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Cincinnati Bengals 2023 NFL Draft Grades Roundup

The Bengals got solid marks following eight selections.

Russ Heltman

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CINCINNATI — The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and major outlets have draft grades ready to roll for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Check out how Cincinnati fared across eight picks.

NFL.com: A-

"The Bengals patiently waited for three potential early starters on defense to fall into their laps," Chad Reuter wrote. "Murphy brings power and flashes of quickness off the edge, Turner’s speed and aggressiveness were worthy of a late second-round pick, and Battle’s a solid all-around safety.

"A quick, reliable slot receiver and kick returner, Jones turned his transfer from Iowa to Purdue into a fourth-round draft slot. Iosivas has the potential to be a deep threat. Brown’s toughness inside and vision to bust through a crease met the team’s need for running back depth. They did not select a tight end but decided to pick the most consistent punter in the draft in Robbins."

Sports Illustrated: B

The Bengals prioritized defense in the first two days of the draft. Cincinnati got a steal in Murphy, who will pair with Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson to give coordinator Lou Anarumo a terrific trio off the edge," Matt Verderame. "In Day 2, the Bengals added high-upside depth in the secondary, with Battle having a chance to start as a rookie alongside last year's first-round pick in Dax Hill. On Saturday, the Bengals took a chance on Jones, who broke out with Purdue after spending time with Buffalo and Iowa before transferring a second time. In 2022, he amassed 110 catches, 1,361 yards, and 12 touchdowns."

The Ringer: B+

"The Bengals had a quietly solid draft after focusing heavily on defense in the early rounds," Danny Kelly wrote. "They nabbed a long, super-athletic edge rusher in the first round in Clemson’s Myles Murphy, who should factor into the team’s pass-rush rotation alongside Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, and Joseph Ossai right away. Cincy bolstered their secondary by grabbing a feisty and versatile cover corner in Michigan’s DJ Turner, and later picked a tone-setting safety in Alabama’s Jordan Battle—a duo that should augment a defensive backfield already headlined by Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, and Chidobe Awuzie. I think a couple of Cincinnati’s day-three picks could play roles early on, with Purdue receiver Charlie Jones bringing slot receiver skills and Illinois running back Chase Brown bringing a physical style on the ground."

ESPN: B+

"The Bengals did a solid job filling their needs," Mel Kiper Jr. wrote. "Though I'm not going to give them an A because they didn't take a tight end in one of the deepest tight end classes over the past 20 years. That's a miss. Overall, if Murphy develops into an every-down player, we could be looking at an A class in a few years."

PFF: A

"Murphy looked like a future top-five pick after a freshman season that saw him produce an 85.2 PFF grade, but we never really saw him progress beyond that," PFF wrote. "However, he has produced a PFF grade of at least 79.0 in each of the past three seasons and racked up 76 pressures over the past two years.

"Turner can flat-out fly, clocking a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. He did get picked on a little at Michigan, and there’s still a fair amount of development needed, but he allowed just 46.5% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be caught in 2022 and forced 14 incompletions in the process. The Bengals lost both starting safeties in free agency, so Battle could be a long-term replacement for Vonn Bell. He was one of the most consistent defensive backs in college football, earning 80.0-plus PFF grades in each of the past three seasons while playing more than 800 snaps in each."

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Russ Heltman
RUSS HELTMAN

Russ Heltman is a contributor for AllBearcats and AllBengals. He is the morning host and producer for 89.3 WMKV in Cincinnati, OH.  Russ can be found on Twitter: @RussHeltman11 or you can reach him by email at Heltmandm@yahoo.com.

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