Instant analysis of Bengals picking Colbie Young in the fourth round

After the Cincinnati Bengals struck an NFL draft trade with the Jets, they used the 140th pick acquired in the trade on Georgia wideout Colbie Young.

Earlier in the round, the Bengals drafted center Connor Lew, attacking a long-term problem on the offensive line behind Ted Karras.

With this pick, Young arrives as a 6’4” weapon for Joe Burrow’s offense who averaged 12.5 yards per catch over 116 receptions from 2022-2025.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com mentioned that teams need to look into an arrest and suspension from 2024, but that Young has traits that make him appealing to teams:

“On tape, he uses his size, muscle and catch radius to beat cornerbacks in tight quarters and above the rim. His speed and separation are average, so he’ll likely see a higher number of contested battles. His route-running needs work, but he’s a nightmare for cornerbacks to bring down after the catch. Young has talent to work with and -- provided teams are comfortable after their character evaluation -- has a chance to be more productive in the pros.”

The Bengals were always going to attack wideout depth this year, especially with Andrei Iosvias and others not stepping up to reliably fill that third-wideout role behind the big two.

Still, it’s interesting to see the Bengals go with a possible character risk after dealing with the Jermaine Burton saga for a few years.

Young has massive upside, and generally speaking, the Bengals historically know how to nail the draft at wideout.

If nothing else, this was sort of an extra shot at a possible role player after trading around the board. Wideout was a need, and the value seems good if the franchise can once again get strong development from the position.