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Remember when the biggest debate for the Cincinnati Bengals was either Chase or Sewell?
Well, perhaps 2023 could bring both of those names together. At least it did in a recent mock draft from Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report.
Obviously, the Bengals won’t be landing offensive tackle Penei Sewell anytime soon. But the possibility of landing his brother is certainly out there. That’s where the Bengals went in Ballentine’s mock, taking Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell with the 22nd pick.
Sewell is going to be one of the top linebacker prospects to watch this upcoming college season after two strong seasons to begin his college career. He was the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2020 after leading the Ducks with 45 tackles in seven games during the pandemic-shortened season.
He followed that up with 114 tackles in 14 games with 8.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks, earning First Team All-Pac-12 honors from both coaches and the Associated Press:
Director of player personnel Duke Tobin showed he understands this by taking defensive backs (Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt) with the team’s first two picks this year.
Here, they continue those efforts by taking the top linebacker in the draft. The Bengals were questioned for passing on Noah Sewell’s older brother Penei when they took Ja’Marr Chase.
This time, the value of taking a Sewell would be too good to pass up. The Samoan was all over the field for the Ducks in 2021, racking up 114 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, five passes defended and an interception.
That kind of versatility is what the Bengals need to match up with the offenses they will routinely see in the playoffs.
The Bengals will have some decisions to make at the linebacker position after this season, with Germaine Pratt set to be a free agent after the 2022 season and Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither doing so after the 2023 season. Linebacker could very well be in play next April for Cincinnati with an eye to the future, as well as continuing to pounce on their championship window.
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