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The Cincinnati Bengals are innately behind the 8-ball when it comes to NFL Draft resources. They have the smallest scouting department in the NFL, and de facto GM Duke Tobin can only do so much with the tools at his disposal.<\/p>\n
Joe Burrow masks a lot of Cincinnati’s organizational issues as quite arguably the best quarterback in the sport. That includes overcoming bad draft picks who can’t make a quick enough impact for a franchise in the midst of Burrow’s prime. In other words, in a wide-open Super Bowl window.<\/p>\n
Thus, it becomes all the more imperative to not strike out on draft selections. Ever since Burrow entered the league with a power trio of draft classmates in Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson, the Bengals simply haven’t drafted well enough. That’s just the truth of it.<\/p>\n
Having said all that, the tide may very well be turning thanks to a certain Day 3 rookie who’s coming on strong as the regular season draws nearer…<\/p>\n
Jalen Rivers had 59 pass blocking snaps across his three preseason outings, and yielded just two pressures on those reps, per PFF. It’s a small sample size, yes, and it came mostly against backups, but there’s more reason to be bullish about that than may meet the eye.<\/p>\n
During his time at the University of Miami, Rivers played left tackle and left guard. No real experience to speak of on the right side of the offensive line. The Bengals seemed to envision him as a swing tackle at first before giving him some run at right guard once Lucas Patrick couldn’t seize the job.<\/p>\n
It’d be pressing luck to count on two rookies at the guard positions, but hey, whatever the Bengals can muster to protect Joe Burrow as well as possible is fine by me. Don’t care what it looks like nor the experience level. Neither should any fans who’ve watched Joe Brrr take a pummeling in oft-collapsing pockets for most of his career.<\/p>\n
You could argue left guard Dylan Fairchild is a gem in his own right. However, if you’re drafting a guard from Georgia in the middle of the third round, you’re probably hoping he starts, especially given Cincinnati’s lack of viable alternatives at that spot.<\/p>\n
What makes Rivers so unique and gem-worthy is his on-the-fly cross-training\/conversion to a new position, and how smoothly he’s made the move. Then of course, you factor in the elevation in competition of the NFL, and it’s all the more impressive.<\/p>\n
A big reason, in my opinion, that the Bengals have struggled in the trenches is their reluctance to draft upper-tier athletes at those positions. They get big, burly guys who aren’t as athletic, which hinders their ability to diversify their run game and hold up on so many true pass sets.<\/p>\n
\nBengals drafted 3 offensive linemen last year.<\/p>\n
2nd – Jackson Carman – Didn't test athletically, arm length concerns<\/p>\n
4th – D'Ante Smith – Average athlete, light weight concerns<\/p>\n
6th – Trey Hill – Poor athlete, good size pic.twitter.com\/aPssOqfMe9<\/a><\/p>\n
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) February 15, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n