Assessing the value Cincinnati got in Andrei Iosivas

Coming into the 2023 NFL Draft, wide receiver was about the last position you’d have thought the Cincinnati Bengals would spend two picks on.

But after landing Purdue’s Charlie Jones in Round 4, the Bengals struck again in Round 6 with the 206th overall pick, selecting Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas.

The 6-foor-3, 205-pounder speedster hauled in 66 passes for 943 yards and seven touchdowns in just 10 games, earning him FCS All-American honors.

In addition to shining on the gridiron, Iosivas was also a star on the track, as he turned in the fastest-ever 60-meter run (6.71 seconds) at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships. Though he was projected to go somewhere on Day 3, Iosivas was still regarded as one of the best overall athletes in this entire draft via relative athletic score (RAS).

• The Athletic’s Dane Brugler didn’t have Jones in the top 200 prospects but did give him a Round 5 projection.
• ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Jones 23rd among wide receivers in this draft (was not among Kiper’s top 150 prospects).
• The Pro Football Focus big board did not have Iosivas among their top 200 prospects.
• CBS Sports’ rankings had Jones coming in at 119th overall.
• ESPN’s Todd McShay had Jones ranked 216th overall.
• The 2023 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board ranked Jones 141st overall.

Entering his rookie year, Iosivas will need to impress to lock up his roster spot with guys like Trenton Irwin, Stanley Morgan, and Trent Taylor looking to keep their jobs. It’s possible the Bengals waive Iosivas in hopes of getting him onto the practice squad.

Ideally, Iosivas will impress in the preseason and earn his spot on the 53-man roster, then develop into a meaningful contributor in the coming years with the Bengals.