The mock draft scene has grown a bit stale for the Cincinnati Bengals. It seems like most have the team drafting whoever falls between safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Sonny Styles, or defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. However, it is becoming more realistic that none of them make it to the Bengals at No. 10.
We have certainly seen plenty of LSU corner Mansoor Delane going to them. Now, Geoff Hobson from Bengals.com has a new name to add: Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.
The Whitworth Rule is basically BPA. Best Player Available. And that means BPA. No Matter What. Need. Contracts. Depth chart. Nothing matters except the grade.
Twenty years later, the Bengals need defense, and yet any big board out there would tell you that the front seven at No. 10 in this particular Mock is a reach.
Mauigoa is viewed by many as a versatile right tackle who can also eventually be an impact right guard, as well as a backup swing at left tackle.
It is certainly a route to go. Hobson even notes that Delane has more of a chance to play in his rookie year than Mauigoa. Teams are constantly playing their third and fourth corner.
Let’s talk about the positives, though. You can never have too much depth along the offensive line, and Maugioa is versatile enough that he could step in for Risner next year at right guard and possibly one of the tackle spots after that whenever Orlando Brown Jr.‘s time with Cincinnati comes to an end.
Good tackles are also very expensive on the open market, so drafting them is about the best chance Cincinnati has to landing them.
The obvious negative is that this doesn’t help a defense that has added three starters but lost Trey Hendrickson over this offseason. They are still relying on a ton of players from a bad defense to take big steps forward. That isn’t a great recipe for success. There is the rest of the draft and (hopefully) a second wave of free agency, but there are still so many needs defensively.
This is the problem going into the draft with serious needs still. You look at any pick not filling one of them as a luxury the team can’t afford to make.
See More:
