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          NFL Nation

          Three positions (including a surprise) Cincinnati Bengals must address in upcoming NFL draft

          With wide receiver Tee Higgins, left, eligible for a big contract extension at the end of next season, slot receiver Tyler Boyd, right, could be the odd man out in Cincinnati. Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterApr 4, 2022, 10:00 AM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- When the 2021 season started, even the most optimistic observers didn’t expect the Cincinnati Bengals to make their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.

          But that's exactly what they did, coming within a defensive stop or late touchdown of winning their first Lombardi Trophy.

          Since that loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI, the task for the Bengals has been clear: fend off a host of talented AFC teams by adding to a roster that currently features several young players on team-friendly contracts, including quarterback Joe Burrow.

          Through free agency, the Bengals have fortified the squad to make another Super Bowl run. But the upcoming NFL draft (April 28 on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App) could help Cincinnati in 2023 and beyond.

          Here are three positions worth examining in the build-up to the draft.

          Finding a safety for the future

          Cincinnati feels great about its current safety tandem. Free safety Jessie Bates III just received the franchise tag, which will give him $12.9 million in 2022 if he chooses to sign the tender. Vonn Bell, an addition in the 2020 offseason, has been a reliable strong safety who has displayed his value defending the run and the pass.

          The issue, however, is the uncertainty at the position after this season. Bates and Bell are not under contract after 2022. And given recent comments from Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, a long-term deal for Bates seems unlikely.

          “Over the past year, we've tried to extend his contract here in Cincinnati,” Blackburn said in early March. “While that hasn't come to pass, we want him here for 2022 to be a part of what we think should be an exciting football season and bright future for our organization.”

          Because of Cincinnati’s loss in Super Bowl LVI, the Bengals will have the next-to-last pick in the draft’s first round. There’s a chance that Georgia safety Lewis Cine, who was one of the best defenders in college football last season, will be available for the Bengals to take at No. 31.

          Cine, the defensive MVP of last season’s national championship game, has proven his ability to go downhill and be a thumping tackler near the line of scrimmage -- a role currently held by Bell.

          Cine would join Darryl Williams -- a former Pro Bowler -- as the only safeties the Bengals have ever drafted in the first round (1992).

          Figuring out the cornerback situation

          Cincinnati built its current cadre of cornerbacks through free agency. First, slot cornerback Mike Hilton was signed in 2020. Then came Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple in 2021, with the latter signing another one-year deal that will run through the upcoming season.

          The decision to use last year’s group for another year seems to be the plan. Bengals coach Zac Taylor recently reaffirmed Apple’s status as a starter.

          Behind those three, however, the Bengals have big question marks. Cincinnati’s depth in 2021 included Tre Flowers and Vernon Hargreaves -- two players who were still free agents as of Saturday morning.

          Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo considers length a valuable trait for cornerbacks, with Awuzie’s arm length measured at 30.625 inches and Apple at 31.375, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

          The question is whether the Bengals can get a cornerback that fits their profile in the first or second round. If there is, that certainly answers one of the team’s more urgent draft needs.

          A sneaky need for a wide receiver

          This doesn’t seem like a position that urgently needs addressing in the draft. After all, the Bengals have two 1,000-yard wide receivers (Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase) who still haven’t seen their third NFL season.

          But it is a short-term and long-term need. The Bengals ran the third-fewest offensive sets of fewer than three wide receivers last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Cincinnati leaned on Higgins, Chase and Tyler Boyd the entire season. Outside of that trio, Mike Thomas was the team’s next leading receiver with five catches for 52 yards. He was also inactive for four games.

          If one of its top three wideouts gets hurt, Cincinnati has little to no cover. But that’s only part of the issue.

          The other is, the Bengals also now must start thinking about 2023. Not only will Higgins be eligible for a big contract extension at the end of the 2022 campaign, but the Bengals could soon be at a crossroads with Boyd.

          Boyd, a second-round pick in 2016, signed a four-year contract extension in 2019 worth $43M. In 2023, the final year of his current deal, the Bengals will gain $8.9M in salary cap savings and take a mere $1.4M cap hit.

          Over the past few years, Boyd has been one of the game’s most reliable and productive inside receivers. Since he signed his extension, only Rams star Cooper Kupp has more receiving yards from the slot position.

          Taking someone like Western Kentucky’s Jerreth Sterns on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft could give the Bengals some short-term depth and a look at the future.