Just before the proceedings get underway, the Bengals appear to be a team at No. 18 capable of taking a trench player for either side of the ball. That, or the front office could pluck from the plethora of offensive weapons at skill positions. Or — in a favorite of the team’s fans — they could even take a cornerback.

Mock drafts are predictive. My who-they-should-take-mock is not. It's the players I would take if I were doing the picking for all the NFL teams. There are no trades in this mock in large part because I would be trading with myself.

Harrison Jr. is arguably the best overall football player in this 2024 NFL Draft class. There is an outside chance that the Commanders decide to just take the best player available with that No. 2 pick which would definitely invigorate this fan base. The idea of having WR Terry McLaurin and Harrison Jr. lining up together has to be tempting.