The Bengals seemed locked in on Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but picking any of these five players would help Cincinnati.
It would be a massive shock if the Cincinnati Bengals select anyone other than Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft. That doesn’t mean he’s the only guy who could pay massive dividends for the beleaguered franchise though. In fact, quite a few players in this year’s class could really boost this team’s chances of ascending to respectability.
It’s also worth pointing out that nothing says the Bengals can’t circle back around and try to acquire a second first-round pick at some point. They’d almost certainly need to give up an established veteran to make that happen. Perhaps parting with a player like A.J. Green could allow Cincinnati to select another player in the back half of the round.
This piece starts with one player who could really help the Bengals if they were able to grab him towards the end of day one. Finding another wide receiver to grow with a young quarterback should be a draft priority for Cincinnati.
5. K.J. Hamler
Hamler isn’t going to be a factor in the top half of Round 1, but he could provide excellent value in the late-20s. The Bengals don’t have a pick in that range at the moment, but lots of things can change between now and draft night.
From an on-field perspective, Hamler would profile well with a big-armed quarterback like Burrow. He’s a burner with a great deal of top-end speed. Putting a guy like him on the field with other receivers like Green and Tyler Boyd would give Cincinnati a surprisingly dynamic group of wideouts.
Hamler isn’t the only wideout who could be a great fit with the Bengals late in the opening round. It’s a good idea for Cincinnati to take advantage of the deep nature of this year’s wideout class to give their quarterback another high-quality weapon.