After selecting LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase fifth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft to reunite bin with quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals by most accounts will select an offensive lineman in the second round on Friday night. Multiple high-level OL are available after five were selected in the first round on Thursday.
Adding a player to help protect Burrow is critical for the Bengals in the 2021 NFL Draft. Cincinnati could add OL in the second and third rounds on Thursday night. Three of the top 10 players remaining on the Pro Football Focus big board are OL. The highest-ranked of those OL is Walker Little from Stanford.
Little opted out of the 2020 season and missed all but one game in 2019 with an injury. There is Little video available on the former Cardinal. In 2018, Little allowed only one pressure in his last seven games according to PFF. The Bengals might not be able to wait for Little to develop. The inside of the Bengals OL needs to improve.
The Bengals signed Riley Reiff in free agency to a one-year contract. Reiff is projected to start at right tackle. Jonah Williams returns from an injury and is the presumptive left tackle. If the Bengals are confident with Michael Jordan and Xavier Tua-Silo starting at guard they might be willing to develop a rookie OL.
Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins is the perfect fit for the Bengals second-round draft pick according to PFF. Jenkins received a 93.6 run-blocking grade at RT from PFF last season. In 623 pass-blocking snaps in the last two seasons, Jenkins allowed only 11 pressures. Jenkins was ranked 26th overall before the draft.
Drafting Jenkins would provide the Bengals with a player who was projected to be selected in the first round. Jenkins finished his Oklahoma State career with a 92.0 rating from PFF. Jenkins is equally adept at blocking for the pass and run. Drafting Jenkins would provide Cincinnati with three OTs who can slide inside and play guard.
One spot behind Jenkins who is ranked ninth among the remaining players in the NFL Draft is OT Dillon Radunz from North Dakota State. Radunz protected quarterback Trey Lance who was selected third overall by the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. Radunz was the best OL in one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl.
Several other OL to consider are Liam Eichenberg of Notre Dame who could be selected before the Bengals selected 38th overall in the second round, Samuel Cosmi of Texas and Jackson Carman of Clemson. Unless Cincinnati decides to draft another position in the second round one of the above names should be the pick.