Bengals Draft Top Defensive Tackle in Coaching Intel Mock Draft

Cincinnati has some decisions to make about their future in the trenches.

Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy (DL18) on the SiriusXM / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

CINCINNATI —  The Athletic's Bruce Feldman has the Bengals filling a big need in the first round by selecting Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II at Pick 18.

Murphy is the consensus 18th-best player overall and top-ranked defensive tackle.

"Signing Trent Brown diminishes the need for an offensive lineman here, although the likes of JC Latham and Olu Fashanu are intriguing," Feldman wrote. "So is Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan 'Johnny' Newton, but I think Cincinnati goes for Murphy after losing D.J. Reader. The 6-0 1/2, 297-pound Murphy didn’t receive as much hype as his much larger Texas linemate T’Vondre Sweat, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, but opposing coaches say Murphy gave them more headaches. Murphy had 8.5 TFLs and five sacks in 2023, then showed off his freaky athleticism at the combine, running a 4.87 40 with a 33-inch vertical jump."

Feldman talked to a few college coaches to comment about Murphy:

“His movement skills are so good. He’s just really got ‘it.’ He plays nasty and with great leverage.”

“He was almost unblockable because he’s so quick and twitchy and has balance like a big-ass running back. He’s been coached well. The guy is just really disruptive. He was much more of a problem (than T’Vondre Sweat).”

“Great initial quickness. Gets so low and always has leverage. Almost unblockable. Is really good against the run and great against the pass. High football IQ.”

Check out the full mock draft here.

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