Bengals 3-round mock draft: Cincinnati adds help to defensive front

Round 3: Pick 95 – Spencer Burford, OL (UTSA)

At last the Bengals add an offensive lineman in the draft. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I put this mock draft together under the assumption that the team would address the o-line in free agency, meaning they can be a little more flexible with what positions they target in the draft.

In round three, they select UTSA’s Spencer Burford, who jumped around the Roadrunners’ offensive line. According to the UTSA athletics website, Burford spent the 2018 season at right guard, played left guard in 2019, and jumped between right tackle and left tackle in 2020.

That kind of versatility definitely makes Burford an intriguing option for any team but especially for a team like the Bengals who need help at every single offensive line position. The Draft Network has Burford listed as an interior offensive lineman, which could make him either a replacement for Quinton Spain at left guard or an option at right guard, which was a revolving door this season.

Burford could find his way into a starting role in Cincinnati and his experience at playing different positions could definitely help him get to that point.

This mock draft would give the Bengals help up front on defense, a game-changing tight end, and a versatile offensive lineman in the first three rounds. Fans would love to see all three of these things happen at some point in the draft and it feels like the team would embrace these picks and these players could do good things in the Queen City.