With the 206th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have selected Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas. The Bengals actually hosted Iosivas for a pre-draft visit.
An All-Ivy League and All-American selection this past season, Iosivas racked up 66 catches for 943 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6-foor-3, 205-pounder finished his college career with 125 catches for 1,909 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Coming into the draft, Iosivas was viewed as one of the best athletes in this class. He moves very fast for someone his size and was among the biggest winners at this year’s NFL Combine. He logged a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, 1.52-second 10-yard split, 39-inch vertical jump, 10-foot-8-inch broad jump, 6.85-second 3-cone drill, and 4.12-second 20-yard shuttle.
It’s a bit surprising the Bengals just took a second wide receiver in this draft, but Iosivas was easily one of the best players still on the board. Some projections had him in the late Round 3/early Round 4 range, so...shocker, another good value pick. He was ranked 141st on the consensus big board.
Another theme with this draft has been speed, and Iosivas has it. He recorded the fastest-ever 60-meter run (6.71 seconds) at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships.
Andrei Iosivas was drafted with pick 206 of round 6 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.96 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 14 out of 3062 WR from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/k7wbAVC9ir pic.twitter.com/67Kh4pSc90
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
Given his size and speed, you have to think Iosivas will have a big role on special teams coverage units for the Bengals this season.
Here is Iosivas’ NFL.com draft profile from Lance Zierlein, which included a Round 4-5 projection.
Iosivas’ size, speed and athletic ability might not overwhelm NFL opponents, but those traits do give him a very real chance of battling for an NFL roster spot. He needs to work on his catch technique and level up his aggression when competing for catch space, but his ability to become a three-level route runner should work in his favor.
Strengths
- Celebrated heptathlete with speed and leaping ability.
- Runs with threatening lean into drive phase of the route.
- Nifty foot quickness to beat press and elude tacklers.
- Fairly sharp in stair-stepping coverage away from his pattern breaks.
- Size and athletic talent to elevate and win downfield jump balls.
- Quick transition from catch to run on zone-beater routes.
Weaknesses
- Has a tendency to pop upright into out-breaking routes.
- Body catcher lacking natural ease with hands as pass catcher.
- Looks labored when adjusting to throws outside his frame.
- Allows defender too much leeway into catch space on bucket throws.
- Not a very willful finisher in run-after-catch mode.
Bengals Remaining Draft Needs
TE, DT, P.
Bengals Draft Picks 2023
- Round 1 (28) - Clemson Tigers DE Myles Murphy
- Round 2 (60) - Michigan Wolverines CB DJ Turner
- Round 3 (92) - Alabama Crimson Tide S Jordan Battle
- Round 4 (131) - Purdue Boilermakers WR Charlie Jones
- Round 5 (163) - Illinois Fighting Illini RB Chase Brown
- Round 6 (206) - Princeton Tigers WR Andrei Iosivas.
- Round 6 (217)
- Round 7 (246)
Day 3 NFL Draft schedule: 12 pm ET, Saturday, April 29th
How to watch the NFL Draft: Catch the draft on TV via NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes. And for online stream options, you’ve got YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo TV, and Sling TV.
Go here for the NFL Draft order and live draft tracker!
Now, what are your thoughts on the newest Bengals selection? Let us know in the comments section!
WHO DEY!!
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