4 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

You see Young as an outside deep threat? 

Yes, based off the film I seen on him, and what analysis of said about him after the draft. Many of said his favorite and or possible best route is the go route and is a deep threat. Big tall, strong receiver who runs a 4.49 forty with good hands. I know I mentioned Chris Henry, but the body type a little more similar to AJ Brown.

Which is why I believe the Bengals took him, instead of the UC receiver who would have been a good slot receiver. They want another outside receiver who can be a deep threat, and allow Chase in the slot more. That’s why I see a Chris Henry type impact. Chris Henry fell in the draft, not because of ability but for other reasons.  
 

Here is also a short paragraph from the athletic talking about it too. 
 

 

1 hour ago, futurecoach said:

Yes, based off the film I seen on him, and what analysis of said about him after the draft. Many of said his favorite and or possible best route is the go route and is a deep threat. Big tall, strong receiver who runs a 4.49 forty with good hands. I know I mentioned Chris Henry, but the body type a little more similar to AJ Brown.

Which is why I believe the Bengals took him, instead of the UC receiver who would have been a good slot receiver. They want another outside receiver who can be a deep threat, and allow Chase in the slot more. That’s why I see a Chris Henry type impact. Chris Henry fell in the draft, not because of ability but for other reasons.  
 

Here is also a short paragraph from the athletic talking about it too. 
 

 

Interesting. I read several draft projections on Young and they all saw him as a red zone and middle of the field option. A 4.49 time in the 40 is just OK in today's NFL. There were 22 WR's that ran faster than that at the combine this year. He may be the slowest WR on the current Bengals roster. We'll see how it works out. 

Everywhere you look the experts are ranking the Bengals draft highly.  Howell over Rodriguez, I personally don’t like, but most experts really like Howell.  Worst pick is the WR to me (and to me it was straight up a bad pick).  I am not sure what other options were available but I assume the plan for him to be the future replacement as the 3rd WR in a year or two.  I really like the O linemen the team drafted.  Originally was turned off by the injury report but with a little digging I don’t think it’s going to be problem.  They just need to be back up good this season with an eye on the future.  We needed O line depth and these guys provide the flexibility to help this season.  Much better 2026 off season than last year.  Maybe not perfect, but more aggressive addressing needs this year.  The leadership group needs to keep working.  Team needs to get an extension done with DJ Turner and find a veteran LB.  No idea about what is money available, but the LB is a must.  The Turner move would be another step towards the leadership team being more aggressive and potentially more creative with the contract. 

8 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

Interesting. I read several draft projections on Young and they all saw him as a red zone and middle of the field option. A 4.49 time in the 40 is just OK in today's NFL. There were 22 WR's that ran faster than that at the combine this year. He may be the slowest WR on the current Bengals roster. We'll see how it works out. 

 

8 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

Interesting. I read several draft projections on Young and they all saw him as a red zone and middle of the field option. A 4.49 time in the 40 is just OK in today's NFL. There were 22 WR's that ran faster than that at the combine this year. He may be the slowest WR on the current Bengals roster. We'll see how it works out. 

To be fair, I did see a few of those that you mentioned too. So those mixed opinions probably also is a reason why he fell some. In regards to speed, in comparison to smaller receivers who run 4.3 you are correct. In regards to receivers who is his size, that is considered fast. Which for comparison sake, AJ Brown who has been a deep threat in his career ran the same 40 yard. Young's 40 yard is actually faster than both AJ Green and Tee Higgins times were, and both shown they were deep threats. Chris Henry ran a slower time and ran a 4.5 back when he was coming out of college.

As for the other Bengal receivers you are correct they are slightly faster than Young's 4.45. Charlie Jones ran a 4.43 and Yoshi also ran a 4.43. So not much much difference there, but Young is also bigger to go with it. Obviously there is no guarantee that he will be much of anything, if there was a guarantee he would have been a 1st round pick with his size. That is why I think and hope he has a Chris Henry type of impact. Maybe not a number one, but someone who adds another dimension to the offense. 

1 hour ago, FatNate said:

Everywhere you look the experts are ranking the Bengals draft highly.  Howell over Rodriguez, I personally don’t like, but most experts really like Howell.  Worst pick is the WR to me (and to me it was straight up a bad pick).  I am not sure what other options were available but I assume the plan for him to be the future replacement as the 3rd WR in a year or two.  I really like the O linemen the team drafted.  Originally was turned off by the injury report but with a little digging I don’t think it’s going to be problem.  They just need to be back up good this season with an eye on the future.  We needed O line depth and these guys provide the flexibility to help this season.  Much better 2026 off season than last year.  Maybe not perfect, but more aggressive addressing needs this year.  The leadership group needs to keep working.  Team needs to get an extension done with DJ Turner and find a veteran LB.  No idea about what is money available, but the LB is a must.  The Turner move would be another step towards the leadership team being more aggressive and potentially more creative with the contract. 

In regards to WR's. When looking who was available at the time, the only WR that maybe could have been looked at as better was UC's receiver that Kansas City drafted a few picks later. However, he is a lot WR and I believe they really want to use Chase in the slot more often. 

17 hours ago, BlueBloodedColonel said:

Bobby Wagner? 

From Lance:

The Cincinnati Bengals, somehow, have still not addressed linebacker. So....where do they turn?
Bobby Wagner, anyone? He will turn 36 in July. 
Per Pro Football Focus: 
Last season, with the Washington Commanders, 
78.6 overall grade, 9th among 88 qualified LB. 
51.1 coverage grade ranked 51st. 
90.3 run-defense grade ranked 5th. 
92.4 pass-rush grade of ranked 2nd.
107 solo tackles on the season. 
20 total pressures including 5 sacks as a blitzer. 
Allowed 107.2 passer rating when targeted in coverage. 
8 missed tackles.
2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Has never recorded fewer than 104 tackles in a season. 
Three-time league leader in tackles.
11 All-Pro selections. 
Played w/ Jonathan Allen in 2024. 
Played w/ Boye Mafe in Seattle.

3 hours ago, futurecoach said:

To be fair, I did see a few of those that you mentioned too. So those mixed opinions probably also is a reason why he fell some. In regards to speed, in comparison to smaller receivers who run 4.3 you are correct. In regards to receivers who is his size, that is considered fast. Which for comparison sake, AJ Brown who has been a deep threat in his career ran the same 40 yard. Young's 40 yard is actually faster than both AJ Green and Tee Higgins times were, and both shown they were deep threats. Chris Henry ran a slower time and ran a 4.5 back when he was coming out of college.

As for the other Bengal receivers you are correct they are slightly faster than Young's 4.45. Charlie Jones ran a 4.43 and Yoshi also ran a 4.43. So not much much difference there, but Young is also bigger to go with it. Obviously there is no guarantee that he will be much of anything, if there was a guarantee he would have been a 1st round pick with his size. That is why I think and hope he has a Chris Henry type of impact. Maybe not a number one, but someone who adds another dimension to the offense. 

I am a fan of this pick too and Young looks like he has already been in the league for a couple of years, he is a beast of a man, especially for a WR.  Definite matchup problem for most teams.

9 minutes ago, theguru said:

I am a fan of this pick too and Young looks like he has already been in the league for a couple of years, he is a beast of a man, especially for a WR.  Definite matchup problem for most teams.

Jermaine Burton 2.0 is all I see.

8 minutes ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

Jermaine Burton 2.0 is all I see.

Nah, one brush with the criminal justice system where the victim recanted vs. a young man that couldn't get out of his own way.

On Young, this is what CincyJungle.com has to say about him and it makes a lot of sense to me.  He should be very difficult to matchup with, especially when you consider the other pass catchers that a defense has to defend against. 

What Colbie Young brings to the Bengals

Size: His 6-foot-4 frame is something the Bengals have historically valued in a receiver, and he could be a contributor in the red zone. Young is the same height as Tee Higgins, and a red zone package with Higgins, Mike Gesicki, and Young could be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.

Run After Catch: Young is flat-out hard to bring down. He consistently beats individual tacklers and requires multiple players to get him to the ground. As the defense focuses on Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins, Young could be the weapon the Bengals were hoping Germaine Burton could be against single coverage.

High-point Specialist: Young is great at using his body to shield defenders, while his large hands help him excel in contested catch situations. Young is going to come down with the 50/50 balls more often than not when he’s on the field.

https://www.cincyjungle.com/190910/colbie-young-bengals-draft-2026-breaking-down-selection-pick-round-4

7 hours ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

Jermaine Burton 2.0 is all I see.

Here is what the consensus was from draft experts is comparing Young to your Steelers pick of Bernard. 

Based on the available draft expert evaluations, Colbie Young was generally rated higher than Germie Bernard in the 2026 NFL Draft.

While Germie Bernard was praised as one of the best slot receivers in the class, with scouts highlighting his physicality, route-running, and versatility A to Z Sports+2, Colbie Young was considered a more polished, high‑impact prospect. Multiple draft analysts and coverage pieces noted that Young’s combination of size, speed, and route‑running ability made him a more attractive “one‑day” pick compared to Bernard, who was seen as a complementary, physical slot option rather than a top‑tier WR A to Z Sports.

In short, Colbie Young’s profile was rated higher by draft experts because he was viewed as a more complete, high‑impact receiver with better upside, while Bernard was valued for his physicality and fit in a specific role.

You can go on and do your laughing emoji now but this facts plus the Bengals got the better rated receiver with the #140 pick and Bernard was taken with the #47 pick. This is just another reason all draft grades had the Bengals higher than the Steelers.?‍♂️

Who will be the starting defensive ends?