Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
Many pre-draft analysts predicted the Cincinnati Bengals would select an addition to the defensive side of the ball. Instead, the Bengals decided to go offense when they took left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi with the No. 21 overall pick. The Bengals addressed the future of their offensive line with Ogbuehi as left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right tackle Andre Smith enter the final year of their contracts.
The Bengals took a chance with Ogbuehi at No. 21 after the Texas A&M left tackle suffered an ACL injury in the Aggies’ Liberty Bowl game against West Virginia on Dec. 29. Ogbuehi was a potential top 10 selection in 2014, but he decided to return to Texas A&M when the Aggies offered to pay for an insurance policy that would protect him against an injury-related drop in his draft stock.
The Bengals show no intention of rushing Ogbuehi into playing in the 2015 season. The 2014 third-team AP All-American will have a pressure-free year to learn and heal from the injury in a redshirt season while taking advantage of the insurance policy.
Ogbuehi is a talented athlete with the ability to move easily in space and the foot quickness to match up with speedy pass rushers. At 6-foot-5 and 306 pounds, Ogbuehi possesses the strength to easily drive defenders off the ball. He is also a versatile athlete with experience at guard as well as right tackle, which gives the Bengals flexibility on the offensive line when he returns from injury.
Ogbuehi wasn’t the only tackle the Bengals drafted to prepare for the future of their offensive line. Cincinnati selected Oregon left tackle Jake Fisher to have more of an immediate impact compared to Ogbuehi. Fisher is an ideal backup who will take over when the opportunity for a starting position opens up. The Bengals had no second thoughts about protecting their future at quarterback and improving their run game by drafting the second and fifth offensive tackles in this year’s draft.
The Bengals have a consistent offensive line that finished third in the NFL, only allowing 23 sacks a year ago. Whitworth (33) is beginning to age despite being one of the top offensive tackles in the league in 2014 after only allowing nine disruptions on 529 pass blocks. Smith is returning from a season-ending triceps tear that kept him sidelined throughout the final five games of 2014. He is expected to be sidelined until training camp. Both become free agents in 2016.
There is a lot of upside for the future of the Bengals first-round draft pick. Despite the possibility of missing all of his rookie training camp, Ogbuehi will take the time necessary in his recovery to be a quality tackle for the Bengals in the long run.
Dan Miller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealDANimal45, or add him to your network on Google.
