Browns and Bengals preparing for NFL Draft

The Bengals own the 28th overall pick in this year's draft after being eliminated in the AFC Championship game by the Kansas City Chiefs this past season.

The Bengals under head coach Zac Taylor have gone from one of the worst teams in the league, going 6-25 in his first two seasons to being one of the AFC's elite, going 22-11 over the last two seasons with two AFC Championship game appearances including a win and one Super Bowl appearance.

Currently, the popular pick for the Bengals at No.28 is Utah tight end, Dalton Kincaid.

The Bengals are one of the most talented teams offensively in the league but the one thing they are missing is a go-to tight end.

Last season, the Bengals' primary tight end was Hayden Hurst who put together a solid season of 52 receptions for 414 yards and eight touchdowns.

However, Hurst left Cincinnati this offseason and signed with the Carolina Panthers, leaving the Bengals with Mitchell Wilcox, Devin Asiasi, and Drew Sample at the position.

While all three are quality players, none present the upside of Hayden Hurst or a potential pick such as Dalton Kincaid.

Kincaid, one of the draft's top tight ends had 107 career receptions at Utah for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns including a massive senior season that saw him record 70 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns.

Outside of addressing the tight end position, the Bengals also could address the defensive end room or their offensive line room during the draft.

The offensive line is especially a major need for the Bengals as quarterback Joe Burrow has been sacked 92 times over the last two seasons combined.

The Bengals' pass rush was also rather weak this past season with just 30 total sacks on the season.

If the Bengals look to address their offensive line names such as Oklaohoma's Anton Harrison, Florida's O'Cyrus Torrence, and Ohio State's Dawand Jones.

At the defensive end, players such as Will McDonald IV out of Iowa State and Kansas State's Felix Anudike-Uzomah both would make sense as Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey could be a name to watch as well.

While being a defensvie tackle, there is many who believe Kancey could be an elite pass rusher in the inside at the next level as well.

The Browns will not have a first-round draft pick this week as their would be No. 12 overall pick belongs to the Houston Texans as part of the Deshaun Watson trade last year.

The Browns went 7-10 this past season, missing the playoffs for the second straight year after making it in the first year of the Kevin Stefanski era.

The Browns' first pick in this year's draft won't be until the third round, No. 74 overall.

Despite not having a first-round or second-round pick, the Browns still have eight picks in the 2023 NFL Draft overall.

When it comes to needs for the Browns in this year's NFL Draft, the priorities are on the defensive side of the ball including defensive tackle and safety.

Potential defensive tackles to watch at that time include Wake Forest's Kobie Turner, Baylor's Siaki Ika, and Texas's Moro Ojomo while notable safeties include Illinio's Sydner Brown, Alabama's Jordan Battle, Iowa State's Anthony Johnson Sr.

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to get underway on Thursday, April 27 at 8pm, starting with the first round.

The second round and third rounds will both take place on Friday while rounds four through seven will take place on Saturday afternoon.

The entire of this year's NFL Draft can be watched on both ESPN and the NFL Network in the United States.