Who Dey Draft 2018

The 2018 NFL Draft has come and gone, and it was a chance for my beloved Cincinnati Bengals to address some of the issues that plagued this team the past two seasons. The biggest of these problems was the offensive line. For the last two years, Andy Dalton was seemingly running for his life every other play. That is why many NFL Draft experts predicted that the Bengals would select an offensive lineman in the first round.

Despite rumors that the Bengals would take quarterback Lamar Jackson out of the University of Louisville, the franchise selected center Billy Price out of Ohio State University. Price replaces center Russell Bodine who signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency. Hopefully he can prove to be a better center than Bodine and provide adequate blocking for Dalton.

In the second round, the Bengals selected safety Jessie Bates III out of Wake Forest. The Bengals are hoping he can help cover slots and and allow them to stay in base defense. In the third round, the team took defensive end Sam Hubbard out of Ohio State. Hopefully he can help strengthen the pass rush. They also selected Malik Jefferson. He is a linebacker out of Texas. With Vontaze Burfict facing a suspension to start the season as well as his injury history, I feel like the Jefferson’s selection is self explanatory.

The Bengals had one selection in the fourth round, and the chose Miami Hurricane running back Mark Walton. With Jeremy Hill joing former Bengals running back Rex Burkhead in New England, the Bengals were down to Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard. Walton will probably be the new third string back as well as contribute on special teams.

In the fifth round, the Bengals had three picks. First they selected cornerback Davontae Harris out of Illinois State. With Adam Jones currently a free agent, Harris adds some depth to the cornerback position. The Bengals then selected Andrew Brown. The former Virginia Cavalier defensive tackle will most likely see some time on the field behind Geno Atkins. Their final fifth round pick was Darius Phillips out Western Michigan. He is a cornerback who could also be used as a returner.

The Bengals had no six round picks, but did make three selections in the seventh round. First was Toledo Rockets quarterback Logan Woodside. He will most likely be competing for a backup role or might even be the practice squad quarterback. Next was Rod Taylor, an offensive lineman out of the University of Mississippi. The Bengals have stated that they believe he can play either guard or tackle, and they are hoping his versatility can help bolster the offensive line. The final draft pick made by the Bengals in 2018 was wide receiver Auden Tate from Florida State University. He will compete for one of the receiver spots on the team as the Bengals have stated that they believe he can be a major target for Dalton.

Those are all of the 2018 draft picks of the Bengals. They addressed some of their offensive line needs, strengthened the defense, and hopefully picked up a few players that can help them win a Super Bowl Championship. On paper, I’d say that they had a good draft. Of course, we won’t really know how the draft picks pan out until the season starts.

Who Dey!