Most Cincinnati Bengals mock drafts don’t bother doing anything other than giving the team an offensive lineman in the first round.
And that’s fair enough. The team’s picking 31st after an appearance in the Super Bowl and has already made a point to say it would do whatever it takes to upgrade the offensive line, including entertaining the idea of making trades.
But one good way to upgrade the offensive line? Selecting one of the draft’s most recognizable names if he falls to 31.
A mock draft from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has the Bengals doing just that with Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum, while throwing out a Jason Kelce comparison:
“…and he gave up just one sack and nine total pressures on 464 pass-blocking snaps last season. Cincinnati might want to grab more offensive linemen in free agency, and with picks 63, 95, 134, and 173 as well, but Linderbaum would represent an outstanding foundational piece with which to begin the required reformation.”
Linderbaum feels like a lock for the first round, though the fact he plays center might harm his value a bit compared to tackles.
Still, the Bengals can’t complain about getting a prospect who looks like a surefire starter for a long time at center. That would mean potentially cutting current starter Trey Hopkins, which would free up about $6 million in cap.
As always when talking about this subject, this would be just one upgrade when anywhere from four to five are necessary going into next season — but it’d be one heck of a way to likely secure one of those spots for a long, long time.
