7 players Bengals could have drafted instead of Jackson Carman

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah went No. 52 to the Browns

Linebacker looked to be a major position of weakness for Cincinnati entering the season. Logan Wilson was poised for a breakout season but Akeem Davis-Gaither and Germaine Pratt still had to prove themselves.

That’s why it was a bummer that Cincy didn’t spend their No. 46 pick on Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah of Notre Dame. He went six picks later to division rival Cleveland and has thrived with the AFC North opponent.

Owusu-Koramoah has appeared in nine games and made six starts as a rookie and has 50 tackles to his name so far. He’s also totaled four defended passes, two QB hits, one sack, and one forced fumble, proving himself as a game-changing linebacker.

The Bengals’ linebackers have played well this year but with injuries to Davis-Gaither and Wilson, the Fighting Irish defender would have been a great player to have at this point in the season. He’d have been playing from Week 1 and making his presence known, which isn’t the case for Carman.