Bengals 3-round mock draft: Cincinnati adds local star in first round

The Cincinnati Bengals still have the playoffs to attend to but that doesn’t mean we can’t pass the time with a quick three-round mock draft.

As of now, the stripes would hold the No. 25 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, which is a new position for them. They’ve held a top-five pick in each of the last two drafts, so they won’t have a shot at the absolute best players in the draft.

Even with that said, Cincinnati will be able to get players who can continue to contribute and make this team even better. They manage to start the draft off on the right note with the addition of a knockout cornerback.

For this mock draft, I used Pro Football Network‘s draft simulator.

Round 1: Pick 25 – Ahmad Gardner, CB (Cincinnati)

Bengals fans would dance for joy if this ended up happening. Ahmad Gardner has played barely 10 minutes away from Paul Brown Stadium over the past three years so why not keep him in the Queen City for his professional career?

With the Bengals likely moving on from Trae Waynes this offseason, there will be an open position in the secondary for a guy like “Sauce”, as he’s often referred to as. The 6’2″, 180-pound corner out of Cincinnati is just the player the stripes are looking for in their secondary.

Pairing Gardner with the likes of Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, and hopefully Eli Apple (he’ll be a free agent) should greatly improve the Bengals’ secondary in 2022. He’d be a terrific pick at No. 25 overall.