The Cincinnati Bengals rookies from the 2023 NFL Draft have the potential to be incredibly impactful. Will they be as impactful as the Kansas City Chiefs 2022 class? Only time will tell, though that is a high bar to clear.
With the Bengals Super Bowl window wide open and the prospect of large contracts on the horizon, Cincinnati must draft well. Dynasties are forged and maintained by supplanting aging, expensive veterans with young, cheap talent. The bill is about to come due. No matter how good Joe Burrow and the other playmakers are, if the Bengals flop at drafting, we could be looking at a Dan Marino-type of career out of their franchise quarterback and not a Tom Brady-type. Okay, maybe not Brady, but Peyton Manning?
Either way, that window is open for the entire time Burrow is in stripes. They must have impactful rookies in order to maximize that window.
Here, we will take a look at the Bengals rookie draft class and rank them based on the possibility that they make an impact. This is just the first half. They won’t make quite a big of an impact as others.
Ranking the Potential Impact of the 2023 Cincinnati Bengals Rookies (Part 1)
8. Adrei Iosivas, Wide Receiver
As much as the Bengals need wide receiver depth heading into 2023, Adrei Iosivas is likely going to get minimal playing time on offense. In reality, he will like end up as the last receiver the Bengals keep on the roster, if at all.
However, he’s a player worth keeping around. He’s 6’3″, has 4.4 speed, and was an All-American heptathlete at Princeton. His strengths are that he’s a versatile athlete who will have to get his game checks via special teams. He’s a sure-handed receiver who can get separation off of the snap.
In his final two years in college, he turned 107 receptions into 1,646 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Saying that he will be the least impactful for the Bengals rookies in 2023 is not a slight. Iosivas has the tools to make a name for himself. However, the wide receiver room is stacked with three stars and another rookie receiver who could be considered further along in his development.
7. DJ Ivey, Corner
Corners may be a dime a dozen in the NFL but finding a stud in the seventh round is a rarity. Cincinnati may have struck gold with their late selection of DJ Ivey from Miami (FL).
According to Reel Analytics, Ivey scored as the seventh-best athlete based on their In-Game Athleticism score. That IGA score takes a player’s athleticism with position-specific modeling based on their game tape. Considering Ivey was not the most productive — only 38 tackles, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions in 2022 — this could be a welcome sign.
Uber athletic or not, Ivey is likely going to have to battle it out at the bottom of the depth chart for a spot. The top three corner spots are locked in with Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Mike Hilton. The selection of Ivey did all but guarantee that Eli Apple is no longer in the building, so there’s that.
For 2023, Ivey won’t be too impactful. However, if he can develop and use that athleticism, the Bengals could feel a bit more comfort in letting Awuzie walk after the season. Hopefully, the two can work out an extension but, again, supplanting older, more expensive vets with young talent is key.
6. Charlie Jones, Wide Reciever
If you were asked who the leading receiver from the Big Ten was in 2022, you probably would have answered Marvin Harrison, Jr., right? Not quite. Charlie Jones actually led the way with 1,361 yards and had the second-most touchdowns with 12.
Cincinnati has done well in regard to drafting wide receivers…for the most part. Of late, the Bengals have drafted a year earlier than they’ve needed to in order to replace talent. Last year, it was Dax Hill because they were not bringing back Jessie Bates. This year, could it be Jones for Tyler Boyd?
Jones projects as a solid slot receiver, so learning behind one of the best only makes sense. As a rookie, Boyd had to step in as WR3. Jones, on the other hand, will not. However, he will likely end up as WR4 and come off of the bench to either spell Boyd or line up in four-wide sets.
All in all, Jones’ impact will likley be minimal due to the trio ahead of him. Expect him to end up somewhere in the realm that Trenton Irwin finished in 2022. Give him a year to get fully immersed in the offense and he will be able to take over that slot role full-time in 2024.
5. Brad Robbins, Punter
Cincinnati went from Kevin Huber to Drue Chrisman in 2022 and it wasn’t the best. It was obvious that Huber was past his prime during the Super Bowl run, so the Bengals opted to go with the much younger Chrisman. There were a few situations where Crisman was able to boom massive punts. However, the loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship could have been thanks to an awful punt from Chrisman down the stretch. Obviously, the bad punt late in the game was not the sole reason for the loss but it certainly did not help.
Hopefully for Cincinnati, no punter has a massive impact, let alone one of the Bengals rookies. Where Chrisman struggled, Brad Robbins excels: hang time. “What’s the deal with hang time?” one would ask. To be frank, it doesn’t matter if a team has a fused Devin Hester and Deion Sanders back fielding punts if the ball hangs up long enough to have the punt team in his face as he catches it.
While he may not have a nuke attached to his right leg, he’s able to put the ball wherever he wants. For the Wolverines, Robbins didn’t have a single touchback in 2022. He can pin returners to the sideline and allow his gunners to make the play.
Again, hopefully, Robbins makes the team and is seldom used because each of the Bengals drives ends in points. However, he has the ability to take the job from Chrisman.
Main Image: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
