The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. After a flurry of selections from April 25 to April 27, 257 players were selected to join the NFL.
With that, we give you our full recap of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ draft, with analysis on every selection the team made during the weekend and an in-depth look at their top pick.
For more information on the players your favorite team drafted, it’s not too late to get the 2024 NFL Draft Guide, which includes expanded scouting reports, draft grades, offseason reports, unique advanced data, PFF grades and much more.
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2024 Draft Picks
- 1 (18): T Amarius Mims, Georgia
- 2 (49): DI Kris Jenkins, Michigan
- 3 (80): WR Jermaine Burton, Alabama
- 3 (96): DI McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
- 4 (115): TE Erick All, Iowa
- 5 (149): CB Josh Newton, TCU
- 6 (194): TE Tanner McLachlan, Arizona
- 6 (214): EDGE Cedric Johnson, Ole Miss
- 7 (224): S Daijahn Anthony, Ole Miss
- 7 (237): C Matt Lee, Miami Fl.
Mims — Cincinnati beefs up its pass protection in front of Joe Burrow by adding the massive Mims. He’s a fantastic athlete for his size but struggled with injuries at Georgia. Regardless, he allowed just six quarterback pressures across 402 career pass-blocking snaps and should start very soon, as Trent Brown is only a short-term solution at right tackle.
Jenkins — Jenkins is arguably the pound-for-pound strongest player in the draft. His 87.2 run-defense grade since 2022 ranked fifth among Power Five interior defenders, while his 82.7 PFF grade in 2023 ranked third among Big Ten interior defenders. Jenkins lacks length and an ideal pass-rush package, but his power alone will have him on the field on Sundays.
Burton — Despite sliding a bit due to some off-field concerns, Burton has a three-level skill set with great explosiveness and impressive ball skills. He didn’t drop any of his 57 targets this past season and could be a solid complement to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from Day 1 due to his downfield playmaking ability.
Jackson — Jackson projects as a nose or three-technique in a 4-3 defensive scheme because he excels as a one-gap penetrator. He’s limited by a lack of length, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 34 run stops since 2022 (third-most in the SEC) with 14 of them for no gain or loss (fifth in the SEC). He’ll need to learn to hold up to double team blocks and develop a pass-rush repertoire, but he can be successful in a rotation.
All — The Bengals find a potential long-term starter in the fourth round, with All ranking as the third-best tight end on the PFF big board. His 2.62 yards per route in 2023 ranked second among draft-eligible tight ends.
Newton — Ranking 12th among Big-12 cornerbacks, Newton earned an 87.7 PFF grade combined over the past two seasons. Across 413 coverage snaps last year, he allowed just one touchdown.
McLachlan — The Bengals doubled up on tight ends by adding the safe-handed McLachlan. He didn’t drop a single pass from 45 catchable targets in 2023. His 530 receiving yards and four touchdowns were both career highs.
Johnson — Johnson has a solid size-speed combination for an edge defender this late in the draft and offered solid production in his final season in college. From 850 pass-rushing snaps over the past three seasons, he racked up 107 quarterback pressures, including 13 sacks.
Anthony — Anthony allowed just one touchdown across 394 coverage snaps in 2023. Opposing quarterbacks managed a passer rating of just 54.7 when targeting him in coverage.
Lee — Lee was exceptional in 2023 with the Hurricanes, ranking 10th among FBS centers in PFF grade (79.1). He didn’t allow a single sack on 414 pass-blocking snaps, and his 89.1 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked third among FBS centers. Lee is well worth a swing here for the Bengals, a team that continues to find value late in the draft.
DRAFT GRADE: B+
Rookie Spotlight: T Amarius Mims, Georgia
Scouting report
It's hard to believe how the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Mims can sit in his stance and run to cover ground. He also has elite length for the position.
While his physical potential is through the roof, he lacks experience. He played only 682 snaps over the past two seasons due to biding his time at a talented program and injury in 2023.
He is a strong player who can maintain blocks well with good upper-body strength. Mims is smoother than he is truly explosive as an athlete, which takes away some of his punch at contact.
His feet are also a bit slow in pass protection, which can cause some clunky kickbacks and oversetting.
Wins above average
WAA represents the number of wins a player is worth over an average college football player and is a metric evaluators can utilize to assess performance.
It combines how well a player performed in each facet of play (using PFF grades) and how valuable each facet is to winning football games. The result is a first-of-its-kind metric that allows for cross-positional valuation and predicts future value at the player and team levels.
How Mims ranks in the stable metrics
Mims enters the NFL with only 775 snaps under his belt and enormous room for growth. During that relatively limited playing time, Mims flashed incredible play, showing the upside of a top tackle in the NFL.
The 6-foot-7, 340-pounder allowed a 1.5% pressure percentage during his time at Georgia and was the second-ranked tackle in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric in 2023.
The bottom line
Mims is not a polished prospect—he's a level below former teammate and first-round pick Broderick Jones—but he brings sky-high potential. He'll take some developing, but trench players built like this don't make it out of the top 50.
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