JLH'S MOCK DRAFT
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  • JLH DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Taliese Fuaga Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (CIN)
Taliese Fuaga
OT Oregon State
Brian Thomas Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 56 RND: 2 (CIN)
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR LSU
Michael Hall Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 88 RND: 3 (CIN)
Michael Hall Jr.
DT Ohio State
James Williams Head Shot
PICK: 124 RND: 4 (CIN)
James Williams
S Miami (FL)
Cody Schrader Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (CIN)
Cody Schrader
RB Missouri
Zy Alexander Head Shot
PICK: 173 RND: 5 (CIN)
Zy Alexander
CB LSU
Jake Briningstool Head Shot
PICK: 202 RND: 6 (CIN)
Jake Briningstool
TE Clemson
Kamal Hadden Head Shot
PICK: 245 RND: 7 (CIN)
Kamal Hadden
CB Tennessee
Jaylin Noel Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (CIN)
Jaylin Noel
WR Iowa State
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB- NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
Best value of the weekend goes to the Bengals for Noel: B-.

The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Jaylin Noel, No. 254, roughly 41 picks past where he belonged. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.

Leaving linebacker unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. They are betting Schrader proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.

Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Pick Analysis
Pick24 Rnd1 Taliese Fuaga
In the Round 1 slot they get a plug-and-play piece up front. A real need, handled.
Pick56 Rnd2 Brian Thomas Jr.
Good price on Brian Thomas Jr. in the 56th overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick88 Rnd3 Michael Hall Jr.
Michael Hall Jr. in No. 88 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick124 Rnd4 James Williams
James Williams in pick 124 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick161 Rnd5 Cody Schrader
A premium they did not need to pay, Cody Schrader a notch or two before his time. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick173 Rnd5 Zy Alexander
Zy Alexander slipping to Round 5, Pick 37 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick202 Rnd6 Jake Briningstool
Jake Briningstool at slot 202 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick245 Rnd7 Kamal Hadden
A slide stopped in the 245th pick, with Kamal Hadden worth more than the price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick254 Rnd7 Jaylin Noel
Jaylin Noel at No. 254 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.