Cincinnati Bengals go offense-heavy in 7-round 2021 mock draft
2021 NFL mock draft: Round 3, 69th Overall
DE. Payton Turner. 3. Houston. player. 881. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
In 2020, the Cincinnati Bengals finished dead last in the NFL in sacks with just 17 and they lost their leading pass rusher, Carl Lawson, in free agency. They did bring in Trey Hendrickson, who should help improve that unit, but he and Sam Hubbard can’t be responsible for all of their pass-rushing production in 2021. Their depth is a huge concern at the moment, so finding someone in the draft who can rotate in and create pressure is key.
So with the team’s third-round selection, I have the Cincinnati Bengals selecting Payton Turner out of Houston. Turner has been a late riser in the 2021 NFL Draft process, so he could very well be gone by this pick but if he’s still on the board, I like his fit with the Bengals.
He fits the mold that Cincinnati has historically liked in their edge defenders as he has some eye-popping length that he pairs with impressive athleticism for a guy of his build. Turner played in just five games in 2020 but had a sack in four of those games, showing off a relentless motor and active hands. This would be a steal at 69.
2021 NFL mock draft: Round 4, 111th Overall
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Pittsburgh. Jaylen Twyman. player. DT. 4. 866
With Geno Atkins’ tenure with the Bengals coming to an end, Cincinnati is now missing a presence on the interior that can push the pocket. They may have found his replacement in the fourth-round as I have the Bengals using the 111th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft on Jaylen Twyman out of Pittsburgh.
Like Atkins, Twyman is a bit of an undersized player but specializes in creating pressure from the interior. In 2019, Twyman was second in the ACC in sacks with 10.5 and did that with a couple of high-level pass rush moves, his favorite being the push-pull.
He did choose to opt-out of the 2020 season, which has contributed to his stock being tempered a bit, but this is nice value on a player that could add a lot to the Bengals defensive front.