The 3 Bengals rookies who will make the biggest impact next season

Ten men made the cut. Which one will see the most playing time as a rookie?

It’s anybody’s guess at this point, but that’s what makes it fun.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected 10 players in the 2024 NFL Draft. Amarius Mims, Kris Jenkins, Jermaine Burton, McKinnley Jackson, Erick All, Josh Newton, Tanner McLachlan, Cedric Johnson, Daijahn Anthony, and Matt Lee will all be donning the stripes when training camp kicks off in July.

Only a few are expected to make an immediate impact as a rookie. While Mims has the best potential as the team’s first-round selection, the best-case scenario for the 2024 Bengals is to have Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown lock down the tackle spots, leaving Mims to have a limited role as an extra tackle in jumbo formations.

With that in mind, here are three Bengals draft picks who should have the biggest impact next season.

Kris Jenkins is The Mutant

Third-Team Associated Press All-American. Second-Team All-Big Ten Conference. He started 15 games for the national champion Michigan Wolverines and finished with 37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one interception. He was a team captain and the Wolverine’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

His father, Kris, played defensive tackle at Maryland and was a two-time All-Pro in the NFL.

And they call him “The Mutant.”

“I try to just embody that in my play every single day - relentless play, making sure you feel my presence, playing strong, playing physical, playing fast,” Jenkins said recently in an interview with Bengals.com.

“When you hear the nickname, ’The Mutant,’ you’re like, ‘Oooh,’ and so I want to make sure when I step on the field and you see me play, you’re like, ‘Oooh.’

Jenkins will get plenty of chances to show what he is made of. He was drafted to help fill the oversized shoes of former Cincinnati nose tackle DJ Reader, who was one of the best run-stoppers in the NFL over the past couple of years.

If his four-year career with the Wolverines is any indication (which it is), Jenkins should be up for the challenge. According to Pro Football Focus, Jenkins finished with an overall grade of 82.7 last year and was generally considered one of the five best defensive tackles in college football. And it is a challenge that he relishes.

“On the field, you’re getting everything out of me,” Jenkins said. “I just love the game of football, and I love this opportunity so much. I’m all smiles, but you know you got to be a little crazy to play in the trenches. So I’m gonna take care of my business, but I’m gonna have a smile on my face while doing it.”

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• Jermaine Burton

Is Jermaine Burton the new “Natural?”

It’s not easy playing for some of the best programs in college football. Jermaine Burton should know. He spent two years at the University of Georgia and helped the Bulldogs win the CFP national championship in 2021. He spent his next two years at perennial powerhouse Alabama and last year led the Crimson Tide with 798 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Despite averaging 20.5 yards per catch, Burton was something of the forgotten man come draft day. But when his name was still on the board as the Bengals stepped to the podium for their first pick in Round 3, all of that changed in a hurry.

“I’m ready man,” Burton said in a recent interview with Bengals.com. “I’m more than excited. I can go up and grab the ball. I’m fast, I’m twitchee, and I have really good natural instincts for the game of football.”

What kind of a player is Cincinnati getting? Just ask Burton.

“Physical player, passionate player, energetic and a player that just wants to win,” he said. “I really have a great natural ability. It carries me a long way and I work really hard for it.”

He’s going to need it all. With Tyler Boyd now in Tennessee, the Bengals have an opening for a slot receiver, and Burton is just the man to fill the position. He couldn’t ask for a better group of players to learn the ropes from.

“Joey B, let’s work,” Burton said. “Ja’Marr, Tee Higgins, I honestly just can’t wait to learn from both of them. I’m really excited to work beside those guys and show them what I have and show them my ability. It’s the perfect spot for me.”

Don’t sleep on Josh Newton

After helping TCU reach the 2022-23 national title game, Josh Newton was viewed as one of the best defensive prospects heading into the 2023 season. One draft guru had Newton ranked 24th overall, but a so-so year led to him falling into Day 3 of this year’s draft before the Bengals scooped him up.

Now, Newton will compete for a spot at one of the roster’s biggest question marks. With Chidobe Awuzie leaving for Tennessee, there’s a starting boundary spot up for grabs, one that DJ Turner II is expected to win after showing flashes of potential as a rookie. Dax Hill is moving from safety to corner, but he’ll likely play mostly in a slot.

But after them, it’s DJ Ivey coming off an ACL tear, practice squader Allan George, and undrafted rookie Lance Robinson. Not exactly a murderer's row standing between Newton and a significant role on the boundary.

It’s not crazy to think Newton ends up pushing Turner for the starting spot before the season ends. After all, Turner’s 51.7 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 184th among cornerbacks last season. Hard to get much worse than that.