Why Didn't Bengals Address Tight End in the 2023 NFL Draft?

Cincinnati didn't take a tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft, despite plenty of pre-draft speculation suggesting they would.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
May 3, 2023 9:03 AM EDT

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Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — The Bengals didn't take a tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Is was arguably the biggest surprise of their draft class. No, they didn't address the offensive line, but that was always a possibility.

So why didn't they take a tight end with one of their eight selections?

The answer is much simpler than you might think.

It isn't because they didn't plan to address it. It isn't because they don't think it's an important part of their offense or because they don't value the position.

They simply stuck to their draft board.

Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer was always a longshot to be the 28th overall pick. He would've been a more realistic option in a trade down scenario, but he wasn't in serious consideration in round one, multiple sources have confirmed.

Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid might not have been the pick either, even if he did fall to them at 28. While they certainly would've been tempted to take one of the best pass catchers in the draft, we don't know if his availability would've caused them to pass on Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy.

Guys like Sam LaPorta, Luke Musgrave and Mayer were all long gone by the time the Bengals were on the clock again in round two. Even Michigan's Luke Schoonmaker was taken by the time Cincinnati was ready to make the 60th pick.

Ultimately, the Bengals took Schoonmaker's college teammate DJ Turner. They weren't leaving the first three rounds of this draft without a cornerback. It was arguably the deepest position in the draft, especially when a defensive back with 4.26 speed falls until the end of round two.

The Bengals could've taken Tucker Kraft in the second round, but Turner was clearly the top player on their board at the time. Kraft was picked (78th overall) long before Cincinnati was back on the clock.

There are two scenarios that really stand out. The first one is Darnell Washington falling to the Bengals at pick No. 92. A lot of fans would've loved adding him at that stage of the draft, but there's two things to consider: His medical history and his fit in the Bengals' offense.

A big reason why Washington fell in the draft is because of a knee issue that teams had questions about. The Bengals would've still gotten great value by taking in round three, so why'd they pass on the 6-7, 260 pound tight end with freakish athleticism?

They didn't view him as a fit for their offense. The Bengals are a passing team. They want to throw it all over the field. That doesn't mean they aren't going to run the ball, but how valuable would Washington be in their offense?

Would he get on the field much with a much more fluid and natural pass catcher like Irv Smith Jr. on the roster?

The Bengals might've been in on Kraft in round 3, but since he was long gone, they traded down and picked Alabama safety Jordan Battle, who was the top player on their board by a pretty large margin.

With the top tight ends off the board, Cincinnati was open to taking one on day 3, but they weren't going to reach to add a guy that was a few years away from making an impact.

Fourth round wide receiver Charlie Jones and fifth round running back Chase Brown should both contribute on offense and special teams as rookies.

They spent a ton of time with Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas. He might've been just as much of a risk as Old Dominion tight end Zach Kuntz, but he was also an elite athlete that produced at a high level last year. Both Kuntz and Iosivas are considered projects, but they went with the guy that was slightly higher on their board.

Taking a punter is never ideal, but it will be if Brad Robbins brings some stability at the position. Cincinnati knew they needed to address it at some point, so they took Robbins over Kuntz.

The Old Dominion product didn't make it to the Bengals' pick in round 7.

Passing on Washington and not taking Kuntz late are the two obvious scenarios where Cincinnati could've addressed the tight end position. Instead, they went in another direction.

The Bengals stuck with their board and didn't shape it based on perceived needs. They didn't reach on a tight end or even an offensive tackle.

They were open to addressing either position, but the board didn't fall that way. Rather than reaching on a tight end, they got great value with the majority of their picks.

Did they make the right decision? We won't know that for a few years, but it's hard to knock a team for sticking to their draft board, even when things don't go as planned.

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