The Cincinnati Bengals just released one of the more tenured players on the team and a staple of their run game in Giovanni Bernard. Joe Mixon is still there, but after that, the running game leaves much to be desired. They were not very efficient last year in the run game they were 25th in total rush yards and averaged just a half of a yard per carry more than the last team, and only five more touchdowns than the worst team.
Luckily for the Bengals, this 2021 NFL Draft class is not short on mid-round running backs.
There are three at the top which is out of reach and wouldn’t make sense for the Bengals with Joe Mixon at the helm. But, several solid playmakers could be their target in the draft that should replace what Bernard was bringing to the orange and black. They need someone to come in on third downs and pick up where Mixon leaves off, and in his four seasons, Joe Mixon has never played all 16 games. So durability for the backup running back would also be a sticking point.
Can Bengals replace Bernard in 2021 NFL Draft?
As long as they can find a way to get some solid offensive linemen in this draft to help with their issues there, a late-round running back could end up being well worth the pick. If you are a fantasy guy, this could be an amazing buy-low option with Mixon’s questionable health already mentioned.
This team’s offense slowly changing over with the addition of Joe Burrow, the coaching staff, and the front office slashing players from the old regime. Now is there a chance to see if they can match Joe Mixon with someone who can not only keep his touches low and legs healthy, but be able to fill in the gaps? If the Bengals can hit on a solid backup running back this could be an offense that could be dangerous at any point on the field, if they do in fact grab a wide receiver with the first pick or the elite tight end Kyle Pitts.
Let’s take a look at some of the options they could target at running back!
1. Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis
In 2019 his last year at Memphis, Kenneth Gainwell showed up big time with 1459 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. He can also make big plays in the screen game or slot with 51 catches for 610 yards. He will bring a similar style as Bernard did, but with a better athletic profile overall. Gainwell has the upside of a true number one running back. With the injury history of Joe Mixon having a guy who has a shot to be a starter at any moment is invaluable to a franchise with a bad offensive line.
He is a smaller back compared to Joe Mixon so I wouldn’t expect him to take away any goal-line work, but long third downs should be his money maker.
If that offensive line doesn’t improve he is small and shifty enough to make some extended plays out of nothing. He still has some work to do as far as vision goes and getting a little stronger, but should fit in with what the Bengals need. If he had another year of college starter experience I would expect him to be an easy second round running back.
He’s still quite green and new to the position as he was a Quarterback in high school and has just one full year of starter time at running back. But, with guys like Antonio Gipson showing that some guys can just be made for running back after not spending a ton of time at the position at the next level I wouldn’t point to that being a big issue.
There could be a lot of upside here at worse, he can contribute the same as Bernard did at a much lower financial value.
2. Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State
This could be the home run hitter on third down they need. Jermar Jefferson while his 40-yard time at his pro-day left something to be desired coming in at the 4.5 mark he has shown big-play ability. Jefferson also has some good hands out of the backfield and at 206 pounds can take on guys at the next level.
If his 4.5 40-yard was more of an issue of lack of play and training this year, and let’s hope he could be one of the biggest bargains in the draft.
In his first and only full year at Oregon State he had 1, 380 rush yards with 12 touchdowns and over 200 yards receiving. Last year in just nine games he averaged 6.5 yards a carry coming in just shy of 900 yards and hitting pay dirt seven times. He will fight for everything he can get every time he touches the ball, on a handoff, or if he catches it. I love his ability to just want it more than the other guy in every aspect of his game.
Coming in to be the second back to bigger back like Mixon, Jefferson’s strengths should align very well with the type of play calls they will run without Mixon. Jefferson does have some questions about where his top-ability will land due to only playing 15 games since he finished his 2018 season. 2018 may have been the best version of Jefferson, or it was just scratching the surface and lack of playing time that held him back.
You can never have enough running backs who can get out and catch the ball, do well off play-action or have a shot at a touchdown every time they get past the second level. Jefferson could be a fan favorite at a very low price of a fourth-round pick. Getting an explosive playmaker with the upside of a starting level running back here is a great value.
3. Pooka Williams, Kansas
This is now getting into the late rounds of the draft where we find more of the project running backs who would come in and make an impact. With the way the roster is set up, if they do decide to wait on a running back I wouldn’t expect any reaches and for them to be patient. The drop-off from running backs in the first 90 picks to the next tier is quite large.
However, Pooka Williams is no scrub.
His first two years at Kansas he posted back-to-back 1,000+ rushing yard seasons and 210+ receiving yard seasons. Before that, he was Mr. Football in Louisiana the first player since Leonard Fournette to get it at the running back position. There is a decent amount of talent and speed here, to go along with his pass-catching ability.
What he lacks is strength.
This could end up being an issue at the next level, but for what he will be asked to do I wouldn’t harp on it much at this pick. Give him a season or two and he should get up there. He does offer a dynamic upside for a new-look offense. Pooka can also block quite well, which sets up some easy play-action calls on medium-yardage situations.
Pooka should be able to be used all over the field and multiple ways out of the backfield. His downside will be anything in short-yardage currently, but if they can learn from Joe Mixon on how to bulk up and get the tougher yards it’s a solid value here.