Arkansas Bengal Posted January 23 Report Share Posted January 23 Chris Roling Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 8:29 AM CST·1 min read It doesn’t feel like draft dseason gets officially underway until Mel Kiper Jr. issues his first mock draft. That arrived Tuesday and in Kiper’s first effort, the Cincinnati Bengals get a little risky. Risky, because the Bengals are willing to start over at a key spot on the offensive line again, standing still at No. 18 and selecting Alabama offensive lineman JC Latham: We could see a run on offensive linemen starting around here — this is a really talented tackle class. I have seven tackles ranked among my top 25 overall prospects. Latham started 27 games at right tackle for the Crimson Tide over the past two seasons. He can maul defenders in the run game, but he’s also light on his feet as a pass protector. With Jonah Williams headed to free agency, Latham could slot in on the right side and be an instant starter. I could also see the Bengals look toward the defensive tackle class, with Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois) and T’Vondre Sweat (Texas) still available. Not that Latham isn’t a good prospect and the fit makes sense if the team can’t or won’t pay Jonah Williams to stick at right tackle. But to be blunt, the Bengals have a horrific track record drafting offensive linemen, something they’ve quietly admitted in recent years by paying huge amounts of money to free agents other teams have drafted and developed instead. Granted, there’s a scenario where the Bengals simply can’t afford what the market pays Williams. But his solid play after making the transition to the right side might just be worth investing in so that the team doesn’t have to go back to an unknown at an offensive tackle spot as Joe Burrow comes back from another season-ending injury. https://sports.yahoo.com/bengals-risk-mel-kiper-first-142918863.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryker57 Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 but if history repeats , they replace the OL that got Burrow hurt. i say they replace Williams. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 38 minutes ago, stryker57 said: but if history repeats , they replace the OL that got Burrow hurt. i say they replace Williams. Plenty of options at RT to replace him. Mims, Latham, Muaga , Guyton and others have big potential. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicoli Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 I would bet that whatever RT they end up with comes from FA. Same with DT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texbengal Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 1 hour ago, spicoli said: I would bet that whatever RT they end up with comes from FA. Same with DT. Agree but I would also expect they would supplement that in round 1. Either of those spots, or CB... WR, even? I still wonder about Jackson Carman... i know he didn't play at all last year, and Cody Ford was the first guy off the bench. But I think back to the playoffs a few years ago and don't know why he couldn't be more than serviceable at RT. He's big and powerful, and he's more athletic than Ford. I dunno... just not ready to throw in the towel yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 Further down in the article Brylcreem Mel mentions DTs Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois) and T’Vondre Sweat (Texas) still available. Be really hard to pass on esp Newton and going O line in the second round. Or... Free Agency "because we're Bengals, son". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 2 hours ago, spicoli said: I would bet that whatever RT they end up with comes from FA. Same with DT. The RT market in FA isnt that good, there are several DTs I would jump at before I would take an RT in FA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 57 minutes ago, High School Harry said: Further down in the article Brylcreem Mel mentions DTs Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois) and T’Vondre Sweat (Texas) still available. Be really hard to pass on esp Newton and going O line in the second round. Or... Free Agency "because we're Bengals, son". I would grab an RT in the 1st and if need be trade up for Sweat, even if we get a DT in FA. Sweat is the best Nose Tackle in this draft. He could be Readers long term replacement and maybe even let DJ have time to rehab without it hurting our defense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 59 minutes ago, texbengal said: Agree but I would also expect they would supplement that in round 1. Either of those spots, or CB... WR, even? I still wonder about Jackson Carman... i know he didn't play at all last year, and Cody Ford was the first guy off the bench. But I think back to the playoffs a few years ago and don't know why he couldn't be more than serviceable at RT. He's big and powerful, and he's more athletic than Ford. I dunno... just not ready to throw in the towel yet. I think Carman is a bust at this point. He will likely finish his contract here if only because we have other needs that prevent us from drafting Oline depth, but he will go elsewhere and, unless he finds good coaching, fizzle out soon after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Dub Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 4 hours ago, Jamie_B said: The RT market in FA isnt that good, there are several DTs I would jump at before I would take an RT in FA. A not that good FA seems to be their vision for the OL lately. It's that or admit someone sucks at drafting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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