The 2024 NFL Draft was unkind to the Cincinnati Bengals. Or rather, they were unkind to themselves. Or rather, they were callous and foolish and gave Joe Burrow very little to work with as he proceeded to have an MVP-caliber season that resulted in missing the playoffs.
Now that the Bengals' 2024 rookie class has a couple full seasons under their belt, figured it'd be a good time to dive in and see how they're doing. This is a painful exercise, fair warning.
What looked like a luxury/surplus first-round pick has easily turned out to be the best of the bunch. Everywhere else we have a whole lotta JAGs. And I don't mean the variety from Jacksonville.
JAGs' plural form doesn't roll off the tongue, but the acronym itself stands for, "Just A Guy."
Letter grades for every Bengals player from 2024 NFL Draft
- Round 1, Pick 18: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia — B
- Round 2, Pick 49: Kris Jenkins Jr., DT, Michigan — D+
- Round 3, Pick 80: Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama — F
- Round 3, Pick 97: McKinnley Jackson, DT, Texas A&M — D
- Round 4, Pick 110: Erick All Jr., TE, Iowa — C-
- Round 5, Pick 149: Josh Newton, CB, TCU — C
- Round 6, Pick 194: Tanner McLachlan, TE, Arizona — F
- Round 6, Pick 214: Cedric Johnson, DE, Ole Miss — C+
- Round 7, Pick 224: Daijahn Anthony, CB/S, Ole Miss — D
- Round 7, Pick 237: Matt Lee, C, Miami (FL) — C
If you asked the casual NFL fan, do you think they'd know who both those Day 2 defensive tackle picks even are? I doubt it.
Kris Jenkins Jr. is a total nothing burger through two seasons. At least he can qualify for the active game day roster, though. By the end of the 2025 season, it was a rousing achievement for McKinnley Jackson to avoid the healthy scratches list.
Although he's looking like a solid starter deserving of a second contract, right tackle Amarius Mims is a pick I still have questions about years later. The Bengals had signed Trent Brown to start at right tackle, only to see him go down with an injury in Week 3 of that year. Mims was thrust into duty and was fine, but had some serious growing pains to get through.
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Brown got hurt again just recently and missed the Texans' Divisional Round loss at New England. Nevertheless, he was starting for Houston on Wild Card Weekend, and from Weeks 10 through 16. His team didn't lose a single game in that span.
I guess it's good that Mims had a trial by fire in the pros. Nobody questions his elite talent level. It's just that Cincinnati could've rolled with Brown, had he not been injured, and addressed another area of bigger need on the roster. Otherwise, they could've doubled down on a strength.
Notables who I had ahead of the 25th-ranked Mims on my big board:
7. CB Quinyon Mitchell
9. WR Brian Thomas Jr.
10. S/CB Cooper DeJean
11. WR Ladd McConkey
18. OT Troy Fautanu
22. EDGE Jared Verse
The Philadelphia Eagles scored both Mitchell and DeJean, who were instrumental in their run to the Super Bowl last season. Thomas nad McConkey finished third in and 10th respectively in receiving yards as rookies in 2024. That's not among first-year wideouts. That's the entire NFL.
Are we sure Fautanu isn't better than Mims on the AFC North rival Steelers? It's at least debatable.
Oh, and Jared Verse is an absolute terror off the edge for the Rams. They're one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance since beating the Bengals.
Do I even need to get into the rest of Cincinnati's 2024 rookie class? Erick All Jr. had major medical red flags coming out, and proceeded to tear his ACL. All had complications in his recovery, missing all of this season as a result in addition to eight games as a rookie. A promising player who'll hopefully stay healthy in 2026.
Why do I love the notion of McConkey or Thomas joining a Bengals receiving corps led by Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins? In part because a similarly-talented player named Jermaine Burton was supposed to be that a WR3 Himothy.
Burton never got his head on straight. Pre-draft off-field concerns came home to roost. The Bengals had no choice but to waive him in early December. He was active for zero games in 2025.
Josh Newton is a fine rotational cornerback who has some swagger to him. Little more. Anyone remember Tanner McLachlan? Yeah, me neither.
I do think Cedric Johnson adds some juice to the pass rush. He's at least serviceable depth guy who can allow the Bengals to move off free-agent defensive ends Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample with less anxiety. Not bad for a sixth-round pick.
Then, who knows what you get out of the seventh round? Who cares? Not every day does a Brock Purdy or Jonathon Cooper fall into your lap. But I challenge you to go back into the Bengals' history and dig up a seventh-round pick of any consequence. They miss so often in that round it'll make your head spin. These are the outer margins where adding to your scouting department could make a difference! Just saying!
We've made it to the end. Mercifully. The current 2024 NFL Draft class grade for the Cincinnati Bengals can't be any higher than a "D." Here's hoping for better this time around...