It’s safe to bet that if the Bengals end up with this high of a pick that things went terribly wrong in 2019 and they’ll almost certainly be ready to move on from Andy Dalton. He still has a couple of years left on his contract, and might serve as a placeholder while Cincinnati grooms his replacement.
The Bengals took Ryan Finley in the fourth round this year, but the NC State product isn’t likely to ever be a starting quarterback in the NFL. If they have a high pick in a loaded quarterback class, they’ll pull the trigger on one of the top signal callers.
Oregon’s Justin Herbert was all set to be a first round pick in 2019, but he decided to return to Eugene for his senior season and immediately made the Ducks one of the favorites to come out of the PAC-12 next season.
Herbert threw for 3100 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior, but he’ll need to improve his accuracy as a passer next season to maintain his status as one of the most sought after quarterback prospects.
At 6-foot-6, Herbert has the size and the arm strength that will make NFL scouts drool. It wouldn’t be a surprise with his physical tools if Herbert pushes Tagovailoa for the top ranked quarterback in the class next year.