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A top NFL insider just released his latest mock draft and the Cincinnati Bengals go a familiar yet unfamiliar route with the No. 31 pick.
Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football unveiled his latest mock draft and he has the Bengals addressing the offensive line. But it’s a name that hasn’t been connected much to the Bengals but an intriguing prospect that has generated first-round buzz of late. That man is Tulsa OL Tyler Smith.
Smith is only a redshirt sophomore, but he’s viewed as having one of the highest upsides of any lineman in this class. In the offseason of “Protect Joe Burrow AT ALL COSTS,” Cincinnati keeps the theme going strong.
Upside is the name of the game with Smith. He just turned 21 on April 3 and only has about 2.5 years of college experience. But in his two full years, he was a First Team (2020) and Second Team (2021) All-AAC and was a Freshman All-American in 2020 after redshirting in 2019.
There’s some question as to whether he is a guard or a tackle at the next level, but he has the tools and the measurables to help contribute anywhere. He measured almost 6’5″ and 327 pounds at his pro day and ran a 5.02 with a 1.70 10-yard split (90th percentile).
He’s raw and needs to work on his hand usage. He’s likely best suited as a backup to start. But there is a lot of potential here and perhaps Frank Pollack could be the one to unlock it.
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