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After going with the obvious choice in the first round, the Bengals did some trading on Day 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft and landed three defensive players to plug into Teryl Austin’s defense. With one pick in the second round and two in the third, the Bengals selected safety Jessie Bates, edge defender Sam Hubbard and linebacker Malik Jefferson.
The Bengals’ biggest hole was on the offensive line, and the Bengals have done a great job sewing that up. They basically used their 12th overall pick to acquire Cordy Glenn and Billy Price. By Day 2, the Bengals already had two of their most needed spots addressed.
On Day 2, they filled holes at safety, on the defensive line, and at linebacker. All of those positions were of great need as well, so they Bengals did a great job of addressing all of their needs at various stages of the draft.
With the draft wrapping up on Saturday, what positions do the Bengals still need to target? Who should they pick to do the final fixes?
Guard
While the Bengals have done a great job upgrading at left tackle and center, their work on the line is not done. Across from Clint Boling, the Bengals would like to upgrade the right guard spot. Trey Hopkins, Alex Redmond and Christian Westerman are going to have to compete for a starting spot there, but none looked amazing in 2017. Frank Pollack might want one last word in as he rebuilds the line for the 2018 season.
Targets: Colby Gossett, Wyatt Teller, Sean Welch
Quarterback
The Bengals added Matt Barkley in the offseason, which means that Andy Dalton’s backup will probably be Matt Barkley. Jeff Driskel should be good to go medically, but still hasn’t proven himself as a capable NFL signal caller. There are still some big names on the board if the Bengals decide they want to target a quarterback, including some who could, under the right circumstances become regular starters.
Targets: Mike White, Kyle Lauletta, Luke Falk
Offensive tackle
At this point, if a tackle is drafted on Day 3, he probably won’t start right away. The Bengals still have some first and second round talent at the position in Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher. However, they could go for some tackle depth at this stage of the draft.
Targets: Tyrell Crosby, Will Richardson, Jamarco Jones
Additional needs: Kicker, kick returner, wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle