2021 NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals seven-round mock draft
By Ian Higgins
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL Draft: Round 5
Merlin Robertson. 56. Scouting Report. LB. College Statistics. Arizona State. 133. player
Another position group that has brought dire concern to the Cincinnati Bengals has been a lack of talent and depth among their linebackers. Between personnel issues and a 29th ranked run-defense in 2020, the Cincinnati Bengals need to find an answer in the middle rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.
Potentially one of the highest risk selections of the 2021 NFL draft, Arizona State’s Merlin Robertson is a wily inside linebacker with raw athleticism in need of direction. After an impressive freshman season with 77 tackles (8.5 for loss) and five sacks, Robertson saw a slight downturn in production or his sophomore campaign before a pandemic-ridden 2020 season hampering the stat-sheet.
According to a 2019 article by 247 Sports, Robertson ran a 4.88 40-yard dash and managed a 31.2-inch vertical on March 12, 2017, at a Nike Football event in Los Angeles. Despite such impressive physicality, Robertson has shown issues diagnosing plays and directing his athleticism appropriately from snap-to-snap.
Pair this with concerns about his motor and effort throughout the course of a game, Robertson is one of the highest risk selections of the 2021 NFL draft despite the potential for incredible draft-yield out of a fifth-round selection.
In an effort to consolidate day-three draft assets, the Cincinnati Bengals cut a deal with the pick-weary Arizona Cardinals to collect another fifth-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft.
56. Scouting Report. College Statistics. DT. Tommy Togiai. Ohio State. 144. player
With their newly acquired fifth-round selection, the Cincinnati Bengals look to a bottom-heavy yet deep 2021 NFL draft defensive-tackle class in an effort to help aging defensive centerpiece Geno Atkins. In their 4-3 defensive front, the Cincinnati Bengals will opt for one of the more physically-versatile options available in the 2021 NFL draft.
After an upturn in overall production even in a shortened college football season, Ohio State’s Tommy Togiai has some of the lightest feet ever seen on a 300-pound defensive tackle. Generally considered a 3-technique run-stuffer in the Ohio State defensive front, Togiai offered a physical presence that draws double-teams, but still needs to develop his hand-usage to shed blocking and get after the quarterback.
Togiai has also shown a tendency to drift to the play-side on rushing attempts, eventually being washed out by the guard blocking him to open a gaping cut-back lane. As long as Togiai’s coaching staff reigns in his wandering feet and pairs them with well-trained pass-rush moves, Togiai could develop into something more than the ‘two-down’ label he has been tagged with.