6 prospects from 2022 draft that Bengals fans would hate to see in AFC North

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Christian Watson (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Browns offensive pick- Christian Watson, WR (North Dakota State)

The Browns may have the most expensive quarterback in the league, but they must restock his weapons to ensure his success. This time last year, Cleveland had Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry leading the receiving group. Both have since departed and while Amari Cooper is an excellent addition, reinforcements are needed.

The Browns gave up their first-round pick as part of the Watson trade to make things a little more complicated. As a result, the Bengals likely won’t have to worry about facing the likes of Drake London and Garrett Wilson when they take on the Browns. One name that may last until pick 44 is North Dakota State wideout Christian Watson.

His 4.36 40-yard dash time would be a genuine concern to the Bengals’ secondary, as both he and Anthony Schwartz can take the top of a defense. In all likelihood, Chidobe Awuzie would track Cooper, leaving Watson going against Eli Apple or a rookie corner. That certainly would cause some headaches.

Cleveland Browns defensive pick – Travis Jones, DT (Connecticut)

Strengthening the interior of the offensive line was a key objective for the Bengals this offseason, and they did so with experienced signings Ted Karras and Alex Cappa. In this scenario, those new faces would be tested with the dominant defensive tackle Travis Jones getting selected by the Browns.

It is an area of need for the Browns, whose current projected starters are Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai. Jones is 6’4″ and 325 pounds and that size gives him the ability to play as a nose tackle if needed. That said, his 4.5 sacks in 2021 show he has more than enough twitch to also line up at 3-Tech and pressure quarterbacks.

As of now, the Bengals will start second-year lineman Jackson Carman at left guard. If the Browns had Jones, you could expect them to move him around and target Carman, and the power and bull rush ability would make that a difficult matchup.