If either one of Penei Sewell or Ja’Marr Chase is on the board when the Cincinnati Bengals go on the clock, the selection should be ran in. Both are elite, young prospects that stand above the rest as potential franchise-changers.
However, as the draft inches closer, the likelihood that one of those two falls to the fifth overall pick seems to decrease. Originally, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that three quarterbacks would go within the top four picks, guaranteeing the Bengals a shot at one of the top two non-quarterback prospects.
But, with a number of quality veteran quarterbacks seemingly up for grabs and the uncertainty of Justin Fields’ ranking, there’s a good chance only Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are gone by the time Cincinnati makes their first pick.
If that’s indeed the scenario that plays out, the Bengals will undoubtedly look at trading options. That’s the route taken in this mock draft,
According to the draft pick value chart, the Denver Broncos are overpaying here to move up. However, that’s often something NFL franchises are willing to do to secure their quarterback of the future. If Denver strikes out on Deshaun Watson, they’ll be desperate to land a signal-caller to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the AFC West, a fact that Cincinnati can take advantage of.
For the Bengals, they’ll still likely get the player they would have selected if they stayed put. Plus, they get two additional draft picks to address some of the many concerns on their roster.