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With The 21st Selection, The Bengals Select…

By Matthew Willson

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Sep 21, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (70) against the SMU Mustangs at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bengals take Cedric Ogbuehi from Texas A&M with the 21st pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. A position the Bengals were looking to upgrade for the future with Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith scheduled to hit free agency after the 2015 season.

Bengals had some big choices to make between trading back or even out of the first round or taking other depth needs, but offensive tackle was a big need. Ogbuehi had some adversity with a bad injury when he tore his ACL but, with his ability to protect the quarterback, seal the edge, and block for the run the Bengals will definitely use his presence to improve their team past the 2015 season.

Marvin Lewis was criticized last season for letting Darqueze Dennard sit a year to get accustomed to the speed of the NFL, but with Dre Kirkpatrick getting injured his rookie year and seeing how he has grown over his past two years, it may not be a bad idea to give Ogbuehi a chance to learn, continue to heal early in the season, and prepare to be the next man up if anybody gets injured. Whitworth did challenge the Bengals to pick his replacement and the Bengals have found someone with the capability to grow into a starter.

The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed Marvin Lewis through the 2016 season because they believe in his ability to make them better both through the draft and in free agency. The Bengals will now need to focus on getting depth at wide receiver, safety, and defensive end. It doesn’t mean that they should stop their focus on the best player available, but it is still not time to waste a pick on someone they don’t need, at least yet. We will anxiously await to see if he can continue his success and improve this Bengals team past the first round of the playoffs.

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