Cincinnati Bengals: Three-round 2021 NFL mock draft recap

On Saturday morning, a brand-new three-round 2021 NFL mock draft dropped on NFL Mocks, giving us an interesting look at potential draft classes for NFL team. These longer mock drafts give us a chance to take a deeper look into potential draft hauls for these teams. Now, I want to dig a bit deeper into some specifically interesting hauls. Here, we are going to look at the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals had a rough 2020 season. They finished the year at 4-11-1 and now hold the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It started out as a promising season for Cincinnati, as rookie quarterback Joe Burrow stepped onto the field and immediately showed that he belonged.

However, Burrow was running for his life behind a shaky offensive line throughout the season and eventually suffered a major knee injury in late November that cost him the rest of his rookie season. The Cincinnati Bengals simply must protect Burrow better next season, making the offensive line their number one priority this offseason. Expect Cincinnati to attack their offensive line need in both free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.

In this three-round mock draft, the Bengals aggressively attacked their offensive line needs, adding a pair of players who could come in and help them right away.

Cincinnati Bengals three-round mock draft haul

Round 1, 5th overall: Rashawn Slater, OL, Northwestern
Round 2, 37th overall: Wyatt Davis, IOL, Ohio State
Round 3, 69th overall: D’wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan

The Bengals did miss out on Penei Sewell in this mock draft, as he went just one pick earlier to the Atlanta Falcons. However, that did not prevent them from addressing their offensive line situation with the fifth overall pick in this mock draft.

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With Sewell off of the board, Cincinnati turned their attention to Rashawn Slater out of Northwestern. Slater is a quick, powerful and aggressive offensive tackle prospect who shines as a pass protector and run blocker. Slater is an NFL-ready prospect who can come in and make an immediate impact for the Bengals next season.

Whether Slater takes over at left tackle and the Bengals move Jonah Williams to another position or Slater is the one making the move, adding Slater to the mix would immediately help their entire offensive line situation.

The Cincinnati Bengals go back to the offensive line with their second-round selection in this mock draft, adding Ohio State offensive guard Wyatt Davis to the mix. Davis is a big and powerful mauler who dominates at the point of attack. He is not the most athletic offensive lineman around, but Davis is a strong and consistent player who would provide some immediate stability for Cincinnati up front.

With their final pick of this mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals made an interesting addition to their wide receiver room. D’Wayne Eskridge lacks ideal size at the wide receiver position, but he is an extremely quick, elusive and explosive player who can take it to the house from anywhere on the field.

Eskridge is a dynamic deep threat who also shows tremendous natural run after catch skills. Just get this guy the ball in space and let him go to work. In Eskridge, the Bengals find themselves a player who would work well alongside Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

Next. Sleeper wide receiver prospects to watch. dark

Not addressing the defense at all is less than ideal, but the Cincinnati Bengals were able to make significant offensive additions in this three-round mock draft that would undoubtedly help them going forward. Nothing is more important than putting Joe Burrow in a better position to succeed and this draft haul helps accomplish that goal.

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