The Cincinnati Bengals certainly feel like a team that could pull off a first-round trade on Thursday night at the 2024 NFL draft.
Those Bengals have been more open than usual to draft trades since the start of the Zac Taylor era. And sitting at No. 18 overall, it is easy to think the right offer could encourage them to move down the board — or the right prospect falling could even entice them to trade up.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano has added some proverbial fuel to this fire by suggesting the Bengals are a team to watch in late-Round 1 trades:
The Bengals at No. 18 are also worth watching for a potential trade-up. They like Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham a lot and could stand to bolster the line, but they may need to move up to get someone in that tier. Otherwise, watch for Cincinnati to bolster the interior of its defensive line following the offseason departure of defensive tackle DJ Reader via free agency.
This is in no way a report stating that the Bengals are working on a trade or even looking to make one.
But again, it makes a lot of sense from an outsider’s perspective to circle them in red as a trade candidate given the positioning, needs and the fact all teams will do simple due diligence on trades.
If a prospect rated very highly on Duke Tobin’s board falls, then sure, the Bengals could use some of their 10 total picks to move up the board. But a trade back feels more likely because if a handful of their favorite prospects keep falling, moving down and acquiring more assets in the process will have some appeal.
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