Bengal’s Seven Round NFL Mock Draft 2021: Joe Burrow Is The Big Winner As Cincinnati Builds Around Its Star QB

If there’s one team in the top 5 of the NFL draft this year that definitely won’t take a quarterback, it’s the Cincinnati Bengals, which immediately makes them one of the most intriguing teams heading to the biggest offseason event do the NFL.

If the top four teams in the draft are all quarterback, which always looks like it’s going to happen, it means the Bengals have the option to put the best non-quarterback in the draft when they come on that PM go the fifth overall selection and there will be many options to choose from.

If the Bengals want some protection for Joe Burrow, they could get Penei Sewell out of Oregon, who happens to be the consensus top tackle on the draft. If the Bengals want to add another weapon to their offensive, they could go with LSU-wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts from Florida, both of which would immediately give the Bengals a stronger attack.

So what are they going to do?

Let’s get to this 7-round mock and find out.

First round

Fifth overall selection: OL Penei Sewell, Oregon

The Bengals will have plenty of options at fifth overall, and while it might be tempting to take an offensive weapon like a Chase or Pitts here, the fact is that those weapons can’t really help you if your quarterback doesn’t have time to get the ball to throw.

The Bengals’ 2020 season was marked by Joe Burrow’s ACL injury at the end of the season. For this reason, one has to assume that the front office will do everything in its power to better protect Burrow. So I think they’ll take on Sewell at this point. While Burrow apparently wants the Bengals to take over Chase, his former LSU teammate, he’ll almost certainly be more than happy if Team Sewell takes over.

One thing that speaks for Sewell is that Bengal owner Mike Brown knows the importance of having a franchise player on your left. This draft is the 12th time since 1980 that the Bengals have made it into the top five and only competed once in a duel. That came back in 1980 when they picked Anthony Munoz with the third overall win and all they did was start the golden era of Bengali football. During Munoz’s career in the Hall of Fame, the Bengals went to two Super Bowls and produced two NFL MVPs (Kenny Anderson, Boomer Esiason). It’s also worth noting that the Bengals have only five playoff wins in franchise history and they called when Munoz was on the roster.

This doesn’t mean Sewell is the next Munoz, it just means that it would be surprising if Brown gave his front office the chance to do what could be a left-wing attack of the generation.

Of course, the ideal situation here for the Bengals would be to act on seven, but let’s face it, nothing ideal ever happens to the Bengals. If they did act, they’d grab a few extra picks and probably still end up with either Sewell, Chase, or Pitts. If they can get more picks and still land one of these three players, it would be a win-win situation.

Second round

38th overall: WR Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU

Though the Bengals didn’t land Joe Burrows former teammate Ja’Marr Chase in the first round, they’ll make up for it by grabbing one of his former teammates in the second round with Terrace Marshall Jr. The Bengals went to Kenny after Golladay in the free agency and they haven’t really tried to hide the fact that they wanted to add an extra weapon which is why Marshall would be a perfect choice here. To give Bengals fans a taste of what they’d get with this pick, let’s check out Burrow and Marshall how they combine in a touchdown in the 2020 National Title Game.

The Bengals could definitely use some of this.

Third round

69th overall: EDGE Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma

One could argue that Perkins is a top 50 player, but one reason he could fall this far is because he comes up with some red flags. Perkins was banned six games in two seasons for using marijuana, and while pot is no longer necessarily a problem in the NFL, some teams may be put off by his decision-making (he smoked pot even though he knew he might be banned) . At 6-foot-3 and just under 250 pounds, he’s a little on the small side even as a pass rusher, which would be another reason he could slip into the Bengals’ round at 69th overall.

Fourth round

111th overall: AND Ben Cleveland, Georgia

Even if the Bengals take Sewell in the first round, they still need serious help on the guard, and that’s where Cleveland comes in. When Burrow is in the middle, the Bengals love to throw the ball, which is why Cleveland would be the perfect place to pick. According to the PFF, Cleveland has only allowed 13 presses on 606 pass-blocking snaps at UGA in the past three years.

Would he have to change his last name to live in Cincinnati? Probably, but he can worry about that later.

Fifth round

149th overall: DL Chauncey Golston, Iowa

The Bengals need all the depth they can bring into their line of defense, which is why they’ll grab another defender just two rounds after taking Perkins. The upside to Golston is that he can play both indoors and outdoors and at this point in the draft, if the Bengals can land a versatile defender who can play multiple courts, they should grab the opportunity to grab it.

Sixth round

190th overall: K Jose Borregales, Miami
202. total: TE Tony Poljan, Virginia

My dad (Jim Breech) was the Bengals kicker for 13 years and he’s going to ban me from the family if the Bengals don’t design a kicker somewhere in this mock, so I’ll do it now. That being said, even if my dad had never kicked a soccer ball in his life, the Bengals would still have Jose Borregales. This may seem a little high to draw a kicker, but the truth is it might actually be too low. For the past five years, the first kicker has gone off the board at 167 or earlier, which means Borregales may not even be there if the Bengals take one of their picks for the sixth round.

The last time the Bengals picked a kicker was in 2017 and they let my dad announce it. So if you see him on the podium in the sixth round of the draft, you can probably assume they’re taking a kicker.

Of course, the Bengals have only drafted one kicker in the last 15 years, so there’s always a chance they won’t go that route, but they should because Borregales could be their long-term answer to that position. The Bengals took advantage of a fifth-round draft pick for kicker Jake Elliott in 2017, and they may have to consider taking Borregales this early if they want to make sure they get it. As for Poljan, the Bengals need a tight final depth and there is a good chance he is the best one who is still on the board at this point in the draft.

Seventh round

235. total: LB Paddy Fisher, northwest

Once the seventh round of design is over, the teams look for someone who can add some depth to where they still have a few holes. The Bengals definitely need some depth on the linebacker and I should note that I won’t be surprised at all if they grab a linebacker earlier in the draft. If it doesn’t, this is the perfect place to snag Fisher, who could definitely be battling for a roster spot, which is all you can ask of a seventh grader.