Bengals Make Surprising Pick in Peter King's Mock Draft

Cincinnati Bengals Make Surprising Pick in Peter King's Mock Draft

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are expected to address their defense early and often in the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Cincinnati has the 31st overall pick. They've took a long, hard look at the top cornerbacks. They could also add to their offensive or defensive lines in round one. 

They pass on Kaiir Elam, Daxton Hill and Andrew Booth Jr. in Peter King's mock draft and take Colorado State tight end Trey McBride instead. 

"Warning: The Bengals will have options to trade out of this pick, and they’re a more willing trade team on draft weekend than they used to be. This is a golden spot to trade up and get the fifth-year luxury that a late first-round pick would provide, particularly with a team seeing quarterbacks remaining on the board," King wrote. "As for the tight end need, the Bengals are still in mourning after losing valuable starter C.J. Uzomah and his 965 snaps last year to the Jets in free agency. The Bengals did sign Hayden Hurst, but the former first-round Raven will be playing for his third team in four years. I doubt he’s the every-down tight end Cincinnati lost in Uzomah. McBride’s a versatile player with an excellent résumé at Colorado State as an inline blocker and a possession receiver. He caught a team-high 90 balls last year in a run-first offense. 'McBride would be a classic Mike Brown pick,' one veteran general manager told me. 'He likes to use draft choices to fill holes.'"

McBride could be a top-40 pick and the Bengals have met with most of the top tight ends in this draft class. If Cincinnati can't trade down, then there's certainly a scenario where they take him. 

It would be a major surprise if they passed on Elam and Booth to do so, especially considering their history of taking a cornerback in the first round. They haven't done in since 2016, but they took five defensive backs in the first round in five of 11 drafts spanning from 2006-2016 (Johnathan Joseph, Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson III). 

Check out King's entire mock draft here. For more on what the Bengals could do in the draft, watch the video below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Make sure you bookmark All Bengals for the latest free agency news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

You May Also Like:

Will Arm Length Keep Bengals From Taking Tyler Linderbaum?

Three Takeaways From Duke Tobin's Pre-NFL Draft Press Conference

Bengals Appear to be Focused on Defense in 2022 NFL Draft

Lou Anarumo on What the Bengals Are Looking For at Cornerback in the NFL Draft

NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Logan Hall is a Real Option for Bengals in First Round

Mock Draft 3.0: Bengals Get Important Help on Defense

NFL Insider Shares Insight on Which Cornerbacks Bengals Are Eyeing in NFL Draft

Duke Tobin Ranked in Top 10 of Latest General Manager Power Rankings

Bengals Hosting Logan Hall for Pre-Draft Visit

Report: Andrew Booth's Draft Stock is Dropping

NFL Teams Have Second Round Grade on Iowa Center Tyler Linderbaum

Tee Higgins Underwent Offseason Surgery

NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Does Jelani Woods' Athleticism Translate to the Field?

Tyler Linderbaum Posts Elite Numbers at Pro Day

Cincinnati Adds Top Players at Multiple Positions in Mock Draft 2.0

Bengals Bring in Alec Pierce for Top-30 Visit

Bengals Request to Build Temporary Practice Facility Near Paul Brown Stadium

NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Andrew Booth is a Menace at Cornerback

Bengals Hire New Head Athletic Trainer

Analyzing Veteran Cornerback Options Ahead of 2022 NFL Draft

Film Breakdown: Is Florida CB Kaiir Elam a Good Fit in Cincinnati?

Mock Draft 1.0: Bengals Take Best Player Available

Bengals Offseason Workouts: Key Dates and Details

Film Breakdown: Kenyon Green an Intriguing Option for Bengals

Bengals Meet With Three Tight Ends Prior to 2022 NFL Draft

Chad Johnson Praises Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle

NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Analyzing Zion Johnson's Fit With Cincinnati Bengals

Film Breakdown: Tyler Linderbaum Shines Despite Size Concerns

La'el Collins' Contract is Bargain for Bengals

Door Still Open in Potential Larry Ogunjobi Return

Film Breakdown: Here's What La'el Collins Brings to the Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow Helped Seal the Deal With La'el Collins

Film Breakdown: Analyzing Ted Karras' Strengths and Weaknesses

Film Breakdown: Alex Cappa is Huge Upgrade in Trenches for Bengals

-----

Be sure to keep it locked on All Bengals all the time!

Subscribe to the All Bengals YouTube channel
Follow AllBengals on Twitter: @AllBengals

Like Our FaceBook Page

Subscribe and follow the ONLY Daily Bengals Podcast