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I had a feeling they were going to draft him, but after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted OG Tanner Hawkinson in the fifth round, it started to become unclear.
Well, the Bengals have gone ahead and added even more depth to the offensive tackle depth chart with Ohio State Buckeyes OT Reid Fragel. This comes as a surprising pick, not because the Bengals weren’t expected to draft him, but because Fragel has managed to slide all the way to the dying picks of the seventh round.
Fragel will add depth behind Anthony Collins and Dennis Roland, both very capable linemen that have played key roles in the Bengals’ winning seasons over the past few years, and will likely continue to do so. However, even though Fragel is a late-round pick (which are often considered picks to just add depth), his enormous size and quick hands could allow him to quickly climb up the depth chart.
After three years with Ohio at tight end, Fragel gained 25 pounds and moved to right tackle for the 2012 season, playing all 12 games at the position and receiving an honorable mention to the Big-Ten team in the process.
His sheer size and raw athleticism projects him to be a top-50 draft prospect but because he has only played one season at right tackle, the Bengals had the opportunity to possibly draft him as late as their second pick in the seventh round.
Fragel’s late addition to the position is a big downside for the player, so the Bengals will need to put in a lot of work, but if he is able to continue to learn as quickly as he learned for his first year of OT, there shouldn’t be an issue.
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