a CB1. He’s 6-1 and almost 200 pounds, with high-end length, bristling start-and-stop and attack explosiveness, and smooth swivel freedom.

Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

No relation to Bengals wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II, Kamari Lassiter is projected to go in the middle of Round 2, where the Bengals pick 49th.

Cummings: At 6’0″ and 186 pounds, he’s lean but has exceptional proportional length and plays with a kind of wiry strength. Lassiter is a smooth athlete who can glide up field in side-saddle and zone, and he’s visibly improved his man technique efficiency in 2023 while also flashing his playmaking upside. In run support, he’s an absolute one-man wrecking crew.

Max Melton, Rutgers

Max Melton ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the Combine and slots as an ideal CB3 or CB4 as a rookie but can develop into a quality starter.

Cummings: At 5’11”, 187 pounds, with 32″ arms, Max Melton has an incredibly unique physical profile, and he also has some of the most explosive athleticism in the entire 2024 NFL Draft class, with 4.39 speed, a 40.5″ vertical, and an 11’4″ broad jump to fall back on.

With his unique frame, high-energy athleticism, and penchant for playmaking, Melton bears some similarity to multi-year Atlanta Falcons starter Robert Alford.

Mike Sainristil, Michigan

Given the communication issues in the secondary, adding a third Wolverine who has played alongside Hill and Turner wouldn’t be the worst idea. Plus, Hilton is heading into the final year of his contract, and slot corner is Mike Sainristil’s best spot.

KEEP READING: How Adding a Second 6-Foot-8 Tackle Will Help Evolution of the Bengals’ Offense

Cummings: If you want a plug-and-play impact starter at nickel cornerback, Mike Sainristil is your man in the 2024 NFL Draft class. A former wide receiver, Sainristil broke out as a dominating force on the Wolverines’ defense with 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, six interceptions, six pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 2023.

Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!