Now that the Detroit Lions have made their first-round pick, it’s time to round out the rest of the opening round. The Cincinnati Bengals are the next team on the clock and commenter canadaler is approaching the podium.
With the 21st pick in the POD Community Mock Draft, the Bengals has selected Georgia guard Isaiah Wynn. Here’s canadaler with the reasoning:
The Bengals’ offensive line was possibly the worst performing line the team has seen in a decade. The losses of Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler to free agency before the 2017 season were never adequately addressed through either the draft or free agency. Little surprise that with 2017 injuries and underperforming backup players, PFF rated the line 28th overall last year, resulting in the lackluster offense through most of the season.
This offseason the Bengals started to bolster the line with the addition of veteran left tackle Cordy Glenn via trade with the Bills. It’s a great start, but there’s still a lot of work to be done through the draft and as GM, it was my first priority to git-r-done.
Quenton Nelson, Isaiah Wynn and Will Hernandez were my top three targets in that order. With Nelson understandably long gone to the Buc’s, Wynn fit nicely with both need and as best player available in the 21st pick.
Wynn’s stock rose precipitously following his dominant performance in the Senior Bowl. He’s been described as a rock solid pass protector and road grader in the ground game who plays with aggression and a “mean streak.”
His versatility will also suit Cincinnati well. Experienced in both LT and LG positions, he’s also projected to be a decent center prospect/backup for arguably the Bengals’ weakest position right now. I even dabbled with the thought of picking Billy Price (C) in the first round, but there are more rounds yet to come!
Wynn is a player who would provide an immediate upgrade as a starter in the Bengals’ woeful o-line. There are still holes to fill and more roster depth required to bolster this line, but the trade for Glenn and picking Wynn in the first round have Cincinnati off to a great start and a better 2018.
Follow along with all of our picks with our Community Mock Draft tracker.
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