Cincinnati Bengals 2020 NFL Draft grades: Joe Burrow Geauxt status
By John Buhler
Fourth Round
OLB. 107. player. 56. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Appalachian State Mountaineers. Akeem Davis-Gaither
There was a reason the Appalachian State Mountaineers were ranked last season. Sure, it was the great job of head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, but he also had some help from great players like outside linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither. The Bengals made the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year the No. 107 overall pick and the first pick of day three of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Fifth Round
Khalid Kareem. Scouting Report. DL. 147. player. 819. Pick Analysis. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Cincinnati continued to hold steady and take the top selection atop each round. The Bengals went with Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Khalid Kareem with the No. 147 pick in the fifth round. Cincinnati has made it a priority to get more physical in the middle of its defense. Perhaps he can be a vibrant part of their defensive line along the likes of Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap?
Sixth Round
Hakeem Adeniji. Kansas Jayhawks. OT. 180. player. 821. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
The Bengals got another productive college player with a late-round pick. They used the No. 180 overall selection in the sixth round on Kansas Jayhawks offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji. Though Kansas wasn’t anything close to a good football program when he was in school, Adeniji brings two all-conference nods from the Big 12 to Cincinnati. He could kick in and play some guard, too.
Seventh Round
Scouting Report. Markus Bailey. player. 848. Pick Analysis. LB. Purdue Boilermakers. 215
The Bengals round out their 2020 NFL Draft by taking a linebacker out of Purdue University in Markus Bailey. He came off the board at No. 215 overall at the top of the seventh round. Bailey is the third of three linebackers taken by the Bengals in this draft. Even if it’s a seventh-round selection, it’s clear they wanted to improve this position group dramatically this weekend.