Tuesday Trenches: Decisions, decisions

Let’s make a Pros & Cons list.

The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, and there are a ton of possibilities for the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 18 overall pick. I have seen mock drafts with six quarterbacks taken in the first round before the Bengals ever go on the clock.

I’ve seen mocks where Brock Bowers falls, and the Bengals pass on him. I’ve seen Bowers go in the top 5. I’ve seen at least five different offensive tackles mocked to the Bengals, and at least two different defensive tackles, and a couple cornerbacks as well. Hell, I’ve seen wide receiver.

And they’re all valid. I’d say the only positions off the board are quarterback and running back. I doubt the Bengals will take a safety, linebacker, interior offensive linemen, or edge in the first, but I couldn’t speak with 100 percent certainty.

So that leaves us with wide receiver, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, cornerback, and Brock Bowers in no particular order.

So, let’s do an old fashioned Pro-Cons list for each of those scenarios.

Brock Bowers

Bowers is going first because I think he’s the most unlikely pick at No. 18 of all the positions listed above, mainly because I don’t think he’ll be available when the Bengals go on the clock.

Pros:

• A unique physical specimen for the position with rare speed, and with the right quarterback and in the right system, many see the next Travis Kelce or George Kittle.
• He’s very quick off the line and accelerates to top speed quickly.
• Too quick and fast for most linebackers to cover him man-on-man.
• Could be an incredible asset on the field along with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Mike Gesicki.
• Bowers solves the WR3 question.
• There are a lot of pros to Bowers.

Cons:

• He’s not a typical in-line blocking tight end. He’s not going to open up holes in the running game or go one-on-one with a defensive end. He’s a receiver, first and foremost, and having him on the roster means you also need to have a blocking tight end.
• You’re using the No. 18 overall pick on a position it seems the team doesn’t necessarily value, and selecting Bowers isn’t going to solve depth issues at some other positions.
• But again….. it’s Bowers.

In my opinion, if Bowers is there, regardless of who else is available, you take him. He’s that rare and that good. The Bengals are good enough everywhere. They can have some fun with their first-round pick.

Offensive Tackle

Here’s where I think we’ll go at No. 18. There are so many different offensive tackles that could be on the menu when the Bengals sit down at the table. We’re not going to go over all of them, just what they could bring to the team if selected.

Pros:

• Gives the Bengals a backup to Trent Brown, who has only played in one complete season of his career.
• Depending on who is selected, the player could be versatile enough to compete at left guard if the need arises.
• An insurance policy for an injury to either tackle position.
• If Trent Brown plays the entire season, since he signed a one-year deal, the Bengals have someone who can step in if/when Brown leaves.
• The obvious boosting the talent level of the offensive line in hopes of keeping Joe Burrow healthy.

Cons:

• Ignores needs on defense.
• Due to the amount of offensive tackles on the board, trading back and still grabbing a quality starter, or finding one on day two of the draft are very real possibilities.
• It means Bowers wasn’t there.
• There are a couple choices at offensive tackle that have some bust possibilities, and the Bengals don’t have a great history at drafting offensive linemen lately.
• There is a possibility the offensive tackle selected sees very few snaps in the 2024 season, which feels like a wasted pick.

Defensive Tackle

Here’s another position the Bengals could go after, depending on who is available. There are a couple guys who could be available, and they could fill a need for the team as well. The only guys I think the Bengals could think about at No. 18 are Byron Murphy II or Johnny Newton.

Pros:

• The Bengals lost DJ Reader in free agency, and even though they signed Sheldon Rankins, they don’t really have a nose tackle on the roster. While they still have a talented defensive line, they don’t have that space eater, who just soaks up offensive linemen so linebackers can get to where they need to be. That’s what Reader was. Neither Murphy nor Newton are true nose tackles, but Murphy shaded that way in college.
• Both would immediately enter a rotation of defensive tackles, hopefully keeping everyone healthier deeper into the season.
• Both Murphy and Newton have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, and grabbing either at 18, especially Murphy, would be a good find for Lou Anarumo’s defense.
• Adding two interior players who are able to get at the passer from the middle of the line in one offseason has huge potential to help the Bengals go far in an AFC loaded with quarterback talent, and there aren’t many better ways of stopping quarterbacks, than making them run for their lives the entire game.
• The addition of a dominant defensive tackle has a ripple effect that goes all the way back through the secondary.
• Could be some big-time injury insurance if Hill or Rankins were to go down.

Cons:

• Of the positions (and Bowers) listed above, this is the one where the Bengals could find quality players in later rounds. Talented defensive tackles go in day two and three of the draft all the time. Geno Atkins was a fourth-round pick.
• There are still some defensive tackles available in free agency that wouldn’t cost a ton, and since they’d be rotational pieces, they don’t need to be as heavily relied upon. This could, in theory, free the Bengals up to go after another position if everyone stays healthy.
• Again, do you want to use your first-round pick on a rotational player?

Wide Receiver

Losing Tyler Boyd and being one-year away from losing Higgins puts wide receiver on the radar. I think this is probably the least likely after Bowers, just because I think there are bigger fish to fry, and unless someone falls, there are wide receivers to be found in day two.

But, there are….

Pros:

• The Bengals would once again have the best trio of wide receivers in the league, and now Gesicki is just another cog in a very explosive machine, and not WR3.
• It’s likely Higgins is about to play his final season in stripes, and when he leaves, Burrow would already be familiar with his replacement.
• It would give the Bengals five years (5th-year option) on a premium position before they would possibly be forced to use a franchise tag.
• Unlike OT, the Bengals have a great history at drafting wide receivers.
• The Bengals offense goes through Burrow, and the more toys he has to play with, the more confounded and confused he can make opposing defenses.

Cons:

• If the plan is to keep Burrow and Chase together long-term, and then just rent WR2 for four or five year stints, you’re developing a lot of talent to walk out the door and help other teams. I don’t want the Bengals to have that reputation.
• WR is a position with a lot of flash, but sometimes not much substance. If the player hits, yay. If not, John Ross.
• I think championship teams are built in the trenches. This isn’t necessarily a con, just my opinion.

Cornerback

This one’s kinda a wild card for me. I could only see them going corner if there weren’t many options, like if there weren’t many quarterbacks taken in the first and there was a run on linemen, and a couple corners fell. They like them some first-round corner action, just based on history.

Pros:

• Another way to combat the massive amount of talent at QB in the AFC is by making sure nobody gets open.
• Cornerback is another position the Bengals obviously place a lot of value on, and the team currently lacks a plan for CB4.
• A starting-caliber corner gives the Bengals a very good CB4 in DJ Turner, and gives the Bengals a hell of a secondary on paper.
• Another premium position player under contract for the extra five year.

Cons:

• I get the feeling that if the Bengals go corner in the first round it’s because things didn’t go the way they wanted them to.
• There isn’t a need for CB1 or even two on the team necessarily. CB4, could be something the team could address later in the draft.

What do you think? Which of the above positions do you want the Bengals to target with the team’s first-round pick? Are there some pros or cons I left off (we both know there are)? Is there another position you think should be on the list?

Relative Song Lyrics:

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there could be trouble
I stay there could be double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go