It’s only natural to look at your team’s NFL draft picks and think about which ones will ‘wow’ you. At this point, no rookies will be a bust or a flameout. The future is bright. Your team has the guy who will shock the league and give everyone else fits. If a newbie contributes an extra touchdown, a well-timed sack, or a field goal, it can flip the team’s momentum. And its season.
With as many close games as the Cincinnati Bengals had last year, it makes us that much more excited to see what impact the rookies will make. The crop of college kids that Cincy selected in April can put us on track for the playoffs this season. And if they do that as rookies, just imagine what will happen in the next few years!
So, which newbies will ‘wow’ Cincinnati Bengals fans and make the biggest impact in 2017? Here are our top three picks.
3 Rookies Who Will Make an Impact for the Cincinnati Bengals This Year
1. John Ross – We’ve mentioned this guy before, haven’t we? Ross’ 4.22 speed can’t be ignored. He will naturally be a threat with go routes and force defenses to give him more of a cushion. That alone is dangerous, since he’s a proven pass catcher (81 of them in 2016 for the Washington Huskies). It will be fun to watch opposing secondaries pick their poison between Ross, Tyler Eifert, and AJ Green.
2. Jake Elliott – This was a close one, but we gave the silver medal spot to Memphis kicker Elliott because he touches the ball more. He’s accurate on his kicks which was a trait that was maddeningly absent last year. The past two years, he went 18 of 21 from 40-49 yards. His leg is strong, accurate, and – if he makes the team – a game-changer. Heck, a season-changer.
3. Joe Mixon – JM gets the ball out of the backfield one way or another. In addition to rushing for 1,274 yards for Oklahoma last season, he also caught 37 passes, which was good for 17th among running backs in the FBS. We’ve got him listed third because of how much his fate depends on a subpar offensive line. If the OL can’t gel, Mixon won’t have the impact we’re hoping for – yet.
Rocko says
May 16, 2017 at 4:38 pmTotally agree! But, honorable mention my man Carl Lawson , and Elliot might not quite realize the eyes that are going to be on him. Ive never seen a kicker git more pressure coming in since Janikowski.
.. I feel this will be the draft fans look back as the” hump breaker ” that won us a bowl.
Cale says
May 24, 2017 at 10:00 pmMan. So many young threats, this offense has to succeed. That o-line just has to be close to complacent and we could have an offense causing D coordinators to have fits. Gotta be positive and hope the coaches can make it click!
WHO DEY
Cale says
May 25, 2017 at 8:11 amCompetent***