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Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tim McGee sat down with AllBengals and told them who he would pick with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
As the fourth prominent former Bengals to address this topic, after T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Anthony Muñoz, and Dave Lapham, McGee is of the same mind as his fellow Bengals’ alumni.
Here’s what McGee said to AllBengals:
“If they don’t draft an offensive lineman, they should draft a quarterback because they’re going to need multiple quarterbacks who can shuffle in between Christ hospital. In the Bengals case, it was scary what we were seeing. We were like they’re going to get Joe Burrow hurt, he’s going to get killed. The average and below average fans, a third grader was saying the same thing. Low and behold when he gets hurt, none of us are surprised. We are all disappointed and we are pissed because we knew this would happen.”
The top choice for offensive line would be Penei Sewell from Oregon. Though Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater might be in the mix at fifth overall, and Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw would be on the table if the Bengals trade back in the first round.
McGee also said that the Bengals need to establish the run with Joe Mixon. Part of the reason Burrow was exposed to so many hits was because he dropped back so many times.
“You might get clean pockets 30-60% of the time but you are setting him up for failure and physical abuse,” he said. “You cannot throw the ball 60 times. You have to commit to the run and you have to force the run.”
He also said that the Bengals’ bringing back offensive line coach Frank Pollack was “definitely a positive.”
McGee was on the Bengals’ squad that reached Super Bowl XXIII, and he was on the field the last time the Bengals won a playoff game. He also caught passes from Boomer Esiason in two of his Pro Bowl seasons and his MVP season in 1988. McGee understands how important a good quarterback can be, and would love to see the Bengals reach the playoffs again with Burrow.