The Bengals then followed that pick by taking a cornerback in the fifth round, selecting TCU product Josh Newton at No. 149 overall. They doubled up at tight end in the sixth round, taking Arizona’s Tanner McLachlan at No. 194, and then added edge rusher Cedric Johnson, from Ole Miss, later in the round at No. 214.
Cincinnati went with another Ole Miss product 10 picks later in the seventh round, taking safety Daijahn Anthony, and wrapped up with Miami center Matt Lee at No. 237.
All, who graduated from Fairfield in 2019, opened his collegiate career at Michigan and spent four years there, including a Big Ten honorable mention nod as a junior in 2021. He missed the final 11 games in 2022 because of surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, then transferred to Iowa and led the Hawkeyes in receiving yards despite missing the final seven games with an ACL tear.
“He (has had) a couple of unfortunate deals for him,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “We’re very comfortable with where he’s at in his recovery and how he’s attacking that. We think he’ll be able to contribute for us and we feel good about that.”
All expects he will be ready by training camp.
The 6-foot-4, 252-pound tight end was a team captain at Michigan, and Pitcher said he’s an “all-around tight end” as a solid pass catcher and a “physical guy that can also help in the run game.” He adds to a room that includes Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample, and the Bengals can use him in multiple ways, including in 12-personnel packages with two-tight end sets, Pitcher noted.
“Number one, we need really competitive guys who are trustworthy, who are going to be where we expect them to be on time,” Pitcher said. “That’s a given — you have to be able to that to be able to contribute in this offense, and I think Erick is going to do that just fine. And it’s a plus when this guy can run down the seam and he can reach and catch, and he’s tough to bring to the ground. You add that to the fact that we can use him in the run game like I’ve referenced, and it’s a complete tight end. And that’s what he’s going to be for us.”
The Bengals hadn’t drafted a tight end since Drew Sample in 2019, but the hope was to get one they could develop into a future long-term starter. They ended up with a second one with their first of two sixth-round picks when they selected McLachlan.
McLachlan is 25 years old after spending six years in college, but he’s a good-sized athlete at 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds and brings a basketball background to the position. He tore his ACL in 2020 and missed all of the 2021 season before transferring to Arizona for his final two seasons of eligibility and was an honorable mention All-PAC-12 pick in 2023 after recording 528 yards on 45 catches and four touchdowns with no drops.
Cincinnati also had a big need at cornerback, where the Bengals lost Chidobe Awuzie in free agency and also are going into the final year of Mike Hilton’s contract as their nickel corner. He joins the mix behind Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner II and Hilton, but can play inside or outside, which defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said he liked.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound former team captain had 30-plus tackles each of his final three seasons, including a first-team All-Big 12 in 2022 and second-team honor in 2023, and posted seven career interceptions.
“Some of those guys just have a knack,” Anarumo said. “They’re always around the ball. They’re aware. He gets PBUs (pass break-ups), he can affect the game in a number of different ways and again, I think some guys just have a knack for it. … I don’t think that he’s deficient in any part of his game physically, so (I’m) looking forward to seeing what he can do and again, just trying him out in both spots and go from there.”
Cincinnati watched as five cornerbacks went off the board in the fifth round before their pick came up. Newton also was starting to get antsy.
“Really, it was relief,” he said. “Being in the draft, you can’t get caught up in certain things. You’ve got to be patient and wait my turn, and I got the call.”
Johnson adds to the Bengals’ defensive end rotation. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound edge player had 5.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss for Ole Miss last season and totaled 19.0 sacks over his four seasons, which included 29 starts in 46 games.
Anthony, as a seventh-round pick, will compete as a depth piece in the secondary. After six years at three different colleges, including Shepherd and Liberty universities, he brings experience at corner, safety and nickel. The 6-foot, 194-pound athlete had 11 passes defended and three interceptions in 10 starts for Ole Miss, his lone season there in 2023.
The Bengals waited until the last of their 10 total picks to add an interior offensive lineman. Lee, a 6-foot-3, 301-pound center, could back up Ted Karras, who is in the last year of his contract. Lee spent his first four years of college at the University of Central Florida, redshirting as a freshman, then transfered to Miami for 2023, when he started 12 games and was a second-team All-ACC pick.
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