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Should they want to do it, the Cincinnati Bengals will likely find no shortage of potential trade partners for the 2022 NFL draft’s 31st pick.
Those Bengals sit in prime trade-down territory, as teams like to hop back into the first round at the end of Day 1 for a quarterback or prospect they feel they won’t be able to wait around and get the next night.
In the process of making such a move, depending on how far back they move, the Bengals could probably net an extra third or fourth-round pick.
And history sort of hints that the Bengals won’t pass on the opportunity to move down.
The last time the Bengals picked this late in a draft? 1989. The team traded out of the 27th pick, moving all the way back to 35 and selecting Eric Ball, a running back out of UCLA.
As for more recent history? The Bengals have traded down in the second round in all but one draft since 2017.
“We consider it like taking some of the high picks in the second round that we’ve had,” director of player personnel Duke Tobin said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “So we feel good about our ability to do that. We’re not going to turn down good players at positions that might not be immediate needs, so we’ll see what’s left for us.”
That’s Tobin speaking on picking at No. 31. They’ve been excellent at picking players in the second round most years as of late, so moving a few spots down into Round 2 won’t likely hurt the team’s chances at finding a good player.
While fans waiting around all night on Day 1 of the draft just to see the Bengals trade out would disappoint, an extra draft pick later might be the best bet for the team.
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