3 takeaways from the Bengals’ interesting 2022 draft choices

Bengals and Jessie Bates contract talks must not be trending in right direction

With the second-to-last pick in the first round, the stripes went with Michigan safety, Daxton Hill. The pick surprised some people, as there were plenty of first-round-caliber cornerbacks still on the board at that time.

Hill’s selection wasn’t a complete and total shock, however, as the Bengals slapped Jessie Bates with the franchise tag earlier this offseason and appear to still be far apart on a potential extension. The last update we heard was in late March when the organization noted they were hoping things would work out.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer noted:

"According to Blackburn, the Bengals thought they had a “good chance” of getting Bates signed to an extension last year. “There hasn’t been a lot to report on since we put the tag on him,” Blackburn said. “We obviously tried to get him re-signed last year. Thought we had a good chance of getting that done but it didn’t quite get there. I think they wanted to see where the market went in free agency and at some point, we’ll circle back with him and see where we are. But obviously, we love Jessie as a player and if there’s a way we could get something worked out, that would be great. And we just have to see where it goes.”"

With this addition of Hill, the Bengals are preparing for the worst with the Bates situation. Not only could they lose Bates a year from now, but Vonn Bell is also slated to hit free agency after this season as well. As a result, Cincy drafted Hill in round one and then Toledo safety Tycen Anderson in the fifth round.

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These are the biggest takeaways to be had from the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2022 draft.