Mocking the 33rd pick

First round mock drafts can be pretty boring when your team holds the 1st overall selection and you know who they are going to select. And make no mistake YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE GOING TO SELECT. It’s LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. They aren’t trading the pick. They aren’t drafting Chase Young. And he is not “pulling an Eli.” They are draft Joe Burrow, PERIOD.

Anyway... what is interesting for Bengals fans is seeing who is left. After all, the Bengals have the 1st pick in Round 2 as well.

In this article I will look at 7 mock drafts constructed by the staff at The Draft Network and decide who the Bengals should select with the next pick. These are the 5.0 versions of each analyst’s mock draft and the associated articles are linked to their names.

Benjamin Solak

Solak made it easy on me and was not boring at all. He had the Bengals trade back into the end of Round 1 to select LSU linebacker Patrick Queen.

This would be an uncharacteristically bold move on the part of the Bengals. Some may question the team giving up their 5th Round pick with so little draft capital, but seeing them make an aggressive move like this would be a pleasant surprise.

Joe Marino

In Marino’s draft, Queen actually fell out of the 1st Round.

In this situation, the Bengals should take Queen. He is an excellent player who fills a big need for the Bengals. He fills the gap quickly and has shown skill in pass defense.

Queen would be a day 1 starter for the Bengals alongside second-year linebacker Germaine Pratt.

Carter Donnick

Donnick has Queen going in Round 1, but another top linebacker slides out of the 1st Round.

Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray is an intriguing athlete who is not quite as developed as Queen. He will have to learn to make quicker reads and gain additional coverage skills.

Murray’s physical prowess could make him the ideal “spy” to use against athletic quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson. He had a lot of success with this against Jalen Hurts and others in college.

Jonah Tuls

Tuls made it interesting.

Once again, Murray was on the board at the conclusion of Round 1, but I have always been a proponent of taking the best available player and in this scenario, that may not be Murray.

Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. and Texas Christian cornerback Jeff Gladney also made it out of Round 1.

Very intriguing and a tough decision to make. Both are 1st Round talents.

Gladney is an excellent press-man cornerback and a physical player. With that position-group potentially getting overhauled in the next few years due to contractual situations, he could be an excellent pick,

Shenault however, is too good to pass up. He can be used all over the field and could be just the big-play threat the Bengals need at that position with the uncertainty about the future of A.J. Green and John Ross in Cincinnati.

Kyle Crabbs

This is where it starts to get tricky. Crabbs’ draft has both linebackers off of the board and no huge surprises like Shenault or Gladney still available.

This might be a situation to consider trading back. This draft is deep with talent, particularly at cornerback and wide receiver. If the Bengals could trade back and pick up an additional pick in the 4th Round or maybe even another 3rd Round pick, it could be huge.

Crabbs did not have anyone taking Washington quarterback Jacob Eason in Round 1, which could motivate a team like the Carolina Panthers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move up and the Bengals could make out like bandits.

While Glandey is off the board, Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs did fall to Round 2 in this scenario. Diggs is a talented man corner with make-up speed and impressive ball skills. He could be a huge pickup for the Bengals defensively and should be the pick here if the team does not trade the pick.

Jordan Reid

Once again in Reid’s scenario, Eason is available and the Bengals would be wise to look for a trade.

If they take the pick though, selecting Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. would be a great move. Windfield is a versatile safety who is excellent in run support and had 7 interceptions last season.

Putting him on the field with Jessie Bates III could lead to a lot of turnovers for the Bengals defense in 2020 and beyond.

Trevor Sikkema

Okay so full disclosure, Wisconsin edge Zack Baun was available in Crabbs’ and Reid’s drafts and would probably be my pick, but I’m trying to keep things interesting and give you as much information on prospects as possible so I waited until Sikkema’s to pull the trigger.

Baun is a talented pass rusher who had 12.5 sacks last season. At the Senior Bowl he played off-the-ball linebacker as well. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo loves versatile players who he can move around and if Baun can learn to fill gaps as well as he gets after the quarterback, he could be an excellent moving piece for this defense.

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Burrow will go number 1 and in all likelihood Chase Young will go number 2. After that, all bets are off.

The Bengals sit in a great position at the top of Round 2 and will be able to use that pick to either acquire another potential starter or more draft capital.