The NFL draft is a magical time of year. There is no feeling like your team drafting a stud rookie that puts your team on weekly highlights and has the media crowning him the next big thing. And as we all painfully know, the level of head pounding frustration of a missed pick. You can’t wait to get that guy off your roster. The NFL draft is an experience every fan and team can relate too, and the Bengals are no exception. Cincinnati has been able to use the draft to infuse a youth movement of talent that helped them reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989. But they also made costly decisions that may have prevented them from winning it in 2022. Let’s review where they went right and where they went wrong.

2023

Best: Jordan Battle

Losing both of your starting safeties since 2020 to free agency isn’t ideal. Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo noted it was a dark day. When Alabama safety Jordan Battle was sitting in the Bengals lap in the 3rd round, we could see clear skies. The Bengals viewed Battle highly and didn’t think twice about turning the draft card in with his name on it.

Jordan Battle has become the Bengals Vonn Bell replacement. Battle’s instincts and physicality on the field are reminiscent of the veteran. Battle stepped up in run defense, earning an 81.3 PFF grade in that department. His 82.5 grade was good enough for the top ten among all safeties.

Worst: Brad Robbins

14 year veteran Kevin Huber retired after a difficult 2022 campaign saw him take a seat on the bench halfway through the season. The replacement, Drue Chrisman an undrafted rookie did no better for the team. The Bengals were forced into the punter market heading into April.

Taken in the 6th round of the 2023 draft, Brad Robbins does not seem to be the answer at punter either.

Final Punter Rankings of the season! pic.twitter.com/fRkqzPRAo0

— Puntalytics (@ThePuntRunts) January 8, 2024

Robbins did the Bengals defense no favors in field position all season long. Finishing dead last in EPA among all punters is disastrous, especially when the team spent a draft pick on him.

2022

Best: Cam Taylor-Britt

The Bengals selected Cam Taylor-Britt out of Nebraska, Zac Taylor’s alma mater. Taylor-Britt was a team captain in college and the Bengals liked his athletic profile coming out. In a conference with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert, it’s no secret cornerback is a valuable position.

Taylor-Britt was impressive as a rookie after being thrust into a starting role when Chidobe Awuzie suffered a torn ACL in week 8 of 2022. Including during the Bengals playoff run where his 32.4 passer rating when targeted helped his team reach the conference championship.

He followed up his debut season with a strong sophomore year snagging four interceptions–including a pick-6, 11 pass deflections and a forced fumble. Impressive numbers to catch the attention of PFF, who named him the Bengals most improved player.

Worst: Zach Carter

The Bengals had just lost defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi to free agency who had made a big impact on their defense in 2021. Ogunjobi had started in every game for the Bengals and recorded 7 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 16 QB hits. Including a fumble recovery in the playoffs. His departure left a big hole to fill in terms on interior pass rush. Which Cincinnati still trying to replace today. The Bengals have missed Larry Ogunjobi badly since his departure.

The Bengals lost Larry Ogunjobi after the 2021 season and their only response was to draft Zach Carter in the 2022 NFL Draft.

That plan has always been questionable.

— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) November 13, 2023

Zach Carter has not been what the Bengals had hoped. In fact. he has been nothing close. His pass rush is almost nonexistent, and his run defense may be worse. Carter, who played 500 snaps last year ranked near the bottom among all interior defensive linemen in pass rush win rate (4.4%) and almost dead last in run stop % (3.4%).

Carter was a missed pick, and the Bengals had to address the position again just two years later after signing Sheldon Rankins.

2021

Best: Ja’Marr Chase

A classic case of best player available vs need. The Ja’Marr Chase pick was as controversial as it was correct. Joe Burrow was coming of an ACL injury that ended his rookie season abruptly. Taking one of the best offensive tackle prospects in years seemed like a slam dunk at 5th overall. Yet, the Bengals did have a hole at wide receiver after A.J. Green departed in free agency. They did not pass up on the opportunity to add a blue-chip prospect for their franchise quarterback to throw too. The icing on the cake was reuniting the former college teammates.

From the Bayou to Cincinnati, the star duo provided a spark to an unlikely Super Bowl run. Chase won offensive rookie of the year on his way to setting the rookie receiving record in the super bowl era–as well as the rookie post season record.

Cincinnati could do no wrong in the infamous Chase vs Sewell debate after each have proven they are among the best at their position.

Worst: Jackson Carman

Cincinnati had a massive need at offensive tackle, considering their face of the franchise tore his ACL behind a putrid offensive line. The Bengals passed up on a round one offensive tackle in favor of Ja’Marr Chase. Most fans were behind this decision, provided they took a worthy tackle in the next round. Oh boy.

Jackson Carman has been a complete and utter bust for the Bengals. Everyone knew the pic was a reach. Carman was a healthy inactive for most of 2023 after struggling in his first two years in the league. Had the Bengals gotten this pick right and hit on an offensive lineman, that could have been the difference in Super Bowl 56 vs Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and the Rams.

2020

Best: Joe Burrow

The Bengals were finally bad enough in the Andy Dalton era to get out of no man’s land, finding themselves at the very top of the 2020 NFL Draft. Joe Burrow had a historic Heisman season in 2019 at LSU and the rest was history, the Bengals found their franchise quarterback.

Since arriving in Cincinnati, the Bengals have been a completely different organization. Bengals fans have seen their first playoff win in 31 years, went to the Super Bowl, upgraded their uniforms, built an indoor practice facility, added a ring of honor, and have been big time spenders in free agency. Talk about changing a franchise.

Worst: Hakeem Adeniji

Cincinnati needed to invest in the offensive line after drafting quarterback Joe Burrow. After addressing other pressing needs on a rebuilding roster, the Bengals took a swing on developmental project Hakeem Adeniji out of Kansas.

Adeniji started nine games in 2021, and unfortunately, in all of the playoff games in 2021 and 2022. Not because the Bengals found a hidden gem late in the draft but because of injury to their starters. Adeniji never put it all together on the field and is currently with the Cleveland Browns.

Cincinnati missed out on a starting offensive lineman just two picks later in the sixth round. Michael Onwenu, who just earned a new 3-year $57 million contract with the Patriots could have been a Bengal.

2019

Best: Germaine Pratt

After years and years of searching, Bengals brass just couldn’t seem to get the linebacker position squared away. Leading to many porous run defenses and lapses in the middle of the field. During the Marvin Lewis era, which lasted from 2003 to 2018, the ONLY linebacker to make a pro bowl was undrafted free agent Vontaze Burfict.

“The Bengals linebacking corps has the lowest grade in the NFL over the last two years, and they have heavily addressed the position in the draft over that span.”

Steve Palazzolo ranked the Bengals linebacker unit 30th ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

Cincinnati found a gem at 72nd overall in the 3rd round. Linebacker Germaine Pratt has solved the Bengals linebacker woes of the past decade. He and Logan Wilson have been one of the best play making duos in the middle of the Bengals defense in the entire league. Since 2021, Germaine Pratt is one of five players with at least five forced fumbles and five interceptions.

Worst: Michael Jordan

Struggling would be an understatement describing the Bengals process of building a cohesive offensive line. Zac Taylor was hoping Guard Michael Jordan could be their answer. He may have been for the Chicago Bulls, but not for the Bengals. Selected in the fourth round, Jordan started in 19 of 27 games with the Bengals and proved he was not the answer at guard. PFF graded Jordan with a 43.7 mark in 2019 and 55.7 in 2020.

A good draft class can propel a franchise to big games under the lights. And a bad one can sink seasons and cost jobs. We’ve seen how the Bengals best and worst draft day decisions have impacted them during the Zac Taylor era.