The Cincinnati Bengals have the 28th pick in the NFL Draft when Round 1 begins on April 27 in Kansas City. The Bengals own seven total picks in the seven-round draft.
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Bengals’ draft picks
| ROUND | PICK | OVERALL | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 | 28 | |
2 | 29 | 60 | |
3 | 29 | 92 | |
4 | 29 | 131 | |
5 | 28 | 163 | |
6 | 29 | 206 | |
7 | 29 | 246 |
Full draft order
See how every pick in the seven-round NFL Draft is scheduled.
NFL Draft details
• Round 1: April 27, 8 p.m. ET
• Rounds 2-3: April 28, 7 p.m. ET
• Rounds 4-7: April 29, Noon ET
About the Bengals
• Head coach: Zac Taylor (fifth season)
• Director of player personnel: Duke Tobin
• Last year’s record: 12-4 (Bills game had no result)
With another block or two along the offensive line, the Bengals could be boasting back-to-back Super Bowl titles. Signing free-agent left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. greatly increases their chances of playing in late January for the third year in a row with quarterback Joe Burrow still operating under a manageable salary. It’s hardly a now-or-never situation, but the opportunity to hoist the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy will never be greater than it is in 2023.
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Bengals’ key position needs
Tight end: The Bengals finally addressed this need with the addition of free agent Irv Smith Jr. It’s still a need though as they have only one other tight end under contract who has ever caught a pass in the NFL, and barely. Devin Asiasi has four career catches in three seasons. Hayden Hurst left in free agency, while Drew Sample, the team’s second-round pick in 2019, and 2021 UDFA Mitch Wilcox also are free agents. But adding Smith does give some flexibility on what to do about the position in the draft.
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Right tackle: Jonah Williams has requested a trade after the Brown signing slotted him as the team’s starting right tackle on a $12.6 million fifth-year option. Williams also is coming off surgery to repair a dislocated kneecap. Last year’s starting right tackle, La’el Collins, tore his ACL and MCL on Christmas Eve. And 2021 second-round pick Jackson Carman has had an unremarkable start to his career, although there is some renewed hope for him after he played well at left tackle for Williams in the divisional playoff win against the Bills.
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Running back: Joe Mixon’s future remains cloudy with an untenable cap hit of $12.8 million and his name being tied to a couple of recent gun incidents, even though he has not been charged in either. The Bengals will ask Mixon to take a pay cut. He could agree, or he could tell them to kick rocks. The loss of Samaje Perine in free agency helps Mixon’s leverage a little, but the Bengals will be drafting a running back and likely adding more help after the draft.
Joe Mixon’s future with the Bengals is in question and could mean a replacement taken in the draft. (Ed Mulholland / USA Today)Cornerback: The Bengals have a solid starting trio in Chidobe Awuzie, 2022 second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt and nickel Mike Hilton, but depth is a major concern, especially with Awuzie coming off ACL surgery. Other than right tackle, corner is the most likely direction the team will go in the first round.
Defensive tackle: This is another position where depth is a concern, especially given the fact that starting 3-technique B.J. Hill is far more productive when he’s playing 50-60 percent of the snaps and not closer to 80 as he did last year. There’s also the issue of DJ Reader, who has been everything the Bengals could have hoped for and more when they signed him in free agency in 2020, heading into the final year of his contract.
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‘The Beast’ 2023 NFL Draft guide: Dane Brugler’s scouting reports, player rankings
Bengals draft analysis
Bengals 2023 draft big board: Right tackle, cornerback top targets: Options for the Bengals’ biggest positional needs.
Orlando Brown Jr. is the Bengals’ answer, but his arrival creates other O-line questions: The domino effect of the big signing could increase the need for offensive line in the draft.
Why Vonn Bell, Jessie Bates left and where Bengals head next at safety: A position of strength now has major questions the draft may need to help address.
Why adding tight end Irv Smith Jr. opens up Bengals’ options: A veteran signing alleviates some of the need at tight end.
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Bengals’ ’20 draft revisited: Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins head franchise-altering class
What Bengals’ recent history says about drafting for need — the hits and misses
These 5 Bengals trends offer clues into whom they might select on draft day
Bengals’ running back future: Drafting to fit Cincinnati’s offensive evolution
Are the Bengals looking for Tyler Boyd’s heir apparent and is he in this draft?
Dane Brugler’s Bengals picks — assessing and alternative mock draft picks
Bengals positioned to draft tight end depth, but 3 targets make most sense
Bengals big board: Ranking the first round and universe of targets beyond
Bengals draft debates: These 5 topics could impact Cincinnati’s selections
The Athletic’s most recent mock drafts
April 26: NFL Mock Draft 2023: Our beat writers pick 5 QBs in first round with Bryce Young No. 1: Final full-staff draft simulation before the real thing.
April 17: NFL 7-Round Mock Draft: Dane Brugler predicts all 259 picks: Our draft expert has the Bengals beefing up the D-line in the first round.
April 14: Bengals mock draft mailbag results: Your trades, trends, favorites and reaches: A look at who readers are taking in their mock drafts.
April 11: Bengals trends mock draft: Using history and The Beast to predict the picks: Paul Dehner Jr. makes his picks on what has happened in recent years.
April 7: 2023 NFL Mock Draft: How each team should attack Rounds 1-3: Nick Baumgardner projects how the Bengals could pick early in the draft.
March 31: NFL mock draft 2023: What sources say about Stroud, Hooker, Richardson and more: Bruce Feldman gives his prognostications and goes offensive line for the Bengals.
March 28: NFL Mock Draft 2023: Surprise pick at No. 2 as Bryce Young falls to Colts at No. 4: Diante Lee goes with a splashy running back pick at No. 28.
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March 28: Dehner Jr.: Bengals bolster O-line in 7-round, post-free-agency mock draft
March 22: Beat writer mock draft: QBs go quickly, surprise trade, Aaron Rodgers stalemate: Paul Dehner Jr. selects an offensive tackle with the Bengals’ first-round pick.
March 13: After Panthers trade for No. 1, quarterbacks go 1-2-3-4: Ben Standig takes Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison before the Orlando Brown Jr. signing and Jonah Williams requesting a trade.
March 10: Bengals 2023 mock draft 2.0: Oklahoma tackle Anton Harrison could boost O-line
Bengals’ last five top picks
2022: S Dax Hill, pick No. 31 — Hill barely played last year after Jessie Bates ended his spat with ownership over being franchise tagged and returned in late August. Hill looked the part in training camp and especially in the preseason games where his athleticism made him look like a starter among backups, but Bates’ return stunted his progress, as did the Bengals asking him to rep at outside corner, slot corner and safety as a rookie.
Dax Hill will play a much bigger role in his second season with starting safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates leaving in free agency. (Katie Stratman / USA Today)2021: WR Ja’Marr Chase, pick No. 5 — He won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and continued to put up huge numbers despite missing five games with a hip injury last year. Outside of Burrow, Chase is the most important player to the future success of the Bengals.
2020: QB Joe Burrow, pick No. 1 — Everything everywhere all at once. The face of the franchise. Could soon be the highest-paid player in the league. An MVP in waiting.
2019: OT Jonah Williams, pick No. 11 — He lost his rookie year due to a labrum injury in OTAs and has been a serviceable left tackle the last three seasons. Barring a massive leap in 2023, he wasn’t going to be in their plans after this season. The addition of Orlando Brown Jr. may speed up the separation.
2018: C Billy Price, pick No. 21 — A cautionary tale on drafting solely for need, especially at a non-premium position, Price struggled from the moment he arrived and battled injuries before being dealt for B.J. Hill a few days before the start of the 2021 season. Hill signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Bengals last spring, while Price spent 2021 with the Giants and 2022 with the Cardinals and is now a free agent.
(Top photo of Emmanuel Forbes: Matt Bush / USA Today)
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