For the second straight year, the Cincinnati Bengals picked a guy most of their fans have never heard of in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.
They again took a guy they don’t need to start right away. This is what it’s like to have a winning NFL franchise, Cincinnati, in case you’re still not used to all the spoils of victory.
Ideally, picks like defensive end Myles Murphy allow a team to sustain success in a league where it’s extremely difficult to do so.
The Bengals, coming off an AFC championship game appearance, get the luxury of taking Murphy 28th overall when they already have two star edge rushers. Murphy can learn from Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson the next few seasons, provide depth for an already stout defense and have time to build toward being a star himself in a few years.
The Bengals took safety Dax Hill in the first-round last year. Casual fans were wondering: Who’s that? They then heard very little about Hill during the 2022 season. That’s a good thing. Hill spent the year developing behind veteran safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates.
Both those guys are gone now. The Bengals believe Hill is ready to step in and help them keep winning.
Check back in a season or two and see how Murphy’s doing. He could be a burgeoning star. Or he could be a bust. You could say that about anyone who’s picked this weekend. But not everyone will get the time to learn and develop on a great team like Murphy will. Not everyone will learn from Lou Anarumo, one of the NFL’s best defensive coordinators.
The Bengals are working from a position of strength in this draft. Day 1 signaled they’re taking full advantage of that position. They showed how much they’ve evolved in their approach to the draft. They resisted going for the headline-grabbing splash by passing on hometown favorite Michael Mayer, the former Covington Catholic star. Bengals Twitter would’ve been much more abuzz if Cincinnati had picked the Notre Dame tight end.
So be it. Football games aren’t won on Twitter.
The Bengals’ player personnel folks are smart. They’re playing a long game in the draft these days. They need a tight end but know plenty of good ones will still be available in Friday’s second round. In fact, all but one guy on Pro Football Focus’ list of top-10 tight ends in the draft remain available entering Day 2, including Mayer.
A strong defensive line is more important than having a pass-catching tight end in an offense that already has so many receiving weapons.
The Bengals don’t need to go for the big-name skilled players in the draft. Winning can make the draft a little boring for casual fans, and I don’t hear anyone complaining.
Contact columnist Jason Williams by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @jwilliamscincy.
