Drafting and developing wide receivers is a strength for the Cincinnati Bengals, and it’s been that way a for a while.
Beyond the Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins types, Cincinnati has consistently been able to find receivers later in the NFL draft and get quality production out of them.
Which is why it’s odd how they haven’t attempted to do so in a few years now.
Since making Higgins a second-round pick in 2020, Chase is the only other receiver the Bengals have drafted.
The dire need certainly hasn’t been there considering Chase, Higgins, and Tyler Boyd continue to form the league’s best starting trio, but the club going two-straight years without adding a draft pick to the position room feels off.
The Bengals may not be looking at receiver early in next week’s draft, but they’re showing a ton of interest later on.
Notable names such as Penn State’s Parker Washington, SMU’s Rashee Rice, and Cincinnati’s Tyler Scott have met with the team, while the vast majority of receivers they’ve shown interest in aren’t expected to be picked until the back half of day three in rounds 5-7.
Tracking visits leads to more than just projecting likely draft picks, it can predict which players are likely targets for PFA signings after the draft.
A lot of these players will get calls towards the end of the draft from teams wanting to sign them unless a team swipes them up before the end of the seventh round.
With only seven picks in the draft, this could be the route the Bengals take.
A long-term replacement is needed for Tyler Boyd, which could lead to a slot expert being taken in the mid-rounds, but the value would have to exist for that to happen.
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