Bengals News (5/1): The reviews for Cincinnati’s draft are in

Here are what the draft experts are saying about the Bengals draft.

2023 Bengals Draft: Round-By-Round Quick Hits
Senior personnel executive Trey Brown, who pretty much floats through every region as well as free agency with director of college scouting Mike Potts and director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic, says it’s a good reminder to put the work in on everybody on the board no matter what. That’s why they scheduled him for a visit.

Five Thoughts on the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2023 NFL Draft Class
The Bengals responded to 3-straight defensive players on the first two days of the draft by taking 3-straight skill players in rounds 4-6. They found two wide receivers they liked in Charlie Jones and Andre Iosivas. Both guys are great athletes. Fifth round running back Chase Brown is another great athlete.

Zac Taylor: Joe Mixon’s future is here with the team
Running back Joe Mixon‘s $12.8 million salary cap hit created uncertainty about his future in Cincinnati. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin cast further doubt at the combine when he said he couldn’t predict the future when asked about Mixon’s status.

Cincinnati Bengals WRs Coach Troy Walters on Charlie Jones: ‘He Just Knows How to Get Open’
“A combination of a lot of things,” Walters said. “He has great ball skills. Anytime he’s in a 50-50 contested catch situation, he seemed to come down with it. And so, really everybody on our roster, all the receivers that we have have great ball skills, and so he adds to that as a guy that no matter where you throw the ball, he’s going to make the play. He’s a technical route runner. If it’s a 15-yard route, he’s going to run 15. If it’s 12 yards, he’s going to get 12.

What Bengals’ 2023 NFL draft says about TE, OL and other takeaways
It was another strong showing for Duke Tobin and Co., with even the surprising picks making sense and walking that fine tightrope between need and value.

Bengals give UDFA RB Jacob Saylors notable signing bonus
Saylors, 5’11” and 195 pounds, ran for 1,314 yards and 15 touchdowns last year on a 5.8 average over 226 attempts. On just 143 totes in 2021, he ran for 1,019 and 10 scores on a 7.1 average. He’s caught at least 19 passes in each of the last two seasons, too.

Bengals 2023 NFL Draft: Here’s what the experts are saying
The two common words tossed around from top analysts were “patient” and “solid” for how the Bengals approached this year’s draft that started out with them grabbing Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy in the first round and double-up picks at receiver and corner.

Around the league

2023 NFL Draft: Final quick-snap grades for all 32 teams
These 2023 NFL Draft quick-snap grades reflect the value I think each pick (or set of picks) has, given the slot and the prospect’s college film/athleticism scores. Trades, and the capital exchanged (both picks and players), are factored into these grades, as well, as they also play a significant part in determining the future of a franchise.

Broncos TE Adam Trautman asked to be traded by the Saints: ‘I feel like I was placed somewhat in a box’
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Trautman told Mike Klis of 9NEWS Denver. “I was actually hoping to get moved. This was initiated by me personally. I’ve been waiting for a little bit for something to materialize and it just happened to be the Broncos, obviously.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones not against Ezekiel Elliott reunion: ‘Ship has not sailed’
“Ship has not sailed,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters Saturday night when asked about a reunion, via the team website. “We haven’t made a decision. We’ve obviously drafted a running back, a little different style than Zeke, but it doesn’t change … For us, as far as our interest in Zeke, nothing we did today changes that.”

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ‘excited’ about Kirk Cousins but ‘every option is open’ going forward
“When you go into a contract negotiation, you’re trying to come up with solutions together,” he said. “It’s not just what Kwesi wants or what the Vikings want or even what Kirk wants. It’s what we can do together and ultimately put together that Lombardi [Trophy]. And sometimes you come to a place where you decide, ‘Hey, let’s talk later. This is a solution for now.’ That’s all that’s happened.”