CINCINNATI — The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away! The Bengals have 10 total picks this year.
It’s time for our third mock draft of the season. In mock draft 1.0 and mock draft 2.0, the Bengals added offensive line help in round one with Georgia tackle Amarius Mims. Will that trend continue
First Round, Pick No. 18: Byron Murphy, DT, Texas
After taking an offensive tackle in each of our first two mocks, the Bengals land the top defensive tackle in the draft (at least on their board). Murphy should be an instant contributor in a rotation alongside Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill. The Bengals haven’t taken a defensive tackle in the first round since 1994. They’re certainly willing to break that streak if the top offensive tackles are off the board and Murphy is sitting there at No. 18.
Second Round, Pick No 49: Patrick Paul, OT, HoustonThe Bengals land an offensive tackle in round two. Paul is 6-7, 331 pounds with 36-inch arms and an 86-inch wingspan.
He tested like a great athlete for his size and should be able to learn both left and right tackle this season behind Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown. Expect Paul to serve as the swing tackle in 2024, with the potential to start at right tackle next season.
Third Round, Pick No. 80: Brenden Rice, WR, USC
Rice had 111 catches for 1,821 yards and 21 touchdowns in 43 college games. He spent the past two seasons at USC, where he had the majority of his production. Rice was a touchdown machine, hauling in a score once every 5.2 catches in college. He’s a solid athlete with good size (6-2, 208). If the Bengals don’t land a weapon with one of their first two picks, they could certainly take Rice in round three.
