Bengals add competition at left guard in fourth round with Cordell Volson

With the 136th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Cordell Volson out of North Dakota State. This gives the team another depth piece on their revamped offensive line.

Volson played both tackle spots as well as guard during his college days with the Bison but Paul Dehner of The Athletic notes that he projects more as a guard in the NFL.

The Bengals have clearly valued versatility during their early-round picks and Volson is yet another versatile player. He might not be as versatile for Cincinnati due to likely serving as a backup but he was versatile in college.

Cincinnati Bengals draft Cordell Volson 136th overall

Fans were waiting for the team to add some help to the offensive line, mostly help in the depth department. The Bengals rebuilt this o-line with the additions of Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, and La’el Collins and the next step was to add some depth in case one of those guys, or Jonah Williams or the left guard starter, go down for an extended period of time.

Frank Pollack has already confirmed that the North Dakota State product will compete at guard, meaning he’ll have Jackson Carman to compete with this summer. The versatility once again proved to be a factor in why the Bison is joining the stripes.

The Draft Network wrote on Volson:

"In the running game, he is a nasty, mean finisher. He plays hard from snap to whistle and seemingly wants to end the rep with a knockdown. At this stage, his run blocking is ahead of his pass set. In the passing game, he plays with good latch strength in his hands. He doesn’t have great lateral movement, which will keep him as a right tackle only, but he could develop into an NFL starter with pro coaching."

It’s interesting to see them list him at “right tackle only”, as it’s clear that Cincinnati will kick him inside to guard. Perhaps right tackle could be an option for Volson if Collins is injured and the team is desperate to slide someone over to that side.

This pick might be viewed as a reach by Cincy, but I like seeing the team add a versatile offensive lineman who won’t be pressured to start right away. The best-case scenario is that he impresses this summer and ends up starting at left guard.

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What do you think of this pick, Bengals fans?