Ranking Bengals biggest needs in 2024 NFL Draft

2. Defensive line

The Bengals were not very good against the run last season. They allowed 126.2 rushing yards per game, which was seventh-worst league-wide. They also had 44 total sacks as a team -- not a terrible number, but one that could definitely be improved upon.

Losing D.J. Reader to the Detroit Lions in free agency certainly won't help either. The addition of Sheldon Rankins was a decent band-aid at least, but the team definitely still needs to add to the D-line in the draft, and probably pretty early on.

Defensive tackle is probably more of an immediate need than defensive end, but honestly both spots could benefit from some added depth, and Cincinnati has plenty of picks to go around, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them add multiple defensive linemen.

1. Offensive line

Keeping Joe Burrow protected is of utmost importance to Cincinnati, especially since he's coming off of a season-ending wrist surgery. So, their biggest need in the '24 draft is improvement on the offensive line, and at right tackle specifically.

The addition of Trent Brown in free agency helps, but he's 30 years old and has a lot of miles on his tires. Similarly, right guard Alex Kappa is 29, and there's not much reliable depth behind those guys. The Bengals need to get younger on the strong side. The more talent they can add there, the better.