Bengals Bytes (4/27): New man in the middle

Center of draft: Bengals take Ohio State’s Billy Price
Billy Price was ready to show off his strength at the NFL combine. During the bench press, the center from Ohio State felt a pain in his chest and thought his chances were ruined. It all turned out far better than he’d hope on Thursday night. The Bengals took the center with the 21st overall pick, another addition to their biggest problem area. After watching four quarterbacks go higher in the round, they got someone to protect their own. And as it turned out, he comes from right up the road.

Instant analysis of Bengals picking Billy Price in the first round
The Cincinnati Bengals have selected Ohio State OL Billy Price with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. There were rumblings of them eyeing Arkansas center Frank Ragnow, but he was taken right at the pick before, No. 20 overall by the Detroit Lions.

Broo View: Bengals' first-round draft pick must be ready to play immediately this season
It doesn't matter whom the Bengals draft in the first round. The most important thing is this: He has to play and play effectively starting in September. Nothing else matters.

Bengals' first round (21): Billy Price, center, Ohio State
Did the Bengals see their desired pick stolen right in front of their faces? Arkansas center Frank Ragnow went right in front of them to Detroit at No. 20. Iowa's James Daniels was still on the board. But, for them, that was always the advantage of this draft. In many years there aren't multiple centers with first-round talent. This year there were three. And now they have a player they believe will be a "pillar" of not just their offensive line room, but the entire team for years to come.

First-round at a glance: Price tag
With 55 he passed University of Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell’s school record for starts and consecutive starts of 50, set between 1993-96. Price and Tyquan Lewis tied center Pat Elflein’s school record for most games played by an Ohio State football player: 55.

Price is right
The Bengals love their Buckeyes, but for the first time since they took Dan Wilkinson No. 1 overall 24 years ago they took one in the first round Thursday night when they snapped up Ohio State center Billy Price with the 21st pick. The 6-3, 305-pound Price also became the first center taken by Cincinnati No. 1 since Nebraska’s Dave Rimington in 1983, which works out just right since they’re looking to spearhead the overhaul of their offensive line with the winner of the Rimington Award as the nation’s best center.

The draft's missing desk
They always sat across from each other in the front of the draft room for the last 25 years and for the 25 years before that they surrounded their father in the same spot. Every round. Every pick. Every April. Or every January back in the day. From A.J. Green in 2011 to Brent Ziegler in 1984 to Buffalo tight end Mason Schreck, who turned out to be their final pick together in the seventh round of last year’s draft.

The draft's missing desk
They always sat across from each other in the front of the draft room for the last 25 years and for the 25 years before that they surrounded their father in the same spot. Every round. Every pick. Every April. Or every January back in the day. From A.J. Green in 2011 to Brent Ziegler in 1984 to Buffalo tight end Mason Schreck, who turned out to be their final pick together in the seventh round of last year’s draft.

Cincinnati Bengals' 2018 draft: Analysis for every selection
The Bengals have made a serious commitment to revamping their offensive line, and it shows. The addition of Billy Price is the third move they've made this offseason to fix a line that struggled last year. They hired former Cowboys O-line coach Frank Pollack, traded for left tackle Cordy Glenn, and now have their center of the future.

AFC North Bytes

John Harbaugh Hypes Lamar Jackson, Says Joe Flacco Is Ravens QB This Year
Louisville's Lamar Jackson was the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, 2016 ACC Player of the Year and 2017 ACC Player of the Year, and the Baltimore Ravens didn't miss their opportunity to land him at the end of the first round Thursday during the 2018 NFL draft. Baltimore traded into the No. 32 overall pick, the final one in the first round, and selected Jackson.

Baker Mayfield isn’t out to prove he’s not Johnny Manziel 2.0
But there is one comparison that bothers him, and frankly he can blame his arrest in February of 2017 that landed him on every tabloid site in the country for the comparison. He’s Johnny Manziel 2.0.

Martavis Bryant Traded by Steelers to Raiders for 3rd-Round 2018 NFL Draft Pick
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended Martavis Bryant's turbulent tenure in Western Pennsylvania on Thursday when they agreed to trade the enigmatic wide receiver to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick, No. 79 overall, in the 2018 draft.

Random Bytes

2018 NFL Draft Walkup Songs for All 22 Prospects in Green Room Revealed
The first round of the NFL draft is on Thursday night, and the biggest question of the night, without a doubt, is who the Cleveland Browns will select with the top overall pick. But the second biggest question on everybody's minds is what songs the top prospects in the green room will choose to walk out to when they are selected. Well, Dan Hanzus of NFL.com learned the answers, which you can see below

Josh Rosen 'Pissed Off' to Be 4th QB Drafted, Says 9 Teams Made a Mistake
Josh Rosen fell to the 10th pick of the 2018 draft before the Arizona Cardinals took him, and his slide has already created a giant chip on the quarterback's shoulder, per Ed Werder of Westwood 1 Sports

NFL Draft 2018: Round 1 Grades for Every Pick
Billy Price is everything an NFL team wants from a center. He started 55 consecutive games at center or guard for the Buckeyes, so he has both ideal experience and a clean health history. He’s a high-effort, high-intensity player who should excel at making adjustments and calls. He’s a solid run defender and capable pass protector, and he can get the job done on second-level blocks and when moving laterally on stretch runs.