Cincinnati Bengals draft wide receiver Charlie Jones in fourth round of NFL draft
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
After taking defensive players in the first three rounds, the Bengals added to their offense with Jones. The 6-foot tall slot receiver caught 110 passes (led the nation in receptions) for 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns last season and was a semifinalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is given to best wide receiver in college football.
Prior to his final collegiate season at Purdue, he spent two seasons at Iowa (2020-21). He sat out the 2019 season as a transfer after spending the 2017-18 season at Buffalo. He is one of three Boilermakers in history to record 100 catches in a single season.
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and wide receivers coach Troy Walters praised Jones' hands as his best trait.
"He has great ball skills," Walters said. "Anytime he’s in a 50-50 contested catch situation, he seemed to come down with it. And so, really everybody on our roster, all the receivers that we have have great ball skills, and so he adds to that as a guy that no matter where you throw the ball, he’s going to make the play."
With Tyler Boyd entering the final season of his contract, the pick of Jones gives the Bengals a legit replacement for one of the best slot wide receivers in the NFL if that's how it shakes out. Boyd turns 29 this year and Jones has played seven seasons in Cincinnati.
"You can throw the ball anywhere, and he’s going to find a way to make a play," Walters said of Jones. "And that’s crucial in this league, because most of the time you’re going to have a contested catch situation. It’s rare that you’re going to create so much separation that you’re going to be by yourself. So to have great ball skills, and be able to catch under pressure with a guy on your back, to me, is his most impressive feature.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NFL draft 2023: Cincinnati Bengals pick Purdue WR Charlie Jones
