Building for the future. That was clearly the philosophy for Duke Tobin and the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 Draft. But just because these draftees filled future needs, doesn’t mean they can’t be early contributors.
Myles Murphy
Murphy is a bit raw as a prospect in terms of pass rush ability, but he will easily be the most athletic defensive end on the Bengals. Lou Anarumo will be able to find new ways to rotate Murphy onto the field, most likely involving Murphy subbing in for and helping take some of the stress off Trey Hendrickson.
Another option would be to add Murphy to the “NASCAR” sub-package. Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard will likely stay on the edge with Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy kicking inside. The speed and athleticism of that group would make life difficult for opposing offensive linemen.
You want speed? How about 4.26 speed? Turner adds another gear to the secondary and gives the Bengals one of the fastest cornerback trios in the league alongside Chidobe Awuzie and Cam Taylor-Britt.
Turner’s snaps may be limited in year one strictly because of the current depth. The Bengals loved what they saw out of Taylor-Britt, and Awuzie was having a career year before suffering an ACL tear. Assuming Awuzie is fully healthy for the start of the season, Turner will likely be a special teams contributor and play occasional defensive snaps. While Bengals fans may not see much of Turner in 2023, he will likely be the full-time starter in 2024.
Jordan Battle
Most local media refused to believe the Bengals would select a safety with any premium pick, but with Battle falling to the third round, Cincinnati couldn’t resist. Out of the first three picks, Battle will likely start the fastest due to the nature of the safety position.
Dax Hill will see his first meaningful snaps at safety after practically redshirting his rookie season. Nick Scott, on the other hand, singed a three-year deal but for only $12 million. While most assume Scott will be the day one starter, it may not take long for Battle to unseat the veteran safety. Battle’s SEC experience will go along way in his NFL development and Anarumo will cook up something special for one of the top safeties in the draft class.
Jones’s selection surprised a few people due to his age and smaller stature, but his production speaks for itself. With 115 catches in his final season at Purdue, Jones dominated nearly every cornerback he played against.
While he has history of playing both outside and in the slot, Jones will primarily be Tyler Boyd’s backup in 2023. The majority of his snaps will be special teams based, assuming he wins the kick and punt return job. But come 2024, Jones should be the starter in the slot next to Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase Brown
Throughout the offseason, the Bengals coaching staff implored the need to be more explosive in the run game. Drafting a running back with 4.43 speed certainly fills that need. Brown has a lot of tread on the tires with 676 carries in his collegiate career, but the Bengals aren’t going to ask him to be a bell cow running back.
Brown will split carries with Joe Mixon who seems a lock to remain on the roster after previous questions. Brown should be RB2 early in the season and may snag a few starts away from Mixon if his play warrants it.
Andrei Iosivas
The most “for the future” pick of them all, Iosivas is a project receiver whose olympic-quality speed and athleticism could translate well to the NFL. Iosivas dominated at Princeton against low-end competition and will need time to adjust to NFL speed.
Iosivas should make the 53-man roster just to save him from being signed away from another team, but he will likely be wide receiver #7 on the depth chart and would be inactive for most, if not all, of his 2023 season.
Brad Robbins
No more line drive punts directly to the returner in the AFC Championship. Robbins led all of the FBS in hangtime over the past two seasons, a trait the Bengals certainly looked for heading into the draft.
Robbins will compete with Drue Chrisman for the starting gig, but this feels more like a done deal than a true camp battle. Robbins will be the day one punter and hopefully be in town for the next several seasons.
D.J. Ivey
To be frank, Ivey will struggle to make this roster. An average athlete with average production at Miami, Ivey will battle former preseason darling, Allan George, for the final spot in the cornerback room. Even if he makes the roster, it is hard to see him being active on game day.
