Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - DOUBLE DIPS! Bengals add depth at LB, OL, RB to round out high-character draft class

Episode Date: April 26, 2025

The Cincinnati Bengals added high-character players in the 2025 NFL draft, and that theme continued with double dips on Saturday. Jake Liscow and James Rapien break down how day 3 picks Barrett Carter, Jalen Rivers, and Tahj Brooks fit into the Bengals' plans, and how the entire draft class comes together to be a high character group of players who can be early contributors.Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengalsFind and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-bengals-daily-podcast-on-the-cincinnati-bengals/id1159723162Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0lh0WmQl5fJVgtajsGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vbG9ja2Vkb25iZW5nYWxz?sa=X&ved=0CAYQrrcFahcKEwio_sXtj8nuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAgStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-bengalsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Amazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Cincinnati Bengals exited the draft with double, double dips on day three, adding some depth to key areas of the roster. Let's talk about the way the Bengals finished the draft in 2025. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Well, on Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked on Bengals podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Jake Liskow, he's James Rupin.

We've been covering the Bengals here on Lockdown Bengals Daily since 2016. We've had you covered, of course, throughout this draft. We will be away from you tomorrow if you're looking for a programming update. So since we've covered each day of the draft, we'll take tomorrow off. We'll be back with you on Monday evening afternoon. And today we're going to talk about how the Bengals finish the draft with double-double dips. Going back to the well at linebacker and the interior offensive line, we'll have some overall thoughts on the draft where it's a mixed bag.

It's not black and white to me, James. There's some good. There's some criticism, obviously, and we'll get into those topics. But day three, I thought, was a pretty solid day for the Bengals overall. I don't necessarily quibble with any of the individual picks to a significant degree. the Bengals add Barrett Carter, linebacker from Clemson in the fourth round. They add Jaylen Rivers,

a 30-visit lineman from Miami in the fifth round, Taj Brooks, running back from Texas Tech in the sixth round. And these are all players that you can see how they fit. You can see what their role can be. And they all bring something to the team that is valuable depth at three positions where they go from a whole lot of, of questions at linebacker and on the interior offensive line and running back when you're talking

about depth to really deep rooms of those positions yeah look they needed more trench help we knew that and in offensive line wise the double dip was was always in play i think that was sort of their plan coming into the draft they really like jalen rivers but let's start with barrett carter because everyone's going to love the the double dip on offensive line because their offensive of lineman. Like Dylan Fairchild has a lot of fans because he plays guard, which I get the guard starvation element of it. And it's going to be the same way with Jaylon Rivers. And I get it. And I think both are good players that are going to help the Bengals, by the way. But Barrett Carter, someone that they were considering much earlier. I'll golden said it. And by much earlier,

there are worlds where they're considering him at 49 and probably a trade down candidate, uh, certainly. Now, I don't think it was that realistic. that they would have taken him that early just because of the other guys that were probably and likely in the mix. But when you have a guy graded that highly, even after you take Demetrius Knight Jr., it makes sense on day three. Like, I'm not going to argue with that.

And I think some people will see the linebacker linebacker and be like, oh, well, look, if you had a second round grade on him, he's there around four. I'm not going to argue with you. Actually, I thought about it the other way. like, man, and I know they're different players. And this really is kind of eerily similar to 2020 when it's like you get your Logan Wilson. I know he's not Logan and Demetrius, my junior, but you get your Logan Wilson. And then you're still looking for your King Davis Gaither and in a guy that's going to be able to help in a bunch of different ways.

That might not mean special teams. That might not mean a huge presence on defense right away. So yeah, I think Barrett Carter makes sense, and it is an example of the Bengals sticking to their board, which I'm not going to argue with, especially on day three. I think Barrett Carter is also a guy that is going to have a different role, as you alluded to, than Demetrius Knight. Now Golden talking about this, and he said essentially that Carter is going to be a backup for Logan Wilson and Nicol. Demetrius Knight might be out there in Nickel with Wilson, and Demetrius Knight might be a player when they put three linebackers on the field and four defensive linemen on the field, where instead maybe it's Barrett Carter, when they go to a three, four linebacker grouping,

they put three defensive linemen on the field, they put a couple of outside linebackers on the field, which will be their edge rushers, it'll be Trey, it'll be Joseph Osai, it'll be Shamar Stewart, those guys. And maybe they see Demetrius Sites Blitzing ability as a guy that can fill that role as well. And they did this which Remain Pratt with Luana Rumo, where Jermaine Pratt would be the fifth guy on the surface sometimes in some of the fronts they would play. And if they see Demetrius Knight as a guy that can do a similar thing

as a guy that plays on the surface at times in those three, four looks, then there's an idea for how they want to use these different linebackers in various sub-packages and different fronts that they want to play. And talking about their 3-4 grouping versus their 4-3 grouping versus their nickel grouping. And the idea of the role for each of the guys tells you how, they think they're thinking of them in different ways they didn't draft two guys that are playing the same exact role in the linebacker room in carter and night no no doubt it's certainly different

and and compliment each other and so i i think it makes sense and again at that point it's it's tough because if they had that if they were thinking that earlier and he's still there and you have this role, well, then do it. So I really don't have any problem with that. I think then you go on to the next pick. And this is someone, if they take a Jalen Rivers at 119 in round four, wasn't said much about it. I would have said that makes sense. They've been in on him. He had that 30 visit you mentioned. They talked to him at the combine. They were at his pro day. I mean, they had so many touch points with him. They were interested in Jalen Rivers. And it's because he's, we've talked a lot about the tackle to guard converts. He's a tackle to

guard, Maven. I mean, he's done both and done both at a consistent amount where the snaps are almost identical.

I'm playing tackle versus guard in college. He can do both. He did both in different games. You think about what Cody Ford did last year for the Bengals. Jalen Rivers was asked to be extremely versatile

for Miami. And you're talking about a 6-6-319-pound offensive linemen that took, they had him snap at the senior bowl, which is kind of funny. because I don't think the Bengals really envisioned him as a center, but it speaks to the NFL and how the NFL viewed his versatility.

And I like it. I like in round five, you get him there. It makes a ton of sense. And like Dylan Fairchild, he's known for his past protection and how well he can pass protect. It's really long arms. He talked about his length. I asked him what he needs to improve on it. It was all about the run in the running game.

But from a past protection standpoint, why have we talked about guard so much? because the Bengals need to be better at protecting Joe Burrow. They got two guys that are certainly known for past protecting and holding up. And so Jalen Rivers is certainly someone that I think is going to help and compete. And who knows, maybe you're talking about a swing tackle or a guy that can back up multiple positions as a rookie. That might be where he ends up. It would be cool to see him in a competition for right guard. He played on the left side in college.

So did Dylan Fairchild. So maybe there isn't a vision necessarily for Jalen Rivers to be competing for right guard. We'll see how that plays out. I think he was announced as a tackle if you read into those things. I'm not sure how much that matters or doesn't matter. He's one of Brandon Thorne's guys, which is always a good sign. Brandon Thorne, a fan there. You mentioned the length, 35-inch arm, so certainly has the length to play tackle.

If he is asked to be a swing tackle in the NFL, I think a lot of people see him as better suited to guard, including Dame Brubler, including, I think, Joe Goobbery. and what Dane writes about him is essentially that there's some overaggressive tendencies that lead to balance issues that they'll need to address with professional coaching, but certainly has the strength, has the anchor, has the length, and is a solid athlete to do the things that you need to do

to be a good player in the NFL. I think the two interior linemen slash, you know, potentially swing tackle here in Jalen Rivers that they drafted in this draftor, some of the better interior offensive line prospects that they've drafted in recent history, they're better than some of the other swings they've taken at this position. And they are bringing these guys into a world where you're asking Scott Peters for the guys that he wants to coach up.

And that's been a theme of the entire draft, right? Is Al Golden getting his guys to run his defense, Scott Peters, getting a couple of his guys to put in to his system on the offensive line. and Jalen Rivers the second that they add on the offensive line. Yeah, he's someone that, and by the way, maybe he does compete at right guard. I don't think they're going to rule that out as of now. It's going to take a lot for him to show that, certainly. But it's good to see them, you mentioned the swing, and I agree.

I think you could see it's realistic that Dylan Fairchild and Jalen Rivers could be good players in this league, much like it was with Matt Lee last year. So the last three interior alignment that they're taken. And obviously Rivers has some flex. But guys, it looks like it could be realistic to think that they could be actual dudes in this league, which is a heck of a place to be in considering some of the swings and misses that they had, the early part, especially of the Joe Burrow era. But there's plenty to discuss plenty more, probably maybe some on Jalen Rivers,

but certainly Taj Brooks. And overall themes of the draft as well, we'll do that coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Game Time. Game Time is the app you need right now. Whether it's the NBA playoffs, which are in full swing, whether it's any live event Reds games. Yeah, Great American Ballparks right down the street for me. I'm at Peacor Stadium right now,

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As we get to the sixth round pick, at this point, I felt like the Bengals had added kind of four-and-a-half starters, maybe four starters in aggregate. Jaylon Rivers, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up starting some for the Bengals this year. You generally get some attrition on the offensive line. He could be put into that role. Barrett Carter, Demetrius Knight, both sound like they have some clear roles in mind for Al Golden, or Al Golden has clear roles in mind for them on defense. Demetrius Knight should be a starter right away. Barrett Carter is going to play significant snaps, I think, in certain packages, and we'll see how those guys get on the field. We talked about

from Mar Stewart certainly has a chance to start right away, and I think that's also true for Dylan Beirchild of left guard. I think he's got a great shot at winning that job. So you drafted a bunch of guys at this point that are starting potential players, despite all of the talk. we had about the process yesterday, the upside here is that they've drafted guys that should be able to come in and compete for starting jobs right away. And so despite what you think about the process, I think that they have guys that can contribute early on at positions where they need contributors. That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be issues with the draft here and there, but they added contributors. And I think that's also true of their sixth round pick, that I have

no real criticisms of. Tage Brooks, the Texas Tech running band. A good size speed combo. He's what, like 5, 9, 213. So really good density there. And he ran a low 4-5s, I think 4-5-340. So great-speed combo there has been on the field a ton, similar to Chase Brown in that regard. And I love taking a swing on productive running backs in the sixth round. And like they did that with Chase Brown, and I do think Chase Brown is a better prospect,

I like doing that here with Taj Brooks, who can give you maybe that short yardage role early in his career for the Bengals and can be a three-down back if needed. Yeah. Here's what's fun about Taj Brooks is, you're right, production. Back-to-back, 1,500-plus yard seasons, 22 straight games of 95 yards are more rushing. Just slice and nice to my Cincinnati Bearcats for 172 yards in a game that I watched that Scott Satterfield was just awful clock management-wise. you want to talk about clock management down the stretch.

That's either here nor there. But, yeah, Tosh Brooks was certainly a standout in that game. And so you're like, oh, okay, so he's just this runner. 20 plus passes in each of the past three years. He's comfortable in the shotgun style. And is someone on the conference call, I brought up to him, or Ben brought up to him, the style that the Bengals run and how it's going to be a lot of passing. And he's like, oh, yeah.

he's like, I'm comfortable in anything. And he's like, but I've only been in the eye formation like eight times. And it's like, you're not going to have to worry about that here. So, no, I think that it makes sense. It really does. And the other thing that's really cool is Bengals running backs coach Justin Hill recruited him. And so there's that tie. So this was, I saw Justin yesterday in the cafeteria.

And we get access. The Bengals are awesome during draft weekend. Media gets access to the cafeteria. don't starve to death. So shout out to the Bengals for that. And so Saul was so tempted to be like, hey, when are you, when are you getting your running back? When are you getting your running back, Justin? Because I think it was pretty well known that they were in on running backs. And so to get a guy that he's known for years, you know about the character, you've recruited him, it's, I think that's pretty cool. So that's a cool little time. But no, I think he could contribute this year for

sure he's someone that's well-rounded enough and the other note here is despite everything with Zach Moss, Zach Taylor didn't make any declarations and just said that he's progressing. And so we'll see there, but this is some insurance in that department as well. And it's not like it's unusual for the Bengals to carry four running backs. That wouldn't be a surprise at all. And if Todd Brooks comes in and he can be that guy that is your short yardage back say, say that they really love his short yardage ability right away. And he's good after contact.

The leg churn after contact is a consistent part of his game. Good patience, good vision. Should be good between the tackles in those short yardage situations. I think he has some typical college running back tendencies where he can out-athlete some guys at that level that he's going to have to get out of in the NFL. You don't want to necessarily be shopping at the corner store. That's the phrase that will always stick in my mind for running backs when they come into the NFL guys to try to bounce up.

outside and try to turn the corner. And he's not going to be a long speed guy. So the Bengals showed us what kind of running back they wanted here, where they could have gone for a speedier back, but they feel like I guess they have that in Chase Brown and look for more of a complimentary piece for some of the harder work. And the other notes from Dave Bruegler's report and others, Eric Galcoe, I think, talking him up because he was at the Shrine game,

strong batting average and pass pro for a college backs. So the ability is there, I think, is something that like most college backs you will continue to have to work on in the NFL, but has the ability to be a three-down player. Doesn't have the home run threat kind of speed that Chase Brown has, doesn't have that kind of dynamism to his game, but as a complimentary back who comes from a workhorse background where he's carrying the load at Texas Tech, adding that kind of player, if he can be that short yardage back,

if he can be an efficient back, who can spell Chase. Brown. That's a nice piece to have for you in the future. And if you get that in the fifth and six rounds in Chase Brown and Taj Brooks, that's great. Taking late swings on running backs is something that I will almost always be happy to see. Yeah, especially in this class. I mean, there were so many. I mean, it's wild to see, like, just to see how many were going on. K.M. Scataboo went off the board. Then Jaden Blue, and it's like, okay, well, let's look at this next tier. And then it was like this guy and this guy. And then you could just, look up and down. So yeah,

Damien Martinez, by the way, a guy that fell far. He had to have medical flags or something. Ended up going to Seattle. But the Bengals picked out of Brooks over him. And so it was a talented class. And you just, when it's a talented class in a specific area throughout, especially on day three. And this is why, again, I can't get mad.

I thought the linebacker, the realm to get a linebacker was today. And so you got one today. You got a running back today. and I'm not going to knock that. Regardless of what position you wanted to address, you take a guy that you think can help you now. And Tosh Brooks certainly fits that. I think all of these guys certainly look.

Like you could really paint the picture. You really hope it doesn't happen this way unless they just win out competition-wise. But all of these guys, all six, could come in and contribute in various ways. You don't necessarily want them all, you know, the first five starting or something like that. But if they earn it, then why not?

there will be starters out of this class or will be contributors out of this class that is something that we asked for and they built depth in some pretty key areas. There's some risk. There's always risk in the draft. We never know how some of these guys will pan out once they get into the facility.

Once the coaches get their hands on them, they see how they fit into the schemes. You see how they pick up the technique that they're going to want these players to use is maybe going to be a little bit different than what they did in college. And the lifestyle adaptation to the NFL.

But I will say this for this Bengals draft class as we shift gears here, Janes, and we'll start to talk about some of the themes, some of the big picture takeaways from this draft now that the Bengals have a complete draft class here is that these guys are all high, high character grades. Throughout the draft, I think you're in the A to A plus to A plus range for players up and down this Bengals draft.

And I think that that was maybe not necessarily a deliberate point of emphasis, but it is certainly a result, is that they've got a bunch of guys that are going to come into this team and work extremely hard. And I think that that is worth noting as we'll continue to dive into the other themes and takeaways from the overall draft class to finish up this draft weekend. Coming up next. The Armada Pick of the Week is brought to you by our friends at Nissan,

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He's the guy that they're coming in. And by the way, we're going to dive into takeaways from this draft. They're begging on him to bring some pass rush juice on the interior, on the edge, they need him to be disruptive, and that is why they picked him. That is why he ended up being the lone defensive lineman that they added. And so they're banking on Shamar Stewart, and they're going to think that he's going to, well, be heavy duty rugged, just like the Nissan Armada. It's clear that Chamar Stewart is out here and ready to conquer the road ahead with confidence, just like you can in the all-new Nissan Armada or any of their outstanding.

vehicles, take the Nissan Armada Rogue or Pathfinder and go find your next big adventure by shopping NissanUSA.com. James, as you consider this entire draft class now, we know the six picks. We've seen the way everything has played out over the last few days. I think character is certainly a theme for me. That's why I mentioned it. That is a theme. What else stands out to you when you consider the way the Bengals went about this weekend?

This is the 2020 draft in a lot of ways. Obviously, not because you're getting Joe Burrow. I don't mean that. But you're right about the character thing. I want to hammer that home. It's very much same theme where it's like, oh, they took another linebacker? That's weird.

Like, kind of surprised you a bit. But then you talk to these guys. Like, Shamar Stewart's character, wasn't a captain, he was a junior. But it was just awesome. Like getting to know him was awesome. Demetrius Knight Jr. Jay Morrison just wrote an awesome piece,

Bengals.com, on the second round linebacker. What he did when he was at Charlotte as a father, as a husband to keep his family afloat while he was still playing college football. And it's just, it's a crazy story that everyone should read. And so character A plus plus. I'm not sure there are many humans in the league period or really in any workplace that are at his level or appear to be given what we know about him. I've had multiple people within the NFL, by the way, reach out to me about Demetrius Knight Jr. Like since we did our last show about how high character

he is. So I think he's a pretty unique guy. Dylan Fairchild met him today and again, seems to be that type of guy and obviously the three guys that we just talked about. So yeah, I think that that's the biggest theme of this draft. The other one would be whether it's Stuart Knight, Fairchild, Carter, Rivers, Brooks, going through each one of them. And Carter would be the one that I guess is the least of this, but he's a linebacker. He's going to have to hit. They're all physical. Like, Fairchild, yeah, he loves past protection, but it's a college wrestler. Demetrius Knight throws his body around. Shemar Stewart does the same thing.

Jalen Rivers is someone that likes to use his length and his ability to pass protect at a really, really high level. And most offensive linemen would rather run back. And then Tage Brooks, you mentioned the leg churn there. So I do think that the Bengals, they're tougher today than they were a few days ago. And I think that that matters, especially when you combine that with high character guys. Like if you're talking about guys that are working their butts off and they're tough and they're made of the right stuff that does go a long way when scrap is hitting the fan and your backs against the wall and you need to find a way to make a play to turn the game. Like that stuff does matter. Now it needs to happen.

They need to be talented, all of those things. But I think that's worth pointing out. I think there's a lot of high floor to this draft too. And Shamar Stewart is seen as this boom or bust type of player. And I think that that is true to some degree. But I think his bust is probably like solid role player with the athletic traits that he has. And he will need to improve some things, sure. But I don't think it's setting a pick on fire no matter what.

And that's something that I think we got to when they drafted him. There's this risk there. but typically guys with that set of athletic tools, even when they're lacking production, can have long NFL careers. And I think of Jadavian Clowny here. I'm not comparing... I thought of Jadabian Clowny.

I'm not comparing Shadar Shemar Stewart directly to Jadavion Clowny or anything like that. Jadavion Clowny was a consensus top pick that year, not as much consensus around Sharmre Stewart, but maybe he's never 15 sack play. player. And maybe he's more of like in the Trayvon Walker mold of development where they put the athletic tools together. He becomes a productive pass rusher, a good player against the run where his athletic tools allow him to play up. There's a high floor there potentially that you can very

easily see if the game slows down for him. And you would expect the game to slow down for him. He's still a young player. And so you get him into an NFL system. You can see that clicking. And I think the same is true for the linebackers they drafted. Again, there's some development required for those offensive linemen they drafted. But when you think about their fit with the Bengals in terms of pass protection, if that's the focus, and it is, you can see that that could be a pair of high floor guys as well for where they're drafted. And so that's another theme to me is I think about how these guys fit into the team right away and the impact they can make. where's the risk?

Like there isn't the, like last year, it felt like there was a ton of risk throughout the draft. Like a ton. Like, not just Jermaine Burton, but like Jermaine Burton, McKinley Jackson, Eric All. Like, for whatever reason, there's all this risk. People thought of Mary Smims was pretty risky. I didn't because it's like, because of what you said about Shamar. It's like he's so gifted. Like, worst case, he's going to be a pretty good pass protector.

Like, even if... And there's similar risk, right? to Amarius and to Samar Stewart. It's just more easy to articulate because people can look at the sack number and say, well, you look at the set. And last year for Amarius, it was a snap count. And those were the numbers people talked about.

Sir. And so that's what I think this was. This was the high character. Let's reestablish who we are, what we're looking for. That doesn't mean that they weren't going to take a, like everyone in the first round had a risk. Like, if they had taken Walter Nolan,

and I think they probably would have. But if they had, we would be talking like, yeah, high character in rounds two through six, but there's going to be questions about Walter Nolan, how much he loves football and all those. Like, we'd be talking about it. So I think outside of that, though, when you look rounds two through six,

solid guys, chalmin at the bit, like really good attitude, super confident guys that should make an impact, that you can see make an impact. And so for the everyday, out there. I get being excited about this drafts. There's ups and downs throughout the draft, and it doesn't change what I said on yesterday's show. I still feel pretty the same when it comes to day two of this class. But did the Bengals get better? Did they add pieces that are going to help

them? They should have. And we'll talk about all of the fallout and things that need to happen and how they're going to be able to maximize these guys and roles and things like that. Plenty of time to discuss that. But high level, if you're talking at the water cooler at the office this week, did the Bengals add multiple starters in this draft? Yes. Did they add high character people in this draft? Yes. Did they add guys that are going to be productive? Yes. And that includes their first round pick because he is a freak. He's an alien that I expect to work really, really hard that also has great character and usually those guys pan out and and it it i said i felt really similar during the interview process last year was with amarius because there were questions

remember there was like some character stuff too like how much does he does he love it and all of those things and it was like oh like is he like that and then you spend 10 minutes with him and it's like no like that's not it and and you talk to people that are around him and i think the same thing was with Shamar Stewart. Not that there was those kind of questions, but I think he was just so willing to do whatever it took at A&M that that was part of it. He'd play inside, he'd move outside. He would do whatever it took to maximize that defensive line.

And not everybody that plays defensive end is willing to kick inside regularly. We've seen that in the past, and I think Shamar's going to do whatever it takes to win. That's what they need. They were never going to get out of this draft with all of their needs met. We talked about that many times. And the double double dips means that there are still some things that you would like to see them do. There are moves, I think, with veterans that you're anticipating, at least for Jermaine Pratt. I think that that move coming anytime once they get these linebackers in the building.

And so there's some discussion to be had about the overall state of the roster. I think when you ask about what kind of risk they took in this draft, when you look back on it, the biggest criticism is going to be that they did. didn't do the things that the Eagles and the Ravens always do, where they scoop up the fallers. And they identify the guys that everyone sees across the league, the wisdom of the masses, as these high-end players that are just tumbling down the draft for some reason or another. There's usually a flag there, whether it's medical or character, whatever it is, and then scooping those guys up.

And the Eagles did it this year again, the Ravens did it this year again. And so the Bengals didn't really do that this year. like you're going to see the comparisons to consensus and the Bengals are going to have probably one, maybe two guys that represent quote unquote value compared to consensus. And that was our criticism of day two, was the approach to round two in particular. But once you see the entire thing and you think about the roles for guys, you can understand the idea here. There's still no past rushing three tech, how Golden's talking about it.

defense events kicking inside and that being a core tenet of what they're expecting to do in the past rush. That's going to be a topic of conversation between now and the regular season. And I think that there's no way around that after this draft. And that is what it is. But they have these players that you can now understand the vision for and now we see how they work out. And that's where we go from here.

We very quickly think about the things that they do, well, the things that they need to improve, and that's their college scouting report. And soon enough, you no longer are thinking as much about the reaches, although I do think that the comparisons to the other AFC North teams will persist. I think that those, like, think back to DeCastro and Zaitler,

like those sorts of comparisons always persist. But from here, it's okay, they've got the players. Let's see what they do. Because from here is where the unknown really exists. You never know how these guys, are going to translate in the NFL, no matter who they were. And there's always that bit of transition and seeing what happens there. Yeah, and they need these guys to make an impact right away.

And I think that's why, like, by the way, in our Lockdown Bengals Insiders group, found this out this morning, but Locked on Bengals or Subtext.com slash Lockdown Bengals, but Jermaine Burton was in the building today. And I thought that was really cool. And I think that's been a pretty normal thing. And hopefully he develops into something that's going to matter this year. But I think that given what they did or didn't do in free agency, and by the way, maybe it's because they got burning free agency too with some of these character guys.

The Charlton Rankin's is of the world. That didn't work. And it wasn't just because he got sick at one point. It didn't work for a bunch of reasons. And so to kind of reset the character, the culture, and knowing that you got to get immediate contributors, I get that there should be a certain standard from a character standpoint. I totally get that because I don't think some of the guys,

some of those fallers were being considered for four character reasons by the Bengals. And so we'll see if it pans out, right? And if they can get what they're looking for out of this draft, this season for sure, but the draft isn't just about this season. It's over the next few years how it works out. Yeah. And we'll, like you said, we'll have to see how these guys play. But they have significantly improved their depth, I think, at linebacker on the offensive line with a couple of pieces that you can see the vision for end up running back. I think adding Taj Brooks in the sixth round. Like I said, never going to complain about that. We talked about day one, day two quite a bit. I think that the questions will always be the what ifs on day two. I think that that will be something that sticks with us for a while. But hey, if Demetri's night comes in here and he's a six. year starter and he's an awesome player and Dylan Fairchild is a long-term starter for you, a left guard, then you're probably not thinking about that so much anymore. And you're not asking

those what-if questions. But that's always what the questions are. There's always an opportunity cost to any pick you make. You're not picking somebody else. And so the players are now selected for the Bengals and what's left to do is to see how they work out, how things go in training camp, and see what other moves might be coming for the Bengals, either an undrafted free agency or maybe some veteran moves. We'll talk about what might be possible there as well as we take a look at this depth chart post-draft.

That's coming your way this week on Lockdown Bengals coming Monday next to anywhere you get your podcast. Until then, thanks for listening. Ho-Day and have a good one.