In order for the Cincinnati Bengals to get back to the playoffs and beyond, they must improve the trenches on both sides of the ball. 

Cincinnati has an equally pressing needs at defensive tackle and right tackle this offseason. Incumbent starters at both positions are expected to enter free agency, and general improvement is needed as well. 

Destin Adams' latest two-round mock for A to Z Sports accomplishes exactly that for the Bengals.

Adams has the Bengals taking a defensive tackle in the first round, something they haven't done in 30 years, and selecting an offensive lineman with a top-50 pick for the first time in three years. 

• Round 1 (18): Jer'Zahn Newton, DT, Illinois
• Round 2 (49): Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

Here's what Adams had to say about his picks for the Bengals:

"Due to the lack of depth at IDL in this class, I have them targeting that position first in this mock, and they land Illinois' Jer'Zhan Newton. It won't be easy to replace [DJ] Reader in their defense, but if there is a player in this class I'd feel comfortable putting in that role, it's Newton. With their second pick, I do have them adding to their offensive line with one of my favorite players from this year's Senior Bowl in BYU's Kingsley Suamataia. Prior to the Senior Bowl, I thought Suamataia projected strictly as a guard at the NFL level, but he opened my eyes after a strong week of playing both tackle and guard. He displayed his brute strength all week long by stonewalling defenders who tried to bull rush him, and he was much quicker off the line of scrimmage than i gave him credit for." 

Newton projects to be one of the safest picks in the entire draft. He's got great production and tape playing at a Big 10 school, and should test well athletically at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Based on what Adams heard at the Senior Bowl, it would be wise for the Bengals to invest in the position early. 

"Some of the clearest feedback I received from the Senior Bowl was about the interior defensive line," Adams wrote in his Senior Bowl takeaways. "I was also told that many around the league believe a good amount of interior defensive linemen will be selected inside the top three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft."

Newton would be the third straight first-round pick Cincinnati has used on a defensive player, but they'd have to pass up on an offensive lineman to get him. In an offseason with quarterback Joe Burrow on the mend, that may ruffle up some feathers. 

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Can Bengals wait to draft an offensive tackle?

This is shaping up to be an extremely strong class of edge protectors, with 10 going off the board before the Bengals' second-round pick. 

They'd be fortunate to land Suamataia, who made Adams' All-Senior Bowl team along with first-round linemen Taliese Fuaga out of Oregon State, and Jackson Powers-Johnson out of Oregon. 

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At 6-4 and nearly 330 pounds with over 34" arms, Suamataia is built exactly like how the Bengals want their tackles to look like. They've prioritized size and strength over athleticism in recent years, but Suamataia has some speed to him as well. He clocked in the seventh-highest on-field athleticism score in Mobile.

More important than anything, if the Bengals decide to pass on an OT with the No. 18 pick, it likely means they've addressed the position in free agency already. Sliding a player like Suamataia in behind an experienced veteran for a year is an ideal plan anyways.

Pending free agent further strengthens his case as an ideal Bengals signing

He’s now an official supporter of Joe Burrow, which doesn’t hurt.