Bengals NFL Draft dives, Part 2: One more critical swing at the guard problem

New York Times

15-04-2025

This is the second of a five-part series laying out the Bengals' draft outlook at the primary positions of need in the 2025 NFL Draft.
• Monday: Safety/linebacker
• Tuesday: Offensive line
• Wednesday: Edge rusher
• Thursday: Defensive tackle
• Friday: Skill positions
Another year, another deep dive into the Bengals' needs at offensive line. Cincinnati has been searching for stability up front every year of the Joe Burrow era. They've found runs of credibility but took a step back this offseason with the departure of Alex Cappa coming off a poor season and the benching of Cordell Volson. It was accompanied by the firing of offensive line coach Frank Pollack and the hiring of Scott Peters.
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Peters brings an MMA background and invented the strike system that blends that background into pass protection. It could open the Bengals up to drafting a different brand of offensive lineman which would probably be for the best considering a football generation's worth of failed offensive line draft picks beyond the first round.
There are two open starting spots up front with competition at both. There's also an opening at backup swing tackle. Finding a player who could play guard now but offer position flexibility as a tackle of the future would be the ideal candidate. The primary focus of this draft, though, is finding a rookie capable of starting at guard in Week 1. It's arguably the most critical aspect of this year's draft.
The list below includes the year a player is signed through and his age in parentheses.
Ted Karras (32): He's in the final year of his contract after a one-year extension signed before last season. He's a captain, leader and still solid at center.
Lucas Patrick (31): Free agent from New Orleans, the personnel staff really liked the fit.
Cordell Volson (26): Money changes on his rookie deal. The team would save $3.7 million on the cap by letting him go. He must improve under Peters to stick around.
Jaxson Kirkland (26, RFA): A torn biceps in Week 5 ended a season where he left a positive impression.
Andrew Stueber (ERFA), Devin Cochran (RFA), Andrew Coker (ERFA), Tashawn Manning (ERFA): All are battling for the practice squad or latching to the back of the roster with a great camp.
Orlando Brown Jr. (28): He was playing at a Pro Bowl level before injury essentially ended his season halfway through. He said he played 'on one leg' in a win against Denver in Week 17.
Cody Ford (28): Coaches liked Ford stepping up at tackle and want him in a competition at guard.
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Amarius Mims (22): Outstanding rookie season, specifically considering his lack of college experience. He has the potential to ascend to Pro Bowl level at right tackle in Year 2.
We certainly know the profile they have sought in the past. The question is how much could that change under Peters? By any stretch, what matters most given the Bengals' system is pass protection. It's hard to imagine a world where the Bengals take any offensive lineman who doesn't arrive with a strength in pass pro over run game skills.
They have leaned all the way in on massive, hulking tackles. Brown and Mims are two of the largest tackles in all of football. Trent Brown was, too, whom they signed for one failed season last year. Every single tackle on the roster is at least 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds. There were 33 offensive linemen to take a snap in the NFL last season listing at least 6-7, 315. The Bengals had five of them. No other team had more than three (Eagles, Broncos).
Peters on what he is looking for in an interior offensive lineman:
'One of the biggest things is just firmness in the pocket. Giving Joe a safe space to step up. So making sure we're not getting knocked back too much. Because on the edges, tackles kind of control the width of the pocket. The interior three are going to have the middle of the pocket.'
Peters on prioritizing pass protection:
'That's the thing. When you have a quarterback like Joe, he's somebody you covet and you take care of him. So it's personal. It's something that is a major point of emphasis. Because protecting him is the key to your success when you have a great quarterback like Joe. From our perspective, it's pass protection, not being passive. We want to be aggressive. We want to be combative. And like if you're doing any security detail for someone important, you want to discourage.'
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The great Cosmo Kramer said it best: 'Look away, I'm hideous.'
The history here is unsightly. The last time the Bengals drafted an offensive lineman and gave him a second contract was Clint Boling, picked in the fourth round in 2011. They have selected 20 offensive linemen since.
One of the largest organizational blind spots has been an inability to draft and develop offensive linemen — specifically in the middle rounds — and turn them into starting-level NFL players.
Let's take a look at the core of the problem.
These are the offensive linemen the Bengals have selected in Rounds 2-5 in the last 10 years.
• 2022, R4, Cordell Volson
• 2015 R2, Jake Fisher
• 2019, R4, Michael Jordan
• 2021, R2, Jackson Carman
• 2016, R5, Christian Westerman
• 2021, R4, D'Ante Smith
• 2017, R5, J.J. Dielman
The only real contributor on this list was Volson, who started 51 games, including the playoffs, for the Bengals before being demoted last season.
Here are the results of the last 10 drafts for AFC teams. This includes any offensive lineman taken in Rounds 2-5 and how many starts they made for the team that drafted them while on their rookie contract.
*20+= Total picks with at least 20 starts in that span
The Bengals, Browns and Jets are hanging out together at the bottom of this AFC hierarchy. When you can't find starters in the middle of the draft from homegrown offensive linemen, you will constantly be swimming upstream. The Bengals have been drowning. It has forced them to go outside to buy answers. Namely, Brown Jr., Cappa and Karras all commanded significant recent investments.
They have only taken two swings on Day 2 in the last 10 years, tied with the Jets for fewest. And those two were both swings and misses (Fisher, Carman). There needs to be more investment and given the state of salaries at the top of the roster, the money to purchase Band-Aids to cover mistakes is extremely limited.
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All this before mentioning first-round misses Cedric Ogbuehi, Billy Price and the relative underperformance of Jonah Williams. Perhaps Mims broke the streak, time will tell.
But without question, this area must be fixed. It must start this month or else the plight of Burrow running the Houdini offense will continue. How much longer can that be sustained?
This won't be like last year where the high quantity of Round 1 offensive tackles allowed access to Mims for the Bengals all the way back at No. 18. There will be options, but all expectations are the top two offensive linemen, LSU's Will Campbell and Missouri's Armand Membou, won't make it anywhere near the 17th pick.
There are a few options at 17, but they all could probably be acquired 5-10 spots back, according to consensus mocks. Alabama's Tyler Booker, Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. and North Dakota State's Grey Zabel aren't expected to be available when the Bengals pick in Round 2.
There's a collection of guards and tackles capable of starting next year that should be available in the second round when Cincinnati goes on the clock.
That list: Guards Tate Ratledge (Georgia), Jonah Savaiinaea (Arizona) and G/T Donovan Jackson (Ohio State). Tackles Josh Conerly Jr. (Oregon), Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery (Minnesota) and Josh Simmons (Ohio State).
Waiting until the third would put that in jeopardy, but a number of intriguing developmental tackle options project to that spot.
Tyler Booker, Alabama. His style is built for the Bengals' preferences and the AFC North. He's built like a bull with elite play strength to keep a firm pocket in front of Burrow. He's not the most athletic, but Cincinnati's gap scheme and pass-heavy offense minimize those dings on his resume. He was a team captain and undeniable leader for the SEC power, all significant Cincinnati trends. It would take a first-round pick to make it happen.
Tate Ratledge, Georgia. Arguably the best Cincinnati fit of any offensive lineman from a chemistry standpoint. Not only was he a strong pass-protecting guard with a notable anchor at 6-7, 308 and a team captain with 37 starts at guard in the SEC, but Mims started next to Ratledge while at Georgia. The natural chemistry would help them hit the ground running in Week 1. It will take pick 49 to make it happen.
Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona. Brings tackle-guard flexibility, having played both positions for the Wildcats. He projects to a guard, though. He's powerful, physically imposing and athletic. He's rougher around the edges than the first-round prospect but still probably would start the opener for the Bengals. In any case, he would raise the floor for the entire group to put the best five on the field with his talent, strength and versatility.
Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College. If going down the list of tackles fitting the 6-7, 315-pound profile, you land on Trapilo (6-8, 316). He's a three-year starter for the Eagles and only allowed two sacks over the last two years, playing both tackle spots. He even logged a start a left and right guard if looking to help fill that void.
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Grey Zabel, North Dakota State. The small-school star played alongside Volson at NDSU and brings first-round talent along with five-position versatility. The Bengals need to keep in mind a potential long-term replacement for Karras, the oldest player on the roster. Meanwhile, Zabel would easily start immediately and also raise the floor of the unit. An interior offensive lineman from a small school would be a significant trend from the norm from a Bengals' historical perspective, but perhaps they'd entertain the idea to switch things up.
Dylan Fairchild, Georgia. Notably, Fairchild embraced the strike system invented by Peters while at Georgia and drew comparisons to Wyatt Teller, another player Peters helped develop during his time as Bill Callahan's assistant in Cleveland. The Bengals could wait until the third round to snag Fairchild and treat it as the first gift to Peters to see if he can work his magic.
Ratledge in Round 2. There are just too many connections here. I think going for a guard in the first round will be tempting, but the Bengals inevitably pick a more premium player-position combination at that point. A player like Booker going before, say, a safety like Nick Emmanwori or Malaki Starks or one of the premier pass rushers doesn't connect to Cincinnati's DNA. With that said, Ratledge reuniting with Mims will top the list of a grouping of players expected to go in the middle of the second round. More importantly, Cincinnati needs to come away with somebody from that group or the hole they dug by failing to properly attack the spot in free agency will only loom larger. It would certainly require picking up the phone for Brandon Scherff's agent.
(Photo of Tate Ratledge: Jeffrey Vest / Getty Images)