The Cincinnati Bengals have made a killing in the NFL Draft over the past few years. Obviously, it helps to draft guys like Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, but players like Tee Higgins, Jessie Bates, Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson, among others, have been big hits outside of the first round. They have the chance to find some gems like that in the 2024 NFL Draft as well.
This draft looks to be deep, which bodes well for the Bengals to find some instant contributors later in the draft who could help them make another run to the Super Bowl. Two players look the part of players who could help the Bengals now and could be drafted Day 2 or after: Oregon's Bucky Irving and Ohio State's Cade Stover.
Bucky Irving, Running Back
Bucky Irving looks like a dream fit with the Bengals for a few reasons. For one, Irving is just an outstanding and versatile player. He may be only 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, but he is a nightmare to try to tackle. He forced 51 missed tackles in 2023, which was one of the best marks in the entire country.
Irving is also a fantastic receiver out of the backfield. He caught 87 passes in his two seasons at Eugene for 712 yards, with five of those receptions going for scores. Irving wasn't used heavily deep down the field, but his dynamism after the catch along with his sure hands allowed him to be a real weapon in the passing attack.
The Bengals could really use a player like this to take some pressure off of Joe Burrow. Joe Mixon has been a fine running back in his career, and while his 1.4 yards per route run ranked 16th among running backs last season according to playerprofiler.com, he's starting to run out of juice as a runner. Mixon averaged only 3.9 true yards per carry (this metric excludes carries of 10+ yards). He also posted a breakaway run rate of only 3.1% and created 3.2 yards per touch. Mixon ranked 35th or worse among running backs in each of these statistics that look to take away environment and look prominently on a running back's actual performance.
The Bengals did take Chase Brown in last year's draft, and he did have his moments. But he generated only 3.8 true yards per carry himself and was nowhere near the receiver that Irving was in college. Running back is a big area where the Bengals could improve upon in 2024. Bucky Irving seems like a perfect fit for them and their offense.
Cade Stover, Tight End
The Bengals could also really stand to upgrade at tight end. They got fine production from Tanner Hudson at the end of the 2023 season, but he has bounced around the NFL for a while and is 29 years old. That isn't to say he can't be the Bengals' tight end going forward, but finding a long-term solution at that position would do the Bengals well.
They might not have to look far to find that. Ohio State's Cade Stover was lost in the shuffle a bit in Columbus with how many great receivers have come and gone from that program, but he is a baller in his own right. Stover got his chance in the 2022 season after Jeremy Ruckert got drafted by the New York Jets. Since then, Stover has brought in 77 passes for 982 yards and has ten touchdowns to his belt. He was one of the best tight ends in college football last season.
Cincinnati hasn't really had a tight end of the future since Joe Burrow got there. Stover can be that guy, and he can be had in the third round or potentially later. That seems like outstanding value.
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