Ideal team-prospect fits for the 2021 NFL Draft

NFL Team: Cincinnati Bengals – Penei Sewell, OT, Bengals

Penei Sewell

The Cincinnati Bengals hope to have changed the course of their franchise last year, when they selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick.

To ensure themselves a chance at becoming an NFL contender down the road, they now need to protect their investment by improving the offensive line, which got Burrow hurt mid-way through a really promising rookie campaign, taking a gruesome hit, which happened almost on a weekly basis up to that point.

Penei Sewell is the best offensive tackle prospect I have scouted, since I started doing this seriously in 2011. He has such natural tackle feet and power for the position.

His mobility off-the-charts, whether it’s on scoop blocks on the backside of zone-runs, the way he gets out in space on screen passes, or even executes skip-pulls. At this moment, Sewell is not as technically sound as Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater. for example, in terms of his process of engagement as a pass-protector, but most of that can be cleaned up by good OL coaching.

For Cincinnati, I think it would make a lot of sense to kick Jonah Williams to right tackle, where I originally thought he would fit better anyway (even if he played on the left side at Alabama), which finally gets Bobby Hart out of the lineup. They keep Sewell at his original position (and polish him).

Trey Hopkins can be average at center, but they can trade for Quinton Spain at one of the guard spots to stabilize that. Now all they need to do is find another guard in NFL free agency, like a J Thuney or a lesser expensive name like an Austin Blythe, and they'll upgrade immensely.

I know that the Bengals want to use a quick-rhythm passing game and spread the field anyway, but defenses will learn their system this off-season and force Burrow to hold onto the ball – that shouldn’t just get him killed. Assuming everybody stays put, Miami is the only team really threatening to grab Sewell at number three, and if somebody comes up ahead of five, it will be for a quarterback.