Why the Bengals can’t afford to pass on Penei Sewell

With the Draft finally upon us, it’s time for one final take on what the Cincinnati Bengals should do in the first round, this time from none other than team reporter Ben Baby.

Baby argues that an elite tackle like Oregon’s Penei Sewell is more valuable to the team than an elite receiver, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase. Why?

Baby pointed out that the best college teams are placing more of an emphasis on the passing game, which means they are not investing as much into developing their offensive lines. He mentioned Alabama, Clemson, and LSU as teams that thrived without elite lines.

“The objective for Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney and all these coaches, Ryan Days, Lincoln Rileys, etc., are to build national championship winners, not to produce the best prospects for the NFL,” he said. “So that means they have to tailor their game a certain way. In turn, that will affect the type of elite prospects at programs that produce elite offensive linemen,” he continued.

You can hear his discussion in the video below:

You can also read his article on the subject on ESPN’s site.

Meanwhile, while Baby is high on Chase, he thinks that “you’re going to see more receivers like Ja’Marr in coming years.” He continued, “We just see every year, I think, elite level wide receivers. That’s just my school of thought when you look at the game and the way it’s changing. I don’t see it slowing down, this trend reversing, of great receiver prospects.” He pointed to a constant influx of 5-star recruits at the high school level.

At any rate, we’ll find out who the Bengals select very soon.

You can listen to the entire Draft preview on iTunes or using the player below: