Bengals focus on protecting Burrow in early four-round mock draft

Round 3: Pick 82 – Riley Moss, CB, Iowa

In the Bengals’ loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had their two starting cornerbacks healthy for one of the first times in the past two seasons.

However, that health in the secondary did not hold up as Chidobe Awuzie left midway through the game and Trae Waynes went down at the end of the game. While Awuzie came back into the game, Waynes was sent back to the injured reserve on Tuesday.

With Waynes being sent to the IR, the lucrative contract that he was given becomes even more frustrating for Bengals fans. In 21 of the Bengals’ regular season games since signing the veteran corner, he has only suited up and played in two of them. Unless Waynes comes back from the IR this season and plays lights out, he looks likely to be a cap casualty in the 2022 offseason.

In the third round, the Bengals seek to fill that potential absence with Iowa cornerback Riley Moss. With four interceptions, Moss is tied for first place in college football in picks. When building his defense over the past three years, Anarumo has placed a high value on getting cornerbacks who can create turnovers, so the senior out of Iowa could stand out to the Bengals on day two if he tests well athletically in the draft process.

The Bengals may use some of the money saved on Waynes to bring in another veteran corner, but the addition of Moss would add a ballhawk to the secondary.