Most picks that aren’t offensive line or defense for the Cincinnati Bengals in mock drafts ahead of the 2022 NFL draft tend to be surprises at this stage of the game.
The Bengals, after all, technically still have one spot on the offensive line they would likely prefer to upgrade and a whole host of needs on the defense, given depth issues at cornerback and across the front four.
But in a late mock draft from NBC Sports’ Peter King, the Bengals go a totally different route and take Colorado State tight end Trey McBride:
“As for the tight end need, the Bengals are still in mourning after losing valuable starter C.J. Uzomah and his 965 snaps last year to the Jets in free agency. The Bengals did sign Hayden Hurst, but the former first-round Raven will be playing for his third team in four years; I doubt he’s the every-down tight end Cincinnati lost in Uzomah. McBride’s a versatile player with an excellent résumé at Colorado State as an inline blocker and a possession receiver. He caught a team-high 90 balls last year in a run-first offense. ‘McBride would be a classic Mike Brown pick,’ one veteran GM told me. ‘He likes to use draft choices to fill holes.’”
Of course, the problem with a “classic Mike Brown pick” is the Bengals haven’t really done that in a few years now. They’ve heavily leaned best player available on their board for the most part after getting burnt by names like Billy Price.
Which isn’t to say McBride would be a bad pick. He had 1,100-plus yards last year and is a big 6’4″ target who is good at blocking, too. If the team likes him that much, they might as well pull the trigger despite Hayden Hurst.
Still, defense or trade out seem like more likely options for the Bengals as of right now. But given the 15 names who could possibly be available, the team really can’t go wrong at No. 31:
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