The Cincinnati Bengals must be more competitive in Joe Burrow’s second season. Filling these team needs in the 2021 NFL Draft will go a long way towards making that happen.
Just one year ago, the Cincinnati Bengals landed the most coveted draft pick in their team’s history when they took LSU’s Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, here we are a year later, and it’s still evident that the team still has a ton of work to do if they are going to put him in a position to succeed going forward.
While Burrow only went 2-7 as a starter before his unfortunate knee injury in Week 11, he showed plenty to spark hope that he could be the savior the team has been so desperate for over the years. That being said, Burrow needs a lot more help from his teammates if that is going to happen.
His offensive line made things very uncomfortable for him on a weekly basis, and inconsistency at the receiver position didn’t help either. Sprinkle in a defense that was dead last in the NFL in sacks and allowed more than 26 points per game to opposing offenses and it’s easy to see that a lot of changes need to happen for the Cincinnati Bengals going into next season.
Lucky for them, they have a lot of cap room to work within free agency and eight total picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, including three inside the top 70.
The 2021 NFL Draft class has some solid depth at several key positions of need for the Cincinnati Bengals, so let’s take an in-depth look at where they could look to go with their 2021 NFL Draft selections.
Offensive Tackle
No team in the NFL has more of a need on the offensive line than the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow was constantly under pressure throughout his rookie campaign and ended up tearing his ACL and MCL as a result of his lack of protection. The unit as a whole allowed 48 sacks over the course of the season and wasn’t much better in the run game either, as the team ranked 24th in rushing on a measly 4.1 yards per carry.
Finding a new offensive tackle should be priority number one for the Bengals in this draft cycle. Bobby Hart is a candidate to be cut this offseason and Fred Johnson should be nothing more than a swing tackle option at best. Jonah Williams is the only viable option at bookend right now for Cincinnati, but he has played in just 10 games since being taken 11th overall in 2019.
The team desperately needs a plug and play tackle to pair with Burrow for the next 10 years and should do everything in their power to get the man they want.
There are several Day 1 caliber tackles in this class that the Bengals could target. Oregon’s Penei Sewell has largely been considered the top tackle prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft since before this past season kicked off, but guys like Rashawn Slater and Christian Darrisaw have made arguments for that crown as well.
Barring somebody trading up, the New York Jets are the only team that would likely take a tackle before the Bengals pick at five. That puts the Cincinnati Bengals in a good position to land the top offensive tackle on their board.
Cornerback
With William Jackson and Mackensie Alexander set to hit free agency, and Trae Waynes coming off a lost first season with the Bengals due to injury, the cornerback position in Cincinnati becomes a major need as we near the 2021 NFL Draft.
While we can assume at least one (if not both) of either Jackson or Alexander will return on a new deal, the Bengals could still use young talent to add to a unit that allowed 32 touchdowns through the air in 2020.
Day 2 could be where they target the position as there should still be plenty of talent left on the board in the second and third rounds. Players like Georgia’s Eric Stokes, UCF’s Aaron Robinson, and Ohio State’s Shaun Wade would be potential fits for Cincinnati.
Stokes and Robinson have been popular risers throughout the 2021 NFL Draft process while Wade has slipped from a potential first-rounder to a mid-round option that could be a nickel target to potentially replace Alexander if he isn’t brought back.
Edge Rusher
The Cincinnati Bengals’ pass rush is in need of a new identity going into the 2021 season. For years, the team got the lion’s share of their pass-rushing production from Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins. However, the team traded Dunlap to the Seahawks this past season and Geno Atkins is likely on his way to being cut if they can’t find a trade partner for him as well.
That leaves Carl Lawson, who is in need of a new contract, and Sam Hubbard as the team’s primary edge presence at the moment. Both players have proven to have talent but the team could use some depth behind them if they want to improve upon their low sack numbers next season.
The 2021 NFL Draft edge class doesn’t jump out at you on paper but there are a handful of players who the Bengals could target in the early to middle rounds to help amplify that unit as they look to build that new identity.
Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo loves length off the edge, so names like Jayson Oweh, Carlos Basham Jr., and Patrick Jones stand out to me as potential targets with their second or third-round pick.
Wide Receiver
With A.J. Green having likely played his last game in Cincinnati and John Ross fresh off a season where he requested a trade, the Cincinnati Bengals need to address the wide receiver position at some point in the 2021 NFL Draft.
While Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins are an exciting young duo to build off, the depth behind them without the veteran presence of Green and the big-play speed of Ross leaves a lot to be desired.
Lucky for Cincy, this is a terrific draft class to find help at receiver, as it may be even deeper than the highly regarded 2020 group. While I wouldn’t expect the Bengals to go receiver with one of their top picks, the middle rounds could still land them an immediate contributor to the thin unit.
Some potential fits that could be around between rounds 3 and 5 include Amari Rodgers, Shi Smith, and Dazz Newsome. All three would provide a spark in the slot and could help on special teams as well, which could be a big plus with current return man Alex Erickson hitting free agency.