The Cincinnati Bengals are winners of two straight games. For the fans who were hoping the team would tank for the rest of the season and get a top-10 pick, you're probably going to be disappointed to see the team succeed.
The Bengals have four games remaining in 2023 and all four of those opponents have winning records. It's kind of misleading though because those four teams are the Vikings (7-6), Steelers (7-6), Chiefs (8-5), and Browns (8-5). It's crazy because every team has a winning record but none of them are scary. Three have backup quarterbacks and the Chiefs don't have any wide receivers who can catch the ball, making it hard to win games.
So, with that in mind, it's entirely possible that the Bengals win out and sneak their way into the playoffs, a feat that seemed highly unlikely after Joe Burrow went down for the season and the Stripes were sitting at 5-6 on the year.
Where are the Bengals currently picking in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Tankathon has the Bengals selecting 18th overall in the draft. The Steelers would pick 23rd, the Browns 24th, and the Ravens would hold the 32nd pick but that's because they're sitting with the best record in football (tied with the 49ers, of course).
Where could the Bengals end up picking in the 2024 NFL Draft?
As I stated above, it's entirely possible that the Bengals win out and earn a wild card spot. If they do that, they'd pick somewhere between 19 and 24. If they miss out on the playoffs, they could pick from anywhere between 11 and 18. I don't see them finishing with a worse record than the Chargers, who would be picking 10th as of now.
Bengals options for the first-round pick
Honestly, the tight end position hasn't been as frustrating over the past month or so, so that takes tight end off the board in the first round unless Brock Bowers somehow fell to to the Bengals wherever they're drafting.
Wide receiver is going to be a common position for the Bengals in the first round because they might lose Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins in free agency. Ja'Marr Chase will get extended this offseason so he'll be around for the foreseeable future so it could be him, the first-round rookie, and then maybe even Trenton Irwin could slide into a starting role.
Matt Miller of ESPN had the Bengals going with Jer'Zhan Newton, a defensive tackle out of Illinois in his latest mock draft, citing that he believes at least one of Boyd or Higgins stays in Cincinnati. That would be interesting, to say the least.