After spending most of the year running for his life, Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a major knee injury late last season. After taking Burrow No. 1 overall last year, the Bengals made Burrow their franchise player. However, they did not do a great job of putting him in a position to succeed. That simply must change this offseason.
While they also have defensive needs that must be addressed, Cincinnati cannot be afraid to spend significant resources this offseason on the offensive side of the ball. Nothing is more important for this team than putting Burrow in a better position to succeed going forward and investing in offensive players who can help him both in free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft will be key.
Obviously, the offensive line stands out as the most obvious position to address here. The Bengals have a ton of work to do up front and will likely attack this need with multiple free-agent and draft targets. However, getting Burrow more offensive playmakers to work with would not hurt either.
In this 2021 NFL mock draft, the Cincinnati Bengals get aggressive with offensive upgrades, who will help the Bengals get the most out of their young franchise quarterback. How does it all play out? Follow along to find out.
Note: This 2021 NFL mock draft was completed using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine.
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 1, 5th overall
If Penei Sewell is on the board when the Cincinnati Bengals go on the clock at No. 5, then this is an easy pick. Sewell is a tremendous offensive tackle prospect who would help solve the Bengals’ single biggest need on the roster. If Sewell is gone, like he is in this 2021 NFL mock draft, this decision gets interesting.
Trading down could certainly be an option for the team and attacking their offensive line need by taking Rashawn Slater here would also make sense. However, getting Burrow an impact passing game weapon is also tempting. A true wide receiver prospect would certainly make sense, but let’s get a little wild and give them Kyle Pitts.
You can call Kyle Pitts a tight end if you want, but the reality of the situation is that he is a dynamic offensive weapon who can impact the game in a variety of ways. Pitts is an absolute matchup nightmare all over the field, proving to be too big and long for most defensive backs and too fast and athletic for most linebackers.
He can make plays in the passing game when lined up inline, out of the slot and even out wide. Pitts is not the greatest blocker at this point of his career, but no team should be drafting him and looking for value in that part of his game. Pitts is a willing blocker who will likely grow in that area as he ages, but he is essentially a wide receiver prospect who would undoubtedly bring massive upside to the Bengals’ offensive attack.
Improving the offensive line is an absolute must for Cincinnati this offseason, but with Sewell off of the board, taking the best available player who can also help their young quarterback would be a nice back-up option.
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.
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 4, 111th overall
Ideally, the Cincinnati Bengals would be able to address their cornerback situation with this pick. However, the board just did not break their way after the trade up for Vera-Tucker and the value simply was not there. Instead, the Bengals swing for some upside at the edge rusher position with the selection of Elerson Smith.
Smith is an extremely long and athletic edge rusher who is quick out of the blocks and flexible around the corner. He shows fantastic natural upfield burst and always plays with a hot motor. Smith does not bring much as a run defender at this point of his career and will struggle against power at times, but he is an exciting speed rusher on the outside who undoubtedly has a high ceiling. The Bengals could put him in a position to succeed by giving him work on obvious passing downs as a rookie.
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 5, 150th overall
We should fully expect the Bengals to get aggressive when attacking their offensive line need this offseason. They will likely address the position with multiple additions in free agency and the draft. While this is obviously a short-term need for the team, taking a long-term approach with a later-round offensive line prospect would certainly make sense as well. This is exactly the idea behind snagging Dan Moore Jr. here.
Moore is a tough and competitive offensive tackle prospect who displays strong hands and long arms for the position. He is an above-average athlete at the position who does a nice job of getting out and attacking the second level. There is a lot to like about Moore’s game, but his on-field awareness leaves plenty to be desired at this point of his career. He is certainly a bit of a developmental player, but Moore has exciting upside and could grow into an impact offensive lineman for this team.
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 6, 192nd overall
With both William Jackson and Mackensie Alexander both hitting free agency this offseason, cornerback could end up being a massive position of need for the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. Ideally, they would be able to address this need earlier in the draft, but the trade up earlier in this 2021 NFL mock draft limits those opportunities.
Cincinnati finally finds a good opportunity to snag a cornerback prospect here in the sixth round by adding Shakur Brown to the mix. Brown is a solid athlete at the cornerback position who has shown some upside in man and zone coverage. He plays the ball in the air well and has some versatility as a prospect who can play outside and in the slot. Brown would undoubtedly be a worthy target for the Bengals in this range.
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 7, 227th overall
Jaelon Darden is an extremely quick and explosive playmaker who has massive upside as a run-after-catch receiver at the next level. His small stature (5-foot-9, 174 pounds) likely limits his ability to make a consistent impact as an outside receiver, but his speed and elusiveness in the open field undoubtedly make him a weapon. Darden is a gifted athlete with a high ceiling who should undoubtedly be on the Bengals’ radar if he is actually available this late.
Cincinnati Bengals 2021 NFL mock draft: Round 7, 229th overall
With the final pick of this 2021 NFL mock draft, the Bengals take another flyer at the cornerback position. Graham is not a high-level athlete at the cornerback position, but he is a tough and feisty competitor who attacks the ball in the air well.
His lack of athletic ability undoubtedly limits his upside, but Graham is a rock-solid cornerback prospect who shows good instincts in zone coverage. He could quickly become an important depth piece for this team at an obvious position of need.