CINCINNATI — What constitutes a good draft? Depending on the evaluation criteria, a traditional broad-brush answer would say picking three starters is considered a success story.
No matter how a team gets there, through quantity in the mid-rounds or by moving up to assure a hit on Day 1, if you come away with three starting players while sprinkling in a star here and there, that’s a path to success in NFL roster building.
Drafts in Cincinnati in recent years have drawn criticism, and rightfully so. The massive amounts of draft capital expended on the defensive side of the ball as the unit descended into the abyss of worst in league history pointed to a litany of busts and second-guessing.
The lack of development got longtime coordinator Lou Anarumo fired.
Quietly, this season, the Bengals’ 2023 draft has evolved into one of the most productive and deep classes in recent memory.
Five players from the class logged at least 550 snaps on offense or defense this season. That is the most of any Bengals draft class in Year 3 dating back to 2011. The average number of picks crossing that mark has been 2.25. The Bengals have only had four players do it one time.
At a time when many recent picks have fallen off, Cincinnati’s collection of picks has taken off. Before long, many will get paid off.
Which puts Bengals ownership back in a position to prove a willingness to change and embrace a proactive approach to handling their best players, like many of the most successful teams across the league.
As soon as this season wraps, there’s an opportunity to invest early in their positively trending stories and avoid the off-field drama, hold-ins and trade requests of the past with Jessie Bates, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Just one week ago, Joe Burrow’s message was heard loud and clear.
“What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked the last couple of years,” Burrow said. “We have to think outside the box and get creative about where we go from here.”
One way to change would be backing up what is supposed to be the roster-building motto around this organization: Draft, develop, retain. At least, for now, the arrow is pointing toward the draft and development aspect of the 2023 class heading in the right direction, while everyone will have to wait patiently for the third prong.
Before next season starts, there will be opportunity to go in early on however many of these picks the front office deems worthy before the price goes up or free agency lures them away.
Before worrying about money or potential bickering, it’s important to take stock of the emergence of a building block draft the Bengals hope will set the stage for 2026.
Bengals 2023 draft class
Rd
Ovr
Player
Pos
2026 starter?
1
28
DE
Y
2
60
CB
Y
3
95
S
Y
4
131
WR
N
5
163
RB
Y
6
206
WR
TBD
6
217
P
–
7
246
CB
N
That’s five projected starters for 2026 on the roster, all of which have played well enough of late to warrant building around and potentially extending.
By any measure, if the upward trend continues for this group, this would be considered one of the deeper draft classes in recent history.
Murphy
Since the bye, Murphy’s production ranks among the best in the draft class and the eye test shows a far more confident, physical, violent player off the edge. He has not reached the level of an elite closer like Trey Hendrickson, and that may never come, but he has developed into a solid second edge in the Sam Hubbard mold with potential for more.
Of the 12 defensive linemen in his draft class playing at least 50 percent of the snaps since Week 11, Murphy ranks third in pressures and win percentage. He also ranks fourth in run stop percentage.
The game against Miami was his highest Pro Football Focus grade as a pro with a 90.0, racking up five stops and two pressures.
Turner
His emergence ranks as perhaps the brightest storyline of an ugly season for the defense. Even when chaos unfolded around him early in the year, Turner dominated. He is tied for the NFL lead in pass breakups and second among 70 qualifying corners in snaps per target. Midway through the year, teams stopped throwing in his direction after seeing how many times he got his hands on the football. He was voted as a third alternate for the Pro Bowl. Coaches praised his work ethic and response to adversity, having started the year on the bench. He’s viewed as a potential future captain and the most deserving of a significant extension among the class.
Battle
His missed tackles and coverage issues were a significant part of the stew of stink in the first two months of the season. As the defense settled around him, Battle’s starter-level play has shown through. Since Week 11, he’s forced two fumbles, made 10 stops for an offensive failure and only missed four tackles. While there was question about whether he would be part of the future, he’s now clearly viewed internally as a starter on the 2026 team.
Jones
Maybe not the hit the Bengals hoped for in this spot, but has returned a kick for a touchdown in each of the last three seasons — something nobody else in the league can say. He might not be a long-term solution and he never clicked at receiver, but he contributed and will be in the mix again next season.
Brown
Finishing off back-to-back seasons averaging at least 4.3 per carry, 6.0 per reception, 50-plus receptions, eight touchdowns and crossing 1,200 yards from scrimmage. Only 10 running backs the last 10 seasons can say they crossed those marks more than once. The Bengals started using him in the slot more in the second half of the season and he caught two touchdowns from there on Sunday. He stated before the season a desire to be “undeniable” and let the money take care of itself. That might end up being the case in the always-complicated conversation of when to pay running backs. Either way, he’ll again be a centerpiece of the offense in 2026.
Iosivas
Steady improvement each season for the sixth-round pick out of Princeton. He’s turned into a reliable WR3/4 who’s built trust with Burrow, specifically in the red zone. To get the reliability and playmaking he’s provided in the shadows of Chase and Higgins from a late Day 3 pick was a win.
Ivey
Quietly, he’s done a magnificent job covering tight ends this season. The Bengals, generally, have not, but when given that assignment, Ivey’s length and athleticism have proven to be a weapon. He’ll stay in the mix next year.
One more name that can be thrown into the next step of the conversation is cornerback Dax Hill. The 2022 first-round pick is under contract for 2026 on his fifth-year option, but would be a player worth investing in with an extension before he plays out that final season. His shift back to outside corner over the last month created the spot he looks destined to man going forward, the same position he impressed at in 2024 before tearing his ACL.
All of these decisions will be fascinating to watch unfold this offseason, knowing how many dollars need to be used in free agency to put better players around these building blocks and how contentious these decisions have been in the past.
A path exists here for the Bengals to be “creative” and “different,” we’ll see how different it looks between now and opening day 2026.