After losing some key players during the offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals reloaded through the NFL Draft. The reigning AFC North champions drafted a total of eight players during the draft, all addressing various needs for the team. These players will play various roles for the team, with some potentially not seeing the field at all during the season.
However, every rookie class usually has one standout guy that goes under the radar to make an impact on the roster. With eight total rookies coming into the roster, there's plenty of opportunities for a Bengals first-year player to make a sudden impact on the roster. Let's analyze the incoming rookies and see which sleeper picks could do damage for Cincy?
Bengals' Sleeper Rookie: Charlie Jones
When assessing how likely a player is to be a sleeper pick for a team, it's important to look at his expected role for the team. Myles Murphy is easily the best Bengals rookie on paper, but he can't be a sleeper pick by virtue of his projected role. He's likely sharing snaps with Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson, but he'll play a big role on the defense. It's virtually impossible for him to be a sleeper pick.
The same holds true for DJ Turner and Jordan Battle, the Bengals' second and third-round draft picks, respectively. Both Turner and Battle are likely to figure prominently on defense for the Bengals at some point due to the lack of depth at that position. Their potential impact can be seen from a mile away.
With that in mind, let's look at the other rookies that could sneakily be an impact player for the Bengals. Charlie Jones could sneakily be a great value pick for the Bengals, considering that he was a Day 3 pick for Cincinnati. How could a rookie wide receiver on a team chock full of talented wide receivers?
Well, for one, health is not always a guarantee for most NFL teams. The Bengals know that first-hand: both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins suffered injuries at various points during the 2022 season. Cincy has the best wide receiver trio in the league, but one could argue that the depth behind them prior to this season was lacking.
This is where Charlie Jones could come into play. The Bengals rookie's skills aren't exactly WR1 material (he doesn't have an elite first step, and he has some limitations as a receiver). However, he could function well as a tertiary receiver behind Chase or Higgins if one of them goes down. He's able to win contested catches and is a reliable threat in zone coverage. He struggles with tight press coverage, but he likely won't see a lot of tight coverage with Chase, Higgins, and Boyd taking most of the attention.
In addition, Jones is also one of the better punt and kick returners in the draft. The rookie WR succeeded in either role during his time in Iowa (15.6 yards per kick return, 6.3 yards per punt return). The Bengals already have a solid core of returners on the roster, but having another potential weapon in these situations couldn't hurt.
The Bengals are hoping that the combined talent of Chase, Higgins, and Boyd rubs off on Charlie Jones and fellow rookie Andrei Iosivas. The Bengals also took RB Chase Brown in Day 3 of the draft, who can potentially fill the void left by the departing Samaje Perine. Can this offense continue to propel them to new heights?
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