Bengals fall in NFL Draft order but still get a major impact player in new mock draft

The Bengals could draft outside of the top 10 and still land an instant-impact defender.

The Bengals are pretty much out of the running for a top-10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Thanks to a win over the Raiders, the Bengals are now holding the 14th overall pick if the season ended today. It’s crazy to think Cincinnati could be drafting in the middle of Round 1 after becoming one of the NFL’s worst teams recently.

However, Cincinnati can still move up several spots if they lose out and other teams ahead of them win at least one more game. If the Packers. Panthers and Broncos all win at least one more game and the Bengals lose out, they’ll move up to the No. 11 pick.

To go any higher, Cincinnati will need teams like the Falcons, Lions, Buccaneers Giants, and Bills to win two more games. That’s because Cincinnati high strength of schedule (currently .536) means those teams with weaker strengths of schedule will draft ahead of Cincinnati.

If the Bengals win one more game, they could end up with the 18th pick. If they win two more, they could end up with the 20th pick.

The good news is SB Nation’s latest mock draft (which projects Cincinnati to ultimately end up with the 13th pick) has Cincinnati landing a major impact defender with their first pick:

The Bengals haven’t taken a linebacker in the first two rounds of the draft since Rey Maualuga in 2009 and it shows. The Bengals for too long have relied on Vontaze Burfict and now could be the time to move on from the troubled linebacker.

White is an absolute stud and just won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in the country. He leads LSU with 115 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. White would be an instant upgrade to a position that’s arguably the weakest on the Bengals roster.

We’re still a ways away from the draft, but this mock shows that there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to who Cincinnati could be drafting in that 11-14 range.

Here’s a look at the latest draft order for all 32 picks thanks to some help from SB Nation:

1. Arizona Cardinals (3-11, .525)
2. Oakland Raiders (3-11, .563)
3. New York Jets (4-10, .502)
4. San Francisco 49ers (4-10, .505)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10, .552)
6. Atlanta Falcons (5-9, .493)
7. Detroit Lions (5-9, .496)
8. New York Giants (5-9, .518)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9, .518)
10. Buffalo Bills (5-9, .523)
11. Green Bay Packers (5-8-1, .482)
12. Carolina Panthers (6-8, .505)
13. Denver Broncos (6-8, .535)
14. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8, .536)
15. Cleveland Browns (6-7-1, .527)
16. Miami Dolphins (7-7, .460)
17. Washington Redskins (7-7, .475)
18. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7, .520)
19. Indianapolis Colts (8-6, .469)
20. Tennessee Titans (8-6, .513)
21. Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1, .496)*
22. Seattle Seahawks (8-6, .489)*
23. Oakland Raiders (via Dallas Cowboys (8-6, .487))*
24. Baltimore Ravens (8-6, .518)*
25. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1, .505)*
26. New England Patriots (9-5, .489)*
27. Oakland Raiders (via Chicago Bears (10-4, .432))*
28. Houston Texans (10-4, .466)*
29. Los Angeles Rams (11-3, .482)*
30. Los Angeles Chargers (11-3, .482)*
31. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3, .482)*
32. Green Bay Packers (via New Orleans Saints (12-2, .475))*

(Record and strength of schedule in parentheses)

*Playoff teams

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