Bengals Bytes (4/24): Cedric Ogbuehi saw change coming

Bengals running back Joe Mixon: NFL Draft day wait was long but worth it
This time last year, Joe Mixon was anxiously awaiting some clarity on his future. The running back out of Oklahoma became the Bengals’ second-round draft pick in 2017, and he says now it feels like yesterday that he was hearing his name called off the board.

Egger: Why I want the Bengals to draft Lamar Jackson
I want the Bengals to draft Lamar Jackson. You’re going to scroll down to the comments section to tell me that I’m a big, dumb idiot because I want the Bengals to use their first-round pick on a quarterback and not on a player that will help them address a more glaring need like, say, the offensive line.

Bengals tackle Cedric Ogbuehi knew change was coming
In a brief interview Monday recalling his draft day experience in the spring of 2015, Cedric Ogbuehi spoke about the anxiousness he experienced as he waited to hear his name called. The Texas A&M offensive tackle had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament just months before and was unsure of where he may land and in what round.

Cincinnati Bengals Mock Draft: Another first-round cornerback, predictions for every pick
So while they'll certainly come out of this draft with multiple offensive linemen, don't sleep on the possibility that a cornerback's name is called in Round 1. Dennard is scheduled for free agency after this season. Kirkpatrick is playing on a big-money deal, and the team can clear a lot of cap space by cutting him in 2019 or beyond if his play turns south (it wasn't exactly great in 2017, as opposing QBs managed a 92.7 passer rating against him in coverage, per Pro Football Focus).

Draft Countdown: 2016 Bengals First Round Pick
The Cincinnati Bengals selected cornerback William Jackson III out of Houston with the 24th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. As I mentioned during the review of 2014 selection Darqueze Dennard, the Bengals aimed to assemble an elite cornerback core through the draft. Jackson was the most recent addition to the group through the draft, joining Dre Kirkpatrick and Dennard.

Notes: Iloka and Mixon have head up for new rule; Mixon hopes to miss Mayfield; Glenn scouts Brown
Iloka and the rest of his teammates are still waiting to get clarification from the NFL on the new tackling rule that reads, “Lowering the head to initiate contact with the helmet is a foul.” “Is it training camp when they bring in the referees to talk about the rule changes?” Iloka asked rhetorically Monday as the Bengals started their second week of off-season voluntary workouts. “But as of now … Coach hasn’t said anything to me, so I’m going to wait. You can’t practice what you don’t know. Why start doing weird things in practice technique-wise if you don’t know what the rules are?

Quez Quotient figures into new defensive look
If the password for the Bengals’ revamped offense this spring is uptempo01, then the new-look defense’s sign on is tamultiple18. And cornerback Darqueze Dennard is the face of the versatility new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin seeks. Just ask cornerbacks coach Daronte Jones, the only new coach on defense besides Austin who is still getting over the fact he’s lining up three first-round corners in the nickel package.

AFC North Bytes

Should Browns play it safe or go for broke?
As the draft approaches, most observers have narrowed Cleveland’s potential selections with the first overall pick down to two players: Josh Allen or Sam Darnold. As Peter King of SI.com explained it in making Darnold the projected pick, the Browns need to play it safe after blowing it so many times regarding the most important position on the field. Allen is the boom or bust candidate; Darnold is the between the buoys selection.

Steelers had 'no hesitation' with Bud Dupree
Exercising the fifth-year option on Bud Dupree wasn't much of a question for the head of the Steelers' personnel department. Kevin Colbert said Monday, hours after news of the team picking up the team option on its 2015 first-round pick, that doing so was simply a matter of believing Dupree can help the team in the next two seasons. "We're excited about where he can be in these next two years and we had no hesitation with making that move when we did it," Colbert said.

Random Bytes

NFL Draft 2018: Dream Fit for Every Team
Every NFL team will go into the 2018 draft Thursday with a dream prospect in mind. Front offices across the league have spent months preparing their big boards to find the elite talent that could fill roster needs. Now, those same decision-makers hope the board falls the right way in the draft.

NFL Draft 400: Top QBs for 2018 NFL Draft
Scouts and general managers have called the 2018 NFL draft class average, but we still have questions. Who is the best overall player? How about the best at each position? The goal of the NFL Draft 400 series is to figure that out.

Tom Brady's 'Intentions Have Not Changed,' QB Expected to Play amid Rumors
While there seems to be some doubt about whether Tom Brady will play in 2018, his agent, Don Yee, eased concerns from the New England Patriots. "Tom's intentions have not changed," Yee said Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. "He's consistently said he'll play beyond this contract and into his mid-40s, or until he feels he isn't playing at a championship level. I understand the constant speculation, but this is one point he's been firm about."