Cincinnati Bengals: Full 7 Round Mock Draft CFP Semi-Finals Edition
. Edge. Badgers . Zach Baun. 5. player. 809
The Bengals rank 28th in the league for sacks, garnering only 34 on the year. Selecting Zach Baun from Wisconsin could help them turn that narrative around next season. As you can see in the video below from @RealD_Jackson, the Badger pass rusher has a knack for making big plays in big games.
Every week, Zach Baun (@zackbizzaun) is coming up with a big play for Wisconsin and Saturday was no different. Ohio State leaves JK Dobbins to block him and Baun bullies him. Baun is going to be Day 2/3 steal for an NFL team.#WNSFilm pic.twitter.com/COg2prkKnn
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) December 9, 2019
At 6’3″, 235 pounds he’s undersized for the position, which is why he’s not expected to be taken until later in the draft. Still, his 12.5 sacks on the season speaks for itself. What he lacks in size, he clearly makes up for in speed, which could be a nice change-up to throw at an opposing offensive line.
Adding him to a defensive line room that has Carlos Dunlap, Geno Atkins, Carl Lawson, and Sam Hubbard would give the Bengals a ton of lineups to rush the quarterback in obvious passing situations. With that, it gives the defensive coordinator the ability to be unpredictable and call stunt after stunt.
It’s reasonable to think Baun can come in and contribute 5 sacks at the NFL level right away. It may not seem like much, but at the right times those sacks could change the outcomes of games. If the Bengals can get their pass rush going again with the Wisconsin native, it would help mask other deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball.