Bengals director of college scouting keeps the door open towards trading up in the NFL Draft

With 63 players currently on the roster, the Cincinnati Bengals have ample room to fit the 10 draft picks they currently have. But will they be pressed to keep all 10? 

It's unlikely that 10 drafted rookies will be able to fit on the Bengals' 53-man roster for Week 1. Cincinnati only has a handful of starting jobs open, and most of the depth is already accounted for.

It's a variable director of college scouting Mike Potts and the rest of the war room has to consider. Trading up in the draft could end up being a reasonable solution.

Bengals trading up on Day 2 of the NFL Draft makes sense

The higher the pick, the more likely it can result in a starter down the road. That's what Potts and the Bengals are focused on with four picks in the first 100 this week. Having an extra pick at the end of the third round can also help materialize a crafty trade.

"I think in that top 100, specifically the top three rounds, you're always looking to get starting caliber players in those top three rounds," Potts told media members Tuesday morning. "That's all the grading scales I've been a part of in my career. You're looking for a starting caliber player.

"It is good to have that extra third round pick that we have this year. As, you know, hopefully getting another starter, we can use it as ammo to potentially trade up. We can explore trading back. It gives you a lot of different flexibility that way."

The nature of the NFL Draft entails more swings being better than less. The chances of a prospect failing to reach his potential is far greater than succeeding. The more attempts you take in a given year, the better odds you have of finding success stories.

The earlier you swing, the bigger the bat is compared to the ball as well. Cincinnati wanting more early swings as opposed to later is completely logical, especially at a time when the roster is close to championship-caliber. Trading up in that top-100 range makes far more sense than down.

"There's a sense of urgency for sure," Potts said. "We know we're close. We believe we've got a really good roster. It's far from perfect, there's definitely some holes that we need to fill. What our holes maybe perceived as right now are not necessarily what they could be in the future.

"Like I said, we've got 10 picks, we got flexibility, if there's certain guys that we really target and we really covet and thinking can get us over that hump, we would be stupid to not go and do what it takes to get a certain player if we think he can make that kind of impact." 

For a team that historically doesn't like reducing their number of draft picks, that's a pretty strong statement. Trading up outside the first round has become more common during the time Zac Taylor has been the head coach. Twice it happened in the fourth round of the 2019 draft for quarterback Ryan Finley and guard Michael Jordan. In 2022, a move up in the second round was made for cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, and another trade in the fifth round to go get safety Tycen Anderson. 

Only one of those players is a starter now, and it's the one drafted the earliest out of all of them. That shouldn't be a coincidence.

The right deal has to be made for the right player in order for words to become actions. Potts and Co. look to be open towards making that happen.

"It's weighing what you potentially could have to give up to get those players if you're talking about trade, but you know, there's a lot of guys in this class that we think can be those type of impact players to get us where we want to be."