Bengals had pre-draft meeting with OL Cameron Clark

The Bengals’ offensive line still needs a lot of work, so don’t be surprised if they select multiple linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft. One late-round prospect to keep an eye on is Charlotte offensive lineman Cameron Clark.

According to Draft Network’s Jordan Reid, Clark had a pre-draft FaceTime meeting with the Bengals among other teams.

A three-year starter and team captain the last two years, Clark spent most of his career at left tackle, where he earned All-Conference USA honors in each of the past two seasons. He was voted as the team MVP for the 2017 season, invited to the 2020 Scouting Combine, and took part in the East-West Shrine Game.

But at 6-4 and 308 pounds with 34 1/8-inch arms, Clark is projected as an offensive guard at the next level, including by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who offered up this scouting report:

Strengths

Two-year captain and three-year starter

Broad frame, long arms and big hands

Impressive pushing Clemson around at point of attack

Twitchy upper body with plenty of pop and strength

Ability to turn and secure man-on-man blocks

Quality effort level to recover in second phase

Filthy demeanor as block finisher in run game

Tackle experience and traits a plus inside

Punch should become more stout and consistent with work

Weaknesses

Ran penalty total too high in 2019

Below average quickness laterally and on pulls

Needs to play with much better pad level as drive blocker

Inconsistent anticipation of block angles

Feet lag behind, leading to some block slippage in sustain

Needs to vary his punch approach

Redirect steps are a little tardy

Allowed leakage from post on counters and from B-gap rushers

The Bengals love having versatile lineman, so a guy like Clark who projects as a guard but can play tackle in a pinch could make him a sneaky late-round option for the Bengals.