Bengals’ traditional draft strategy suggests they’ll take Penei Sewell It would be a surprise for Cincinnati to draft the top wideout, Ja’Marr Chase, considering their usual approach to filling big needs early. Photo by Christopher Mast/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images One thing is clear about the Cincinnati Bengals, they are a conservative franchise. They don’t have a traditional general manager, they offer little guaranteed money to free agents, and—until just last year—they relied exclusively on the NFL Draft for their top-end talent. One such conservative tendency has been to attack an area of need very early in the draft. Last year, that worked out quite well, as Joe Burrow is an absolute star and charismatic figure who attracts free agents like new tackle Riley Reiff by way of his personality.