The Bengals' 2024 rookie class ended up with production spread out throughout all three days of the draft and, just as importantly, in the hours after with college free agency. Even as late as hours into training camp.

They grabbed an offensive starter on the first day in right tackle Amarius Mims and a defensive starter on the second day in tackle Kris Jenkins. On the last day they nabbed key rotational players in tight end Erick All Jr. and cornerback Josh Newton who played nearly half the snaps, and they closed the weekend with undrafted players who contributed in the do-or-die five-game winning streak that ended the season.

Cincinnati also added its most prolific undrafted rookie on the third day of training camp when it signed punter Ryan Rehkow six weeks after the Chiefs cut him.

A look at the Bengals' 2024 rookies. And, remember, The Comp is not meant to be a comparison of players, but only as a tool to get to the context of a career path.

Skip to a rookie:

FIRST ROUND, 18TH OVERALL: RT Amarius Mims

The 6-8, 345-pound Mims didn't disappoint even though he lost most of his first training camp when injured his pec in the preseason opener. He held his own in massive no-sack matchups with Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons and then flashed mega intangibles in the finale: He came off the bench with a broken hand and delivered 14 snaps, most of them in a grinding drive that produced a field goal in the 19-17 win over the Steelers.

QUOTE: "I have a lot of confidence in him. He had a good camp, he's a smart player, he's going to continue to get better and better. I'm excited to play with him. Excited to watch him play. He's going to be a good one, I think." - Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow before Mims' first NFL start in Carolina in the fourth game of the year.

COMP: Before he left for the offseason, Mims said his goal for the upcoming season was to make the Pro Bowl. Here's the Pro Football Focus version of the rookie seasons of this year's All-Pro right tackles: first-teamer Penei Sewell, the seventh pick in 2021, and second-teamer Lane Johnson, the fourth pick in 2013.

Mims: 835 snaps. Four sacks allowed, five hits and 24 hurries for a total of 33 pressures and a pass-blocking efficiency of 96.3.

Johnson: 1,62 snaps. 11 sacks, eight hits, 41 hurries for 60 pressures for an efficiency of 94.3.

Sewell: 1,039 snaps. Five sacks, eight hits, 22 hurries for an efficiency of 96.7

SECOND ROUND, 49TH OVERALL: DT Kris Jenkins Jr.

Like Mims, Jenkins showed a streak of toughness when he quickly got back into the lineup after a preseason injury (thumb) and fought through a knee injury to play down the stretch. Unlike Mims, he played more than expected when Sheldon Rankins missed 10 games. He offered a solid effort.

QUOTE; "We're blessed to have the vets we've got to keep teaching us and making it easier for us each week. Because we feel like we're getting better each week. Just continue to try and build off that and slow the game down." - Jenkins after he became the first Bengals rookie defensive tackle to have three sacks in a season since Pro Football Hall of Fame hopeful Geno Atkins in 2010.

COMP: After the Commanders took Johnny Newton with the 36th pick in the second round and the Titans took T'Vondre Sweat with the 38th pick, the Bengals had to wait an agonizing 11 picks as Jenkins dangled on their board. Different players, but you'd have to say he had a comparable rookie year via numbers from Pro Football Reference.

Jenkins: 497 snaps, the third most for rookie tackles, the most sacks among rookie tackles (tied with Masson Smith), the third-most quarterback hits with five, tied for the fourth most tackles for loss with three, and fifth with 31 combined tackles.

Sweat: 699 snaps, one sack, three quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, and 51 combined tackles.

Newton: 515 snaps, two sacks, six tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, and 44 combined tackles.

THIRD ROUND, 80TH OVERALL: WR Jermaine Burton

He had four catches in limited action but did flash the talent he showed in the draft process. He can run and separate. His first two catches were 40-plus yards, and he led all rookie wide receivers who had more than one catch with 26.8 yards per reception.

QUOTE: "He does the little things within the route to get open like a vet does. You don't have to teach him to separate. He knows how to do that. You just have to teach them how to do it within the structure of the offense." - Burrow on Burton's development.

COMP: Jerome Simpson, the Bengals' second-round pick in 2008, had one catch for two yards in his first two seasons. He went on to have a 50-catch year in 2011 and his iconic Christmas Eve flip resulted in a touchdown that led to the win that put them in the playoffs. Simpson caught 150 balls in seven NFL seasons for nine touchdowns and a 13.7-yard average.

THIRD ROUND, 97TH OVERALL: DT McKinnley Jackson

Three top picks suffered preseason injuries, and Jackson had the worst. His knee sprain came on the third day of pads and wiped out the rest of his training camp, put him on injured reserve to start the season, and delayed his NFL debut until Oct. 6.

Still, the Bengals liked what they saw in his limited sample size of 248 snaps, and he looks to be one of these massive guys (6-2, 326 pounds) who gets better the more snaps he gets. They love the upside and his tenacity.

QUOTE: "Nothing better than that. Especially the first one. I'm excited about this (sack), but I'm more excited about the next one." - Jackson after he got his first NFL sack against Browns three-time Pro Bowl right guard Wyatt Teller. Teller stoned him at first, but Jackson kept going, and crawled to that first sack.

COMP: If the injury didn't give Jackson enough to grapple with as a rookie, he was coming in after one of the best nose tackles the Bengals have ever had in DJ Reader.

Just a sneak peek at their rookie years, realizing Reader played four more games and 156 more snaps, via Pro Football Reference.

In his rookie year of 2016 with the Texans, Reader had a sack, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, a pass defensed, seven solo tackles and 15 assists.

Jackson had a sack, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, a forced fumble, six solo tackles and nine assists.

FOURTH ROUND, 115TH OVERALL: TE Erick All Jr.

He was their most impactful rookie until he tore his ACL in the ninth game. Playing on 45.3% of the snaps, All's ferocious blocking opened up head coach Zac Taylor’s efforts to be more flexible as the Bengals used the double tight end formation (12) almost twice as much compared to the previous five seasons.

Plus, his 18 catches for 134 yards in those first eight games gave a glimpse at potentially their best All-around tight end in this century. It was the fourth-most catches by a Bengals rookie tight end in his first eight games behind only Jermaine Gresham (31), Tyler Eifert (24) and Tony McGee (22). Since 2012, All's 216 snaps in the first eight games of his career were the most by a Bengals rookie since Eifert's 336 in 2013.

QUOTE: "I feel like there's nothing better than when you're playing this game and you physically dominate your opponent. That's just my favorite thing to do in the game." - All from The Conversation with Bengals.com.

COMP: The Bengals took All with the 115th pick in the fourth round, the Giants took Penn State tight end Theo Johnson with the 107th pick and the Panthers took Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders with the 101st pick.

After eight games, All had the third-most catches among the rookie tight ends, behind only first-rounder Brock Bowers' 52 on 65 targets and one touchdown and Sanders' 20 catches on 25 targets and no touchdowns. Johnson was fourth with 14 catches on 20 targets and no touchdowns. At that point, All's 216 snaps were fourth behind Johnson at 460, Bowers at 398, and Sanders at 260.

FIFTH ROUND, 149TH OVERALL: CB Josh Newton

The Bengals' belief they got a ton of value here was validated during his productive training camp. When cornerbacks Dax Hill and DJ Turner II went out with season-ending injuries, Newton was suddenly on the fast track with his first six starts coming in the last six pressure-packed games of the season.

He had his up-and-down moments, but for the most part he held up when the Bengals really needed it. Hill and Turner were their two best cornerbacks, and adding Newton to a cornerback group with the revitalized Cam Taylor-Britt gives them an intriguing young room.

QUOTE: "I've been in the NFL six years, and he's the sharpest rookie I've seen. He's almost most psychotic trying to learn information." - Bengals cornerbacks coach Charles Burks said, detailing how he and Newton watched Bengals Ring of Honor wide receiver Chad Johnson play against Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis in a 2009 Wild Card Game.

COMP: Newton can compare his rookie year to two second-round guys right in front of him. Since 2012, only Turner, with 829 in 2023, and Taylor-Britt with 579 in 2022, have played more snaps as a rookie on the Bengals' corner than Newton, with 504. Keep in mind that both Taylor-Britt and Turner had much improved sophomore seasons.

(It will be recalled that Taylor-Britt, like Newton, got a battlefield promotion. His came a little bit earlier in his rookie season when Chidobe Awuzie went down with an ACL tear on Halloween. Newton got the call when Turner injured his shoulder Nov. 17 and was done for the year.)

Via Pro Football Focus in 2024, Newton had an interception and five PBUs while giving up three touchdowns and a passer rating of 95.1 with 25 tackles, five misses and five penalties.

In 2023, Turner had no picks, but six PBUs while allowing four touchdowns and a passer rating of 112.2 to go with 43 tackles (six misses), and four penalties.

In 2022, Taylor-Britt, had a pick and eight PBUs while giving up three touchdowns and a passer rating of 88.3 to go with 58 tackles (10 misses) and six penalties.

SIXTH ROUND, 194TH OVERALL: TE Tanner McLachlan

He played in the last two games and took five snaps, so the jury is still out. He was recovering from sports hernia surgery when he arrived in the spring, and he could never really get going at a position where they were loaded with pass-catching veterans. But they believe the ceiling is still high for a talented, athletic guy who had 79 catches and nearly 1,000 yards in 25 games at Arizona.

SIXTH ROUND, 214TH OVERALL: EDGE Cedric Johnson

The Bengals have to love the kind of production they got from Johnson in just 83 snaps, and he stacked them on top of an impressive preseason. He didn't get consecutive games with a snap until the last four, when he got a total of 36, some on season-on-the-line third downs.

QUOTE: "I saw his work ethic and his approach to the daily understanding his role. He's got a great mindset as a young player and you add in the natural talent and ability and the sky's the limit. Very impressive. He's a special athlete with a good feel for the game." - Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., after working with Johnson during the month leading up to training camp.

COMP: According to Pro Football Reference, Johnson was tied for third among rookie defensive ends with three quarterback knockdowns despite his limited play. Laiatu Latu, the first defensive player drafted who took 618 snaps for the Colts, led with eight knockdowns. The Bills' Javon Solomon, a fifth-rounder who played 134 snaps, had four. Johnson was tied with Cowboys' second-rounder Marshawn Kneeland even though Kneeland played nearly triple his snaps with 256.

Johnson's five pressures were good for fourth behind Latu, Rams' second-rounder Braden Fiske who led all rookie edgers with 661 snaps, Kneeland, and Solomon.

SEVENTH ROUND, 224TH OVERALL: S Daijahn Anthony

He played three of his 11 snaps after he was hit for a pass interference penalty on fourth-and-16 in the second game of the year at Kansas City that let the Chiefs off the hook in the last minute. He didn't play in four games, but he played nearly half of the season's special teams snaps. He had a terrific spring and preseason and he was getting handful of snaps in the dime package once the games started. Although he didn't surface after Kansas City, he still brings his safety-corner versatility that left a big impression on them after an off-the-charts training camp. It's going to be interesting to see how he's viewed by the new defensive regime.

QUOTE: "I play with a lot of passion because I don't play the game for the outside stuff. I play the game of football because it changed my life." - Anthony on his journey to the league through three colleges and personal hardships.

COMP: Anthony isn't as tall as the 6-3 Tre Flowers, but at 6-0, 195 pounds, he's got a similar style to the man who was the Bengals' tight end stopper during their two playoff runs. Flowers was originally a corner and Anthony came put as safety, but he has the skill-set that allowed Flowers to be an effective defender.

Flowers was a fifth-round pick of Seattle in 2018 and ended up taking 903 snaps that rookie season.

SEVENTH ROUND, 237RD OVERALL: C Matt Lee

He played every game in spot roles, taking 27 snaps as an extra lineman, as well as 86 on special teams. He's shown an alert athleticism and a skein of toughness.

QUOTE: "He's a guy that's done all the right things enough to play his way onto an NFL roster. That's important for this program and this organization. As a 31-year-old center with two years left on my contract, to have a guy in the pipeline has to be a relief for upstairs. As Bengals fans, I'd be thrilled to have a guy like that in the pipeline. Both our rookie offensive linemen are going to be around a long time." - Bengals center Ted Karras on Lee and Mims after Lee took every snap in the preseason game in Chicago and didn't allow a pressure.

COMP: Karras, a sixth-round pick of the Patriots in 2016, may not have been quite the athlete as a rookie that Lee is. But he remains the bell-cow of the Bengals interior as he consistently keeps the integrity of the middle for Burrow. He's not going anywhere in 2025, so Lee can continue to do what Karras did in New England and understudy pros.

Karras is his David Andrews. Karras did get a start that rookie year, but played only 108 snaps the entire season while playing almost the same amount in the kicking game as Lee did with 81 plays.

UDRAFTED: LB Maema Njongmeta

He made the club because he was all over the yard in training camp and not with blinding speed. He racked up 10 tackles in his NFL debut in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay with instincts and I.Q. that reminded some club insiders of Vontaze Burfict, their most famous undrafted linebacker.

Njongmeta played every game, but just 30 snaps from scrimmage. Still, he managed six tackles. He made his biggest contributions on special teams, where he played 81% of the snaps and finished as the second-leading teams tackler with seven.

One solitary play showed he's also got grit to go with guile that can keep him around here. After committing the cardinal sin of allowing old friend Nick Vigil to block a punt in the last moments of a tie game in Dallas, Njongmeta kept playing and recovered the fumble that led to the Bengals' win.

QUOTE: "There were a lot of opportunities to tackle the ball. It really came down to the coaches asking us to do the same thing since I got in the organization and that's doing it with enthusiasm and consistency. I was telling my guys that we're doing the same stuff, just at a higher level." - Njongmeta after his 10-tackle NFL debut in preseason.

COMP: They think they could have another Vincent Rey on their hands. Smart. Dedicated. Reliable.

Undrafted.

Rey, the Bengals' current chaplain, was probably a little more athletic and faster than Njongmeta. But what he lacks in speed, Njongmeta makes up for with instincts. Rey labored on the practice squad as rookie in 2010 and played in only two games before playing in spot roles in every game in 2011 while getting six tackles. He began to solidify his role as a special teams staple with six more tackles. By the time he retired after the 2018 season, he had played 128 games, the most by a Bengals backer in this century.

UNDRAFTED: TE Cam Grandy

Call him, "National Window."

He didn't play a game until All went down and he ended up playing the rest of the way with five of the eight games starting at 4:25 or later. Grandy took just 75 snaps, but showed to be a tough, smart, and good blocker. He doesn't have much of a pedigree in the pass game (he had five catches for 28 yards), but Burrow had enough faith in him to pump a seven-yard quick one to him on their first play of the Saturday 4:25 Special against Denver.

QUOTE: "I play with confidence. I study hard. I know my assignments pretty well. It's a dream come true. Football is all I wanted to do. I had no Plan B." - Grandy, from Benson, Illinois, population 412, before playing in his fourth NFL game and third in primetime.

COMP: Grandy may be the blocking version of Mitchell Wilcox, a 2020 college free agent. Wilcox spent that first year on the practice squad and broke in with 84 snaps in 2021 for the AFC champs before playing on 498 plays the next season as the Bengals went to the AFC title game. He played 230 snaps in 2023 before the Bengals moved on, but not before he had established himself as a special teams staple to complement his spot roles.

Grandy looks to have similar reliability, and he showed them enough that they gave him an extension earlier this week.

UNDRAFTED: P Ryan Rehkow

In one of their slyest moves of any preseason, the Bengals picked up Rehkow six weeks after the Chiefs cut him in favor of "The Punt God," Matt Araiza. Rehkow answered prayers with a mammoth rookie season he re-wrote the Bengals record book with club marks for gross (49.1-yard average) and net (43.3) to go with some clutch hits in the five-game winning streak. The BYU product was also named to the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team.

QUOTE: "The ball just gets small when he hits it sometimes. When it goes up in the air … I've not seen anybody who can hit the ball as high and as far as he can. I've seen guys who can hit the ball higher. I've seen guys who can hit the ball farther. But that combination is pretty rare. He's the most powerful guy I've ever coached." - Bengals assistant head coach Darrin Simmons, the NFL's longest-tenured special teams coordinator.

COMP: Take your pick. Rehkow's line of 49.1-43.3-47.2% inside-the-20 stands up well to the guy that replaced him in KC. Araiza went 48.8-41.5-40.3%. When two-time All-Pro AJ Cole III was a rookie in 2019 for the Oakland Raiders, he went 46.0-39.4-49.3%.