Picking at No. 31, the Cincinnati Bengals sit in one of the most interesting spots of any team in the 2022 NFL draft.
They could trade out of the first round and gain a lot by doing so as other teams look to get back into that opening round for a faller. We explored a massive trade-down scenario in a recent seven-round mock draft.
For the purposes of this one, we’ll go the other direction and trade up for a prospect we feel the Bengals can’t afford to miss.
Here’s a look at how that scenario unfolds. Keep in mind we’re not saying the Bengals must do this, as they likely would never — it’s just a scenario to consider.
We used Pro Football Focus’ mock draft machine for this exercise.