8 guard options for the Bengals on Day 2 of the NFL Draft

The Bengals need to find a starter. Here’s some good options who should go after Round 1.

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking pretty solid at three out of five offensive line positions, but they need to upgrade both guard spots.

Bama’s Tyler Booker, Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson, and North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel are all being projected as first-round picks.

So, who could the Bengals get on Day 2 or beyond?

Here are eight players to watch out for.

Tate Ratledge – 6’6” 320 – Georgia

Ratledge is a fan favorite who didn’t seem to be getting quite as much buzz in NFL circuits until he blew up the combine. He is a mean blocker on film who played right guard throughout his career, making him rather familiar with former Bulldogs and current Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims.

When you go up against Ratledge, you are going to wake up the next morning feeling it. Every rep is a bar brawl.

This clip is a great example of how he physically dominates his opponent.

In this clip, Ratledge pulls and hooks the defensive end, opening up the edge for the runner.

Ratledge is strong and mean and proved that he is an excellent athlete at the combine. He’s also got a mullet that would make Billy Ray Cyrus blush.

The only negatives are that he’s coming off tight rope surgery and will be 24 years old before he suits up in the NFL.

Wyatt Milum – 6’6” 317 – West Virginia

Milum exclusively played left tackle in college but projects inside at the next level. In three seasons as a starter for the Mountaineers, he never gave up a sack.

In this clip, he climbs to the second level, showing great athleticism as he tracks down the linebacker and, most importantly, finishes the block.

Yes, it’s definitely a penalty at the end, but that is a correctible problem. He is an athlete and a tough blocker.

This might be my favorite play out of any prospect. Although the play is nowhere near him and his opponent has no prayer of getting involved in the tackle, Milum continues to block him into oblivion.

You have got to love a competitor who is determined to dominate his block no matter how important or unimportant it is to the play.

Milum is a solid athlete and a mean blocker. He has been exceptional as a pass blocker at tackle and has the tools to transfer that success inside.

Jonah Savaiinea – 6’5” 336 – Arizona

Savaiinea is another tackle who shows potential as a guard and great tenacity as a blocker.

This clip starts as a good pass-blocking rep, but as the screen is completed, Savaiinaea gets around the defender to prevent him from pursuing the receiver.

Savaiinaea is pancakes guys at the line of scrimmage and has the athleticism to pull and make blocks in space. He is a good pass blocker but can struggle with speed on the edge. A move inside should rectify that.

Miles Frazier – 6’5” 325 – LSU

Frazier has mostly played right guard, but he played left guard in 2022 and has played some tackle as well.

In this clip, he does a great job of adjusting as the defender stunts to his inside gap. Frazier steps inside and stones him at the line of scrimmage.

In this clip, he pulls around and knocks the edge player out cold. This is a great block that shows both his speed and power.

Frazier is a powerhouse in the running game and does a great job of sorting out twists in pass protection.

Dylan Fairchild – 6’5” 315 – Georgia

Fairchild played mostly left guard at Georgia but has some experience on the right side.

In high school, he was a state champion wrestler in Georgia’s highest division. Every offensive line coach I know loves wrestlers, who are often very skilled with their hands. Bengals offensive line coach Scott Peters won two Brazilian Jiu-jitsu World Championships and trained UFC fighters.

I would imagine Peters would be just the right coach to maximize Fairchild’s wrestling skills on the gridiron.

Here, you see Fairchild do an excellent job of passing the twist from the defensive line.

Overall, he is good with his hands and demonstrates the ability to climb to the second level and make blocks in space.

At the end of the clip, he gets pushed back a bit at the end, which is definitely an area of growth for the former bulldog. His anchor is middling, but he brings a lot of other things to the table.

Jonah Monheim – 6’5” 310 – USC

Monheim is a center, but he played left tackle and right guard in the past.

In this clip, the defensive tackle crosses his face, but Monheim has no problem stepping back into the gap and picking up the block, and he still throws a strike to the quarterback.

In this clip, he has another perfect snap. He strikes the defender with his other hand, then brings his snapping hand to the shoulder to secure the block.

Monheim is not the most powerful drive blocker, but he makes excellent use of both his hands and feet.

Luke Kandra – 6’4” 323 = Cincinnati

A Cincinnati native and Elder grad, Kandra played right guard throughout his college career at both Louisville and Cincinnati.

In this clip, Kandra does a great job of coming off the block on the defensive tackle and working up to the linebacker.

Kandra gets movement on the first level and shows the skill to track down second-level defenders, but at times, he can whiff on these blocks. In pass projection, he has a solid anchor, and opponents have a tough time disengaging from his blocks.

Seth McLaughlin – 6’4” 305 – Ohio State

A Bama transfer, McLaughlin only played center at both of his collegiate powerhouse schools, but I think he projects well to guard. He is coming off an Achilles injury, and I am sure the idea of drafting a center from Ohio State who is injured is triggering for many Bengals fans.

In this clip, he manages to get up to the third level and track down the safety for a block. You don’t see that every day.

In this clip, McLaughlin pulls and throws a powerful kick-out block to open up the run.

McLaughlin gets movement at the line of scrimmage and can make blocks in space as well. He also has very good anchor as a pass blocker.

The injury and position change are concerning, but McLaughlin has the tools to be an excellent starter in the NFL.