4 college cornerbacks for Bengals fans to watch in 2021

Cincinnati Bengals fans will be hotly anticipating the start of training camp and preseason as the new season rolls around. However, the NFL Draft is now a 365-day process for teams and fans alike. With that in mind, we will be looking at four cornerbacks that could be worth keeping an eye on during the 2021 College Football season.

There has been considerable turnover at the position this offseason as the Bengals saw star corner William Jackson III depart for Washington in free agency. Although Jackson hadn’t quite hit the heights of his 2017 season, he was a consistent presence and was the one given the responsibility of handling the best receivers.

Part of the reason why the Bengals let Jackson walk was their belief in last year’s free-agent acquisition Trae Waynes. Waynes signed a 3-year, $42 million deal that was disrupted by a pectoral injury in year 1. The hope is that he will step into the void in 2021.

In addition to that, the Bengals made major moves bringing in Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton to fill the other starting spots. While that looks like a trio with excellent potential, they all have plenty to prove. For this reason, it is reasonable to think the Bengals may have cornerback on the agenda for next year’s draft.

Wayne has a potential out on his contract that would allow the Bengals to move on with only a $5 million dead cap hit next summer. Free-agent Eli Apple has been given the opportunity to resurrect his career on a one-year deal. Darius Phillips will play his contract year, feeling that he has a lot to do to convince this coaching staff of his worth.

Potentially there could be a number of holes at the corner spot by the next offseason. The Bengals will likely look to inject some youth at corner considering they avoided the spot completely in this year’s draft. Here are five players worth tracking through the season.