By now, everyone knows that the Cincinnati Bengals' biggest issue in 2021 was their offensive line.

Quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 70 times last season — including 19 times in the playoffs. The fact the Bengals made the playoffs with such poor offensive line play is really a testament to Burrow. Without Burrow, Cincy probably isn't even a .500 team last season (let's also give some credit to wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who played out of his mind as a rookie).

Last year, the Bengals were criticized for not taking an offensive lineman with the No. 5 overall selection (though again, Chase played extremely well).

Cincinnati should probably take an offensive lineman in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

And I think that's what they'll do.

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper, however, doesn't agree. He thinks the Bengals will take a cornerback.

Kiper has Cincinnati taking Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon in his latest mock draft.

Here's what Kiper said about the pick:

Why no offensive linemen here? Because the Bengals shouldn't force it to try to fill their biggest need. In this scenario, I didn't have another lineman with a Round 1 grade; Daniel Faalele (Minnesota) and Tyler Smith (Tulsa) are more likely to go in the first 15 picks in the second round. Cincinnati, which has salary-cap space, could also address the position in free agency.

Instead I went with a corner in Gordon who has the length and physical traits to be a No. 1 guy in the NFL. He had two interceptions last season and showed some high-end coverage traits.

I can understand where Kiper is coming from….kinda. Usually, late in the first round, teams go with a best player available approach. But if there absolutely isn't an offensive lineman worth taking with the No. 30 overall pick (which I don't think will be the case), then Cincinnati should try to maximize their draft capital by trading the pick. I bet another team would love to jump back into the first round. Maybe the Bengals could take advantage of a team that falls in love with a prospect.

Or maybe Cincy should be bold and trade up in the first round to get a quality offensive lineman.

Either way, the Bengals need to make sure they leave the 2022 NFL Draft with more offensive linemen than they had when they arrived at the draft.

Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports