6. Cincinnati Bengals
Yes, they picked first overall. Yes, they might still be a year or two away from being fully competitive, provided Joe Burrow is the quarterback we all assume he will be in the NFL. Yes, there is a lack of depth across this roster, from behind Burrow to the trenches on both sides of the football.
But the Cincinnati Bengals are not the thinnest team in the league, at least from where I sit.
Burrow will have some weapons around him, easing his transition into the NFL. Joe Mixon is one of the NFL’s better running backs, and he will have A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross III and second-round pick Tee Higgins to throw to in the passing game. The offensive line is a big question, and if last year’s first-round selection Jonah Williams, who spent the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a shoulder injury, is healthy that will go a long way towards answering those questions.
Defensively, the Bengals are still stout up front with Geno Atkins, Sam Hubbard, Carlos Dunlap and the newly-acquired of D.J. Reader, but behind them there are questions. Linebacker is another issue, although Logan Wilson, their third-round pick out of Wyoming, is a potential Day Two steal. The secondary has potential, including a pair of castoffs from Minnesota in Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes, but this remains a “cautiously optimistic” scenario, not a “full-on excitement” scenario.