FanPost

Cincinnati Bengals 7 Round Mock Draft 2022

Bengals Mock Draft 2022

Round 1 Pick 31 Kaiir Elam CB Florida

Potential starter in the secondary alongside Chidobe and Mike Hilton (Eli Apple 1yr deal).

Underrated cornerback with outstanding ball skills. Engages receivers at the line of scrimmage, smoothly transitions off the line, and stays on the opponent’s hip out of breaks. Battles receivers throughout the action, does not back down from a challenge, and stays step for step with opponents all over the field.

Quickly picks up and stays with coverage assignments, plays physical football, and shows an explosive closing burst to the action. Sudden and appears out of nowhere to make plays. Keeps his head on a swivel, shows good recognition, and effectively communicates with teammates in the secondary. Fires upfield to defend the run and wraps up tackling.

Other potential pick: Kyler Gordon CB

Round 2 Pick 63 Demarvin Leal DT Texas A&M

Rotational piece with BJ Hill on defensive line to replace Larry Ogunjobi, who was lost in free agency.

Leal arrived at Texas A&M as a five-star recruit. As a freshman in 2019, Leal started seven games and recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The following season Leal recorded seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception and four pass deflections.

This past season Leal recorded 58 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. The former five-star recruit finished the season on a terror, recording 17 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks in the last three games. In the final game against LSU, he recorded six pressures. That strong finish to the season is what people were expecting from Leal all season. With his traits, it’s not out of question to think Leal could post that kind of production at the NFL level.

Other potential pick: Logan Hall DT

Round 3 Pick 95 Nick Cross Safety Maryland

Investment in the secondary with the pending free agency of both Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates.

Dematha product Nick Cross was a standout high school player and track athlete. Cross was ranked the fourth-best high school safety in the nation and the best high school player in Maryland. He received 40 offers and, after initially committing to Florida State, he flipped his commitment to Maryland. With Darnell Savage leaving the Terps for the NFL, Cross saw the field early, quickly becoming a starter. His strong play earned him All-Big Ten honorable mention each of his years at Maryland.

Other potential pick: Bryan Cook S

Round 4 Pick 136 Ed Ingram G LSU

LSU Guard Ed Ingram projects as a starting guard in the NFL, though he has some scheme limitations. Ingram isn’t as athletically limited as other linemen (particularly interior linemen) who have had success in the NFL, and he should be able to secure a starting job in the right offense. However, his draft stock will likely vary widely based on his scheme fit with individual teams. Power-based teams could have him as a solid Day 2 prospect, while teams who are built on outside zone concepts could value him somewhere on Day 3. Ingram has the potential to challenge for a starting job right away, but he would need to be in the right environment, with the right scheme, a solid offensive line coach, and he will need to be willing to put in work himself.

Round 5 Pick 174 Dohnovan West C Arizona State

West is a three-year starter in Arizona State's multiple, run-heavy scheme with 29 career starts spread out across all three interior positions on the line (14 at center, 11 at right guard and four at left guard). West has below-average mass and girth on his frame but is compactly built with solid arm length and very good athletic ability. West is a high-level run-blocker with an impressive blend of quickness, grip strength and ability to generate torque that allows him to excel in both gap and zone concepts. West plays with good natural leverage and has the foot quickness to consistently complete reach blocks on defensive tackles as wide as a 2i-alignment, plus close ground in a flash when tracking smaller targets as a puller and climbing up to the second level. West takes good angles in space with the balance to adjust, redirect and wall off defenders to create rush lanes off of his backside. He packs a punch on contact to create lift while working his hips underneath his blocks with the leg drive and grip strength to sustain through contact and finish at a high level.

Round 6 Pick 209 Tyreke Smith DE Ohio State

Ohio State EDGE defender Tyreke Smith is a highly interesting prospect among this year’s crop of pass rushers. Smith has ample bright flashes on film and has been a productive pass rusher for the Buckeyes over the last two seasons—although his pressure rate doesn’t consistently yield final numbers in the stat sheet and you’ll need to look closer to appreciate the potential that’s illustrated in his game. Smith has been the Buckeyes’ best pass rusher for the last two seasons but has only a handful of sacks to show for his effort.

Round 7 Pick 226 Deven Thompkins WR Utah State

Thompkins ranks second among all wide receivers in the nation in receiving yards this season. He was named an Associated Press Third-Team All-American. The 5-8, 155-pound receiver caught 102 passes for 1,704 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He had 100 or more receiving yards in nine games and had a 215-yard receiving game against New Mexico State.

Round 7 Pick 252 Connor Heyward FB Michigan State

Connor Heyward has absolutely excelled throughout the NFL Draft process this offseason. Heyward made the change from running back to tight end before the 2021 football season, and excelled for the Spartans in that role. Now, as he hopes to take a step towards the next level, Heyward will have to blend the skills he has at both positions to gain a prominent role in professional football. Heyward will be classified as a fullback, but as Spartan fans know, he can play a lot of different roles on an offense which should garner him a lot of looks from NFL franchises.

Results

Round 1 Pick 31 Kaiir Elam CB Florida

Round 2 Pick 63 Demarvin Leal DT Texas A&M

Round 3 Pick 95 Nick Cross S Maryland

Round 4 Pick 136 Ed Ingram G LSU

Round 5 Pick 174 Dohnovan West C Arizona State

Round 6 Pick 209 Tyreke Smith DE Ohio State

Round 7 Pick 226 Deven Thompkins WR Utah State

Round 7 Pick 252 Connor Heyward FB Michigan State

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.