Bengals- Stealing one player from each divisional rival: Lamar Jackson
As much as it stings to put Joe Burrow to the side in favor of Lamar Jackson, it’s the obvious choice. The former Heisman Trophy winner and league reigning MVP is the most electric quarterback in all of football and could instantly make the Bengals contenders.
His ability to hurt opposing defenses through the air as well as on the ground would make him and Cincinnati’s supporting cast nearly impossible to defend. A passing attack of Jackson to A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and others in combination with a ground game of Jackson plus Joe Mixon is something football fans dream of. Plus, his mobility would mask the Bengals’ biggest weakness, the offensive line.
Speaking of offensive line, the other option would be to gamble on Burrow’s astronomical potential and take the Raven’s elite left tackle, Ronnie Stanley instead. In doing so, the Bengals would have two promising bookends, one already established in Stanley, and one with all the potential in the world in Jonah Williams. That duo would certainly increase the optimism surrounding the offensive trenches.
But at the end of the day, you have to go with the sure thing. Jackson proved himself to be an elite quarterback last year and you can’t pass up on that.