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It’s going to take some luck for the Cincinnati Bengals to land Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
But luck is just what a new mock draft has for the Bengals. The way Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina sees it, Sewell will fall to five and Cincinnati will essentially sprint to the podium:
“That sigh of relief comes in the form of Penei Sewell. The Oregon tackle is as smooth as they come; he never looks like he’s in a hurry and just swallows up anyone who dares come at him. He allowed only seven pressures in all of 2019.”
Some interesting dominoes fall to let this one happen. At No. 1, Jacksonville takes Trevor Lawrence. The New York Jets take Justin Fields with the second pick. Miami then goes wideout with DeVonta Smith, while Atlanta shocks at No. 4 by playing it safe with Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.
So far, it has seemed like a team trading up into the top five for a quarterback would be what the Bengals need to have Sewell slip to No. 5. That wasn’t the case here — which shows just how wild things could get on draft night.
In this scenario, the Bengals do pass on Joe Burrow’s former teammate Ja’Marr Chase. If Smith for some reason falls, he could be in the conversation at No. 5 too — the Bengals will get to see the Heisman Trophy winner at the Senior Bowl.
After Burrow’s injury, the most exciting thing might be playing it safe with Sewell. That’s especially ideal with Frank Pollack back coaching the offensive line — but a scenario like the above will need to unfold.
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