Bengals' latest scheduled Top 30 visit provides further insight into what Cincinnati is looking for early in the 2025 NFL Draft
There has been four confirmed Top 30 visits the Cincinnati Bengals have scheduled thus far leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Two of them have been with offensive linemen, specifically, offensive tackles. Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery is joining Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. in that slowly growing group.Per NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe, Ersey is set to visit the […]
There has been four confirmed Top 30 visits the Cincinnati Bengals have scheduled thus far leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Two of them have been with offensive linemen, specifically, offensive tackles.
Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery is joining Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. in that slowly growing group.
Per NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe, Ersey is set to visit the Bengals as part of an extensive travel schedule leading up to next month's draft.
Ersery measured in at 6'6" and 331 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine last month and proceeded to run a 5.01 40-yard dash. He also impressed the likes of A to Z Sports' own Ryan Roberts at the Senior Bowl in January.
The last several weeks has practically solidified Ersery as a Day 2 draft pick at the very worst. The Bengals have the 49th and 81st overall picks at their disposal, but would likely have to select Ersery with pick No. 49.
But the Bengals probably wouldn't play Ersery at offensive tackle, the position where he's started 38 games at since 2022 for Minnesota. Along with hosting another collegiate tackle like Conerly for a visit, the Bengals may be revealing what they're looking for in an o-lineman early in the draft.
Bengals could be eyeing college tackles transitioning to play guard
Cincinnati has a dire need at the guard position right now. Recently-signed Lucas Patrick can provide solid depth inside, but the offense doesn't currently have a true starter to the left or right of center Ted Karras. It's looking very likely one of them will come from the draft in a month's time.
Should the Bengals take Ersery with their second-round pick, he'd be a favorite to start at either guard spot despite only playing three snaps inside in the last five years for Minnesota. Playing immediately at guard would give Ersery significantly more value instead of waiting to see the field at tackle in case of injury to either Orlando Brown Jr. or Amarius Mims.
But if the Bengals would ever need Ersery to move back outside, he could obviously do that as well. The same applies to Conerly, who was also almost exclusively a left tackle for Oregon.
Tackle-guard versatility might just be what the Bengals are looking for in an early-round o-lineman this year. Cody Ford is slated to be the backup swing tackle if he doesn't win a starting job at guard, and Brown is coming off an injury-filled season with two years remaining on his contract.
The last time the Bengals drafted a guard on Day 2 was in 2021 when they took Jackson Carman, and Carman was a college left tackle as well.
That experiment didn't go very well, an obvious fact for Bengals fans, but based on whom the Bengals are meeting with, it wouldn't be too surprising to see them repeat the strategy four years later.