2020 NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals team preview

Everything Cincinnati Bengal fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL Draft

Everything Cincinnati Bengal fans need to know heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.

VITALS

Head Coach: Zac Taylor

General Manager: Michael Brown

2019 Record: 2-14

2020 DRAFT PICKS

1 (1)

2 (33)

3 (65)

4 (107)

5 (147)

6 (180)

7 (215)

TEAM NEEDS

Quarterback

It all begins and ends at the quarterback position and for the Cincinnati Bengals it is no different. For the better part of the last five months, one name has been linked to the team more than any other. With the first selection, they should select Joe Burrow to be their new franchise-leading man. The Andy Dalton era has passed and now the Bengals can get behind Burrow as they try and rebuild the roster.

Offensive Line

After finding their new face of the franchise, the next focus should be on protecting that quarterback. The teams really could use an upgrade at both right guard and right tackle. Plenty of players in the upcoming draft to do so when the time comes but if they want to return to the playoffs in the near future, those two spots need attention.

Linebacker

Most NFL defenses spend the majority of their time in nickel and other sub packages, which makes athleticism a must for today’s linebackers, given the extra ground they have to cover in the middle of the field. That athleticism is lacking among Cincy’s current linebacker group, and they should look to address that in the early rounds with someone like LSU’s Patrick Queen or Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray.

TOP TARGETS

Joe Burrow | QB | Louisiana State

Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State

Ezra Cleveland | OT | Boise State

Zack Baun | LB | Wisconsin

Patrick Queen | LB | LSU

Jalen Reagor | WR | Texas Christian

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Bengals win 1st game of 2019, still lead chase for No. 1 pick in 2020 NFL draft

The Cincinnati Bengals finally won their first game of the season, but they’re still the front-runners for next year’s top draft pick

The Cincinnati Bengals are winless no more.

First-year head coach Zac Taylor got his first victory Sunday, as the Bengals took down the New York Jets 22-6.

Despite the victory, the Bengals are still the only team in the league with just one victory, allowing them to maintain their lead in the chase for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Upset wins by the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins leave the New York Giants as the only two-win team in the NFL, making them the primary challengers to Cincy’s place at the top of next year’s draft board.

All signs point to the team using that selection on a new franchise quarterback to replace Andy Dalton, with LSU’s Joe Burrow as the early favorite to be that player.

There’s still plenty of time for the Bengals to mount a winning streak, but would fans prefer a few wins down the stretch to landing next year’s top pick, and therefore the best quarterback prospect in the nation?

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