The inevitable-feeling defensive end pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2024 NFL draft arrived late in the sixth round when they selected Ole Miss edge rusher Cedric Johnson.
Johnson might remind some fans of Jeff Gunter, another recent late-round pick by the Bengals who eventually broke onto the final 53-man roster.
A 6’3″, 260-pound edge, Johnson has impressive athletic testing numbers and had at least four sacks in each of his last three seasons.
The Atheltic’s Dane Brugler offered this summary (h/t Paul Dehner Jr.):
Still learning how to build an efficient rush sequence, but he has interesting athletic tools, and an NFL team should be able to coach more out of him. Although he might never reach three-down-starter status, he can develop into a serviceable subpackage rusher.
There’s a lot the Bengals like here: Big program, loads of experience, solid production and numbers, in addition to however interviews went.
This late in the draft, adding a Gunter-styled pressure creator who could scrap together a fight for a final roster while developing as a pro is nothing short of a good thing.
Overall, when the only blatantly ignored positions throughout the draft are interior offensive line and running back, it’s hard to complain — especially when pass-rushing is at such a premium in the league these days.
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