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The Bengals were in attendance for LSU's pro day this past week, but it wasn't for any of the big-name skill players like Zach Mettenberger or Odell Beckham.
No, they sent offensive line coaches to scout offensive guard Trai Turner:
Turner stood on his 40 time from the combine (he was a top performer in his position group in the event). Turner had a short shuttle time of 4.77 seconds and a three-cone drill time of 8.10 seconds. He had an 8-foot-6 broad jump.
The Bengals are in need of more offensive line depth, and Turner is good enough to challenge Cllint Boling (if healthy) for his starting job.
Matt Miller of the Bleacher Report tabbed Turner as one player who's stock is rising heading into the 2104 NFL Draft:
With Brandon Thomas' unfortunate ACL tear and my cooling on David Yankey, there's a big opening for a top-tier offensive guard in this year's class. With that in mind and the LSU pro day happening this week, I turned to Trai Turner. While he's not as agile as Xavier Su'a-Filo from UCLA, Turner has the strength to instantly step in and power the run game as a left or right guard.
He's a Year 1 starter.
Current ranking: No. 72
If other NFL teams view Turner as high as Miller does, the Bengals will need to snag him in the second round if they want to secure his services.
They're going to draft at least one lineman before the fourth round ends, and they could select two with so many of their current starters having their deals expire within the next two years.
Andre Smith, Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth all have expiring contracts in 2016, one year after Boling's rookie deal ends. Turner could be a valuable commodity for the Bengals in 2014 and beyond.