Bengals Make 'Responsible' Choice in Latest Mock Draft

This is interesting analysis following the Bengals' selection

Author:
All Bengals Staff
Publish date:
Apr 13, 2021 8:35 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — There's plenty of debate about what the Bengals should do with the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Some believe they should take Oregon tackle Penei Sewell. Others think LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is the right pick.

Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr says it would be "irresponsible" of the Bengals to take an offensive playmaker with the fifth selection. He has them drafting Sewell in his latest mock.

_{"While I think, depending on how the board plays out, there’s a chance Rashawn Slater will go before Sewell, I think Sewell has more experience in a zone-blocking offense, which more tightly aligns with the Bengals’ offensive philosophies," Orr wrote. "It would be absolutely irresponsible for Cincinnati to reach for an offensive playmaker instead of a tackle who can protect their battered franchise quarterback. Sewell gives the Bengals promising bookends for the near future. What about Riley Reiff, you ask? His one-year, $7.5 million deal doesn’t preclude them from making this move. And Reiff has admitted an openness to shifting to guard (the Bengals have said in the past that Jonah Williams will not be moving inside)."}

Taking Sewell makes sense on the surface. Of course the Bengals need to protect Joe Burrow. Do they think they can add a starting caliber tackle and guard in rounds 2-4? If so, then passing on a playmaker like Chase or Kyle Pitts for Sewell could do more harm than good.

There's nothing wrong with taking Sewell. He's only 20-years-old and he's a freak athlete. However, the offensive line class is much deeper than the wide receiver class and the Bengals know it.

Check out Orr's entire mock draft here.

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