AFC North Draft History
By Kris Rogers
Cincinnati Bengals
First Round Selection: 24th Overall
Previous First Round Picks: Tyler Eifert (2013), Darqueze Dennard (2014), Cedric Ogbuehi (2015)
GM – Duke Tobin
The Bengals front office is a bit of an amalgam. Duke Tobin is in charge of scouting, and is in charge of personnel along with head coach Marvin Lewis, while Executive VP Katie Blackburn (Daughter of owner Mike Brown) handles all contract negotiations. That may seem a bit confusing, but it seems to work for Cincinnati, who have made the playoffs each of the past five seasons.
When it comes to drafting, the Bengals also draft according to best player available, and are not afraid to double dip at a position. For example in 2015, the team drafted offensive tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Eric Fisher with their first two picks. Typically, the Bengals like to invest heavily in the secondary, especially at corner. Darqueze Dennard, Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick were all first round choices, not including free agent acquisitions Adam Jones and Terence Newman. Makes sense when the Bengals have to face AFC North QBs Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger twice a year.
The Bengals also almost always stick with their original draft picks. Very rarely does the team make any draft day trade to move up or down.
With their first pick at 24, the Bengals will likely take whatever top prospect eventually falls to them, as they usually do. It could be a receiver like Baylor’s Corey Coleman to pair opposite A.J. Green, a d-tackle to groom like Kenny Clark from UCLA, or maybe even a ball-hawking safety in Darian Thompson out of Boise State.
Next: Pittsburgh Steelers