Bengals 7-Round Mock Draft: First three picks spent on offensive players

Round 5: Pick 167 – Deangelo Malone, EDGE (Western Kentucky)

One of the most ferocious pass rushers in Conference USA is none other than Western Kentucky’s Deangelo Malone who had double-digit tackles for loss in three straight seasons. Malone had a whopping 20.5 tackles for loss in 2019, 10.5 in 2020, and 17.5 in 2021 and also put up impressive sack numbers with 11 in 2019, six in 2020, and eight in 2021.

Yes, playing in Conference USA inflates his numbers since he’s going up against not as great talent but Malone is still someone who has shown he can get after the quarterback or whoever has the ball with ease. He even won the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 after the dominant numbers he put up that season.

The Bengals’ pass rush has improved greatly in 2021 after recording the fewest sacks in 2020 but there’s still room to improve more. Malone is another name to add to that pass-rushing mix in Cincinnati.

Round 6: Pick 202 – Mitchell Agude, EDGE (UCLA)

At this point in the mock draft, Cincy is mostly taking the best player available. Mitchell Agude was the best player available at pick No. 202.

Agude finished the 2021 season with 55 tackles, six and a half tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, two sacks, and two defended passes through 11 games. Adding another pass rusher is a good strategy for the Bengals because it means they’re continuing to add talent to an area of need.

By the sixth round, adding someone who can make any sort of positive impact is a win and hopefully Agude can do just that.