While the Cincinnati Bengals attempt to keep the underdog playoff hopes alive, much of the NFL world has turned its attention to the offseason and — of course — mock drafts.
It never hurts to take a brief glance over in that area of things, especially with so much a question mark about how the Bengals might construct their roster in the coming months.
One notable mock draft from Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice sticks out as interesting because it has the Bengals going big with Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton:
Getting the havoc-wreaking Newton will help create pressure from the inside to give Trey Hendrickson and the other Bengals edge players some help from the interior, while also giving this defense a different flavor than it had since the days of Geno Atkins shooting gaps.
While it will go without saying for Bengals fans, but this is the type of move aimed at replacing DJ Reader over the long-term and giving the team more options than Zach Carter.
While Reader is one of the best nose tackles in football, his season-ending quad injury made it even harder to tell if the Bengals will bring him back this summer. Even if they do, the injury throws his 2024 season into doubt. Next to Reader, the likes of Carter haven’t had big enough impacts, either.
Newton’s disruptive ability and versatility would assist well, especially if paired with a free-agent signing. It’s certainly one idea for a team with big needs up front for a young defense undergoing growing pains.
