NFL
By Jalen Willingham
There has been much speculation on who the Cincinnati Bengals will take with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. To get a better idea of who the Bengals may take, it’s important to look at their history which shows which positions they value most.
Here are the Bengals’ last 10 first-round draft picks:
- Daxton Hill: Safety
Michigan
31st overall
With the contract disputes with Jessie Bates at the time, the Bengals found a viable replacement at Safety after already making an effort to fix the offensive line. Hill will be starting at free safety in 2023.
- Ja’Marr Chase: Receiver
LSU
5th overall
During a time when a large portion of the fanbase was split between Ja’Marr Chase and Offensive tackle Penei Sewell, the Bengals made a move to pair Burrow with one of his favorite LSU targets for hopefully many years to come. The young receiver wasted no time becoming one of the league’s most exciting receivers.
- Joe Burrow: Quarterback
LSU
1st overall
Burrow was the consensus first-overall pick. Cincinnati needed a new quarterback for the Zac Taylor regime and it would’ve been stupid to pass on him.
- Jonah Williams: Offensive Tackle
Alabama
11th overall
In another move to fix the offensive line, the Bengals have an Alabama product that would look to be a staple in their offense. After an injury in his rookie year, he’s now become the longest-tenured Bengal on the offensive line despite his extremely disappointing 2022 season.
- Billy Price: Center
Ohio State
21st overall
Cincinnati was committed to revamping its offensive line and Price was an example of that. As a prospect who was already recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, the Bengals just showed their stubbornness in staying obsessed with offensive line prospects with injury problems or didn’t test well or at all in the combine.
- John Ross: Receiver
Washington
9th overall
Enamored by his elite speed and athleticism, Cincinnati thought they found the perfect playmaker to take pressure off of A.J. Green. His work ethic, problems with drops and early mismanagement by the coaching staff ruined Ross all-together. The Bengals usually hit on their receivers, but John Ross was a huge miss.
- William Jackson: Cornerback
Houston
24th overall
The Bengals once again were looking for their new shutdown corner and found it in Jackson. They wanted a guy who had speed and could cover, and Jackson was exactly that in 2016. Things just didn’t work out in Cincy and it apparently hasn’t worked out anywhere else for Jackson either.
- Cedric Ogbuehi: Offensive Tackle
Texas A&M
21st overall
In an effort to build an offensive line for the future, the Bengals went out and took a guy who was recovering from a torn ACL. This was unfortunately the start of a six-year run where first-round picks for Cincinnati would miss most of the season or get injured. Their plan was to have him sit behind Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith before throwing him out into the fire. He never developed into the guy the Bengals wanted.
- Darqueze Dennard: Cornerback
Michigan State
24th overall
While already having an aging cornerback room with three guys over 30 years old, Cincinnati sought out their cornerback of the future. Even though he lasted for quite a while, he could never truly live up to Leon Hall or Adam Jones.
- Tyler Eifert: Tight End
Notre Dame
21st overall
Despite already having pro bowl tight end Jermaine Gresham at the time, the Bengals wanted to further open up their offense and be even more dangerous by taking the clear best tight end in the draft at the time. It’s unfortunate what injuries did to Eifert over his eight-year career.
