Bengals draft defensive tackle Andrew Brown

The Cincinnati Bengals address the defensive line against by drafting Andrew Brown to help in the middle.

The Cincinnati Bengals spend their second fifth-round pick by selecting    158th overall. After addressing big needs in the first two days of the draft, the team is looking for athletes that could be great developmental players. They drafted Miami running back Mark Walton in the fourth-round to fill the hole left by running back Jeremy Hill who left for the New England Patriots via free agency.

Following drafting cornerback Davontae Harris at the 151st pick in the fifth-round, the Bengals select defensive tackle Andrew Brown out of Virginia. He earned his first starting season with Virginia in 2016 where he led the team in tackles for a loss with 13 and sacking the quarterback six times. Brown had another excellent season in 2017 grabbing 46 stops, 10.5 for a loss, and 3.5 sacks.

One of the exciting parts of Brown’s play at Virginia was that he played with both his hand in the dirt and standing up in the middle of the line. He also played well against now NFL quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Lamar Jackson in his breakout season in 2016. What helped Brown was his performance at the Senior Bowl.

Standing at 6’3″ and 294 pounds, Brown will bring speed to the inside of the line. His quick first step of explosiveness will help him beat blocks in a hurry at the NFL level. His energy and hustle will be high for the Bengals along the defensive line.

Next: Bengals draft cornerback Davontae Harris

Brown also had a good combine appearance with a 20-yard shuttle of 4.48 which is solid for an interior defensive lineman. He also put up 31 reps at the bench press showing off his strength. With lack of talent around him, it will be interested to see what he can do next to Bengals star Geno Atkins in the middle of the line.