And just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. Per usual, it was a wild and unexpected ride, starting with all the Round 1 action. Day 2 and Day 3 delivered surprises of their own. Some teams capitalized on the opportunity, while others came up short. Let’s take a look at the 2023 NFL Draft recap, analysis, and grades for the Cincinnati Bengals. NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.

• NFL Draft Grades for Every Team
• Thor’s Draft Grades (AFC | NFC)
• NFL Draft Day 1 Winners & Losers (Day 2 | Day 3)
• Fitz’s Round 1 NFL Draft Picks: Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook (Day 2 | Day 3)
• Latest Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

2023 NFL Draft Recap, Analysis & Grades: Cincinnati Bengals

NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.

Thor Nystrom’s Overview & Grades

Cincinnati Bengals | Draft Grade: A-

This was an underrated meat-and-potatoes showing. Outside of my surprise that the Bengals didn’t take a tight end in an atypically-good TE class – with former Vikings bust Irv Smith atop the depth chart – I thought the Bengals did well in their slots.

That began with EDGE Myles Murphy, who appears to have gotten caught in a numbers game in a top-heavy edge class. I saw him as a top-20 overall prospect. If he hits his ceiling, even that is underselling him.

CB DJ Turner isn’t a complete product yet, but he’s got 4.2s wheels and makes appointments to almost every catch point. He swatted away 20 passes over the last two years for a pair of Michigan CFB Playoff teams.

S Jordan Battle played over 3,000 snaps for Nick Saban in college and posted strong 80.0-plus PFF coverage grades each of the last three seasons. WR Charlie Jones was ludicrously productive last season at Purdue and should keep the good times rolling in the slot at the next level. His hands are great (3.9% career drop rate) and he has a knack for reeling in catches under duress, finishing last season tied for No. 1 in this WR class in contested catches.

Cincy also added a ton of speed to the offense on the cheap on Saturday with RB Chase Brown and WR Andrei Iosivas. Iosivas needs work at the catch point, but he’s one of the best athletes in this entire draft class.

Andrew Erickson’s Overview & Grades

At points during the pre-draft process, Myles Murphy was viewed as a top-15 projection. Considering the Bengals were able to get him at the end of Round 1, it’s great value for a young player that has room to grow as a pass rusher.

Cornerback D.J. Turner was also thought to be a fringe first-rounder, so the Bengals scooping him up toward the end of Round 2 was another great value selection. He addresses an area of need on the roster after Cincy lost defensive backs in free agency. Turner can fly (4.26 40-yard dash) and operate as a perimeter cornerback. The former Michigan Wolverine aligned at an 82% perimeter rate, forcing the 7th most incompletions in his CB class in 2022. He reunites with fellow former Michigan product Daxton Hill in the Bengals secondary.

Safety Jordan Battle was the best-case scenario for the Bengals to fill the hole they had at coverage safety. They got a starting-caliber one with the 95^th pick. Battle was a 4-year starter in Nick Saban’s defense logging over 1500 snaps as a free safety. This past season, he finished as PFF’s 20th-graded coverage safety in the nation.

On Day 3, the Bengals added several skill position players. Most notably, Chase Brown at running back. Brown was crazy productive last season, rushing for 1,632 yards and 10 TDs. His 329 carries ranked second in the nation and his 83 forced missed tackles ranked 3rd. Brown rushed for at least 100 yards in all but one game that he played in 2022. However, Brown benefited substantially from massive volume as his efficiency left more to be desired. His career 2.4 yards per play ranks 3rd-worst among the RBs I sampled from this year’s class. Brown tested extremely well at the NFL scouting combine finishing first in both the first in the vertical jump (40″, 94th percentile) and broad jump (127″, 93rd percentile). He also ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. The final word with Brown is that he is capable of leading a backfield based on his experience. But it’s more likely to end in empty volume than truly improve an NFL offense’s actual efficiency. Sounds a lot like what he saw last season from Joe Mixon.

FINAL DRAFT GRADE: A-

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