JLH'S MOCK DRAFT
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JH 5 post combine

  • JLH DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Rome Odunze Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (CIN)
Rome Odunze
WR Washington
Amarius Mims Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Amarius Mims
OT Georgia
Max Melton Head Shot
PICK: 80 RND: 3 (CIN)
Max Melton
CB Rutgers
DJ James Head Shot
PICK: 116 RND: 4 (CIN)
DJ James
CB Auburn
Isaac Guerendo Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (CIN)
Isaac Guerendo
RB Louisville
Jaylen Harrell Head Shot
PICK: 175 RND: 5 (CIN)
Jaylen Harrell
DE-EDGE Michigan
Sione Vaki Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (CIN)
Sione Vaki
S Utah
Nathan Thomas Head Shot
PICK: 235 RND: 7 (CIN)
Nathan Thomas
OT Louisiana
Daequan Hardy Head Shot
PICK: 252 RND: 7 (CIN)
Daequan Hardy
CB Penn State
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B
ValueA- NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Bengals and Hardy: B.

The board owed the Bengals one, and it paid up: Daequan Hardy, the No. 195 name on the board, sitting there at the 252nd pick like a gift left on the doorstep. No fireworks, but a solid B.

If Harrell pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.

The offense got the lion's share of the attention.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 Rome Odunze
In the Round 1 slot they get a go-to option on the outside, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick49 Rnd2 Amarius Mims
Circle this one: Amarius Mims at pick 49 is a fall that decides a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick80 Rnd3 Max Melton
Max Melton in the 80th overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick116 Rnd4 DJ James
DJ James at the 116th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick148 Rnd5 Isaac Guerendo
Isaac Guerendo in No. 148 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick175 Rnd5 Jaylen Harrell
Jaylen Harrell at pick No. 175 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pick196 Rnd6 Sione Vaki
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Sione Vaki in Round 6, Pick 21, plain and simple. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Pick235 Rnd7 Nathan Thomas
They barely believed it either: Nathan Thomas still on the board at slot 235. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick252 Rnd7 Daequan Hardy
Somehow Daequan Hardy was still sitting there in the 252nd overall pick, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.