2. Cincinnati Bengals: Rashawn Slater. OT (Northwestern)
The Cincinnati Bengals may want to draft a star receiver like Ja’Marr Chase or Devonta Smith. That would be very appealing for Joe Burrow, the young face of the franchise. Here’s the thing though, the Bengals need to build their team for a change.
The Bengals have some weapons already in place. If the Bengals fix their offensive line with Rashawn Slater (or Peneii Sewell even) it means they get it. Carson Palmer had weapons. Andy Dalton had A.J. Green in his prime. Please note that playoff wins were not recorded for Cincinnati.
The Bengals have won six games in the past two seasons. They haven’t been good and a big reason for that is the work being done at the line of scrimmage. A wide receiver with the fifth overall pick would put up some highlights. An offensive tackle would give the Bengals a chance to prove that they’re not making the same mistakes they made for Palmer and Dalton.
It’s worth noting that the Bengals have some legitimately good weapons already. The Bengals drafted Tee Higgins in the second round last year. He had 908 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. Tyler Boyd had 79 receptions for over 800 yards. Joe Mixon is a dangerous running back.
To the Bengals’ credit, they went offensive line with Jonah Williams in 2019. Jonah Williams has been dealing with injuries. If he pans out and the Bengals draft Slater, the Bengals would have two very talented young offensive linemen. Williams isn’t a reason not to add Slater especially because Williams can play guard if need be.
This is a draft where the Ravens are looking to boost their pass-rushing ability. The Bengals providing a counter move to that isn’t a bad idea for them, especially with T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett in the division.
It just seems that if the Bengals draft Slater it’s a sign that they get it. The Bengals finally understanding the whole team-building thing doesn’t sound fun for Baltimore.