Two unexpected Bengals rookies get big praise.
The reviews continue to be strong for the Cincinnati Bengals draft class.
There have been plenty of good grades for the Amarius Mims-led class. Even the “heightened risk” of the draft class hasn’t prevented praise either.
And now we have three of the team’s draft picks making Matt Miller’s list of top 100 best picks, steals and fits at ESPN.
The first isn’t a shocker — Mims, the team’s first-round pick, checks in at No. 39 overall, with Miller noting the offensive tackle’s “ceiling is All Pro-caliber.”
More interesting is sixth-round pick Tanner McLachlan checking in at No. 63:
The Bengals used two picks on Day 3 at the tight end position, and both could be listed here — but I’ll go with McLachlan over Erick All as the better pick. He is a throwback with excellent toughness and an ability to find soft zones and sink into them. Quarterback Joe Burrow is going to love having a reliable target like him over the middle.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen massive praise for the McLachlan pick.
And just two spots later at No. 65, Cincinnati’s other sixth-round pick, defensive end Cedric Johnson:
Time will tell if the Bengals will ultimately give in to the trade request of star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, and if the front office does move him, it needed to secure more depth at defensive end. Johnson has to develop more pass-rush tools, but his potential is much better than a sixth-round selection would have you believe.
Johnson had some impressive grading numbers from PFF that were notable right after the draft.
It speaks to the quality of Cincinnati’s draft class that three prospects make a list like this — and two of them came late in the process. If those late-rounders can eventually make an impact, it eases the concern at critical positions as the team attempts to balance a tricky checkbook while contending around a star quarterback.
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