Cincinnati Bengals get offensive in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 1, 21st overall

After missing out on Sewell early in this 2021 NFL mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals look to get aggressive in their search for offensive line help. As this mock draft continued to chug along, Alijah Vera-Tucker slipped down the board and started to look like a great value pick.

With the Indianapolis Colts moving mid-round capital in the Carson Wentz trade, they feel like a team that could easily look to trade down from No. 21. The Bengals and Colts make sense as trade partners in this scenario. Here, the Bengals move aggressively up the board, sending their second and third-round picks to the Colts in exchange for the opportunity to snag Vera-Tucker at No. 21.

Vera-Tucker is a fantastic athlete up front who moves well in space and shows great on-field awareness. He shined at left guard for USC early in his college career but made a successful move to left tackle this past season, which only increases his value to NFL teams. Vera-Tucker is likely best suited as a guard at the next level, but do not sleep on his ability to kick outside and make an impact at tackle.

Displaying easy athleticism in space, Vera-Tucker is a weapon in pass protection and as a second-level blocker. he also shows a strong initial punch and does a great job of keeping his hands inside. His combination of athleticism and natural hand power is impressive and gives him a major advantage as both a pass protector and run blocker.

Where Vera-Tucker would play in Cincinnati depends heavily on how they attack free agency. However, whether they would decide to play him at tackle or guard, this guy would be an immediate upgrade over what the Bengals currently have on the roster. Protecting Joe Burrow has to be priority No. 1 for the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason and aggressively moving up the board to snag Vera-Tucker would certainly be a step in the right direction.