Bengals make 'big' addition to key unit in recent mock draft
There's been plenty of reshuffling on the offensive line for the Cincinnati Bengals lately. Center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa, and right tackle La'el Collins were added last offseason as the Bengals did a massive overhaul due to the 55 sacks they surrendered in 2021. Collins is currently rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL, […]
There's been plenty of reshuffling on the offensive line for the Cincinnati Bengals lately.
Center Ted Karras, right guard Alex Cappa, and right tackle La'el Collins were added last offseason as the Bengals did a massive overhaul due to the 55 sacks they surrendered in 2021. Collins is currently rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL, so another body on the right side would be valuable for the Bengals.
Jordan Reid of ESPN has Cincinnati doing just that in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft by taking right tackle Dawand Jones out of Ohio State.
The makeover at offensive tackle for the Bengals continues. After they signed Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency to play on the left side, the hole at right tackle remains. La'el Collins battled injuries and was inconsistent during his first season in Cincinnati, and Jonah Williams has requested a trade. That leaves room for 6-8, 374-pound Jones, who is the sixth offensive tackle in this Round 1 projection. The Bengals like blockers with bigger bodies who can wall off the inside of the pocket and create elongated edges for pass-rushers. This fit makes a lot of sense for them.
That's one massive human being.
After appearing in nine games as a freshman (no starts) in 2019 and six as a sophomore, Jones was a starter for the Buckeyes the last two seasons, and he was a stud.
Jones only gave up three sacks over that span (all in 2021) in 887 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He also only allowed one quarterback hit, 12 hurries, and 16 pressures during that time.
In the run game, Jones is an absolute bulldozer thanks to his massive size and length. Once he's engaged with a defender, they're pretty much in Alcatraz with no hope of parole. He posted run grades of 90.6 and 85.0 per PFF since 2021.
Jones committed 16 penalties in the last two seasons, and that undoubtedly has to be fixed on the pro level. However, he'd bring immediate competition at the right tackle spot for the Bengals and could win the job depending on the recovery of Collins.
