Duke Tobin talks O-line depth in draft, confirms he gets input from Joe Burrow

While I recently said the Bengals’ recent Draft strategy suggests the team will take Penei Sewell, after comments made by Duke Tobin on Dan Hoard’s podcast, it appears they are moving away from that approach.

If you put Tobin’s comments together, it seems they are now favoring taking Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick.

This is because:

1. Tobin believes the Draft is filled with talented offensive linemen who can be starters, even as deep as the second and third rounds, as he said, “There will be guys available in the second round, third round that we have starter grades on.”
2. He is happy with the direction of the offensive line and hinted that they will continue to improve it in free agency. “We think having healthy guys there and then the addition of Riley Reiff, we think we’re in a better spot than we were and (there will) still be additions to be named later,” he said.
3. He mentioned that quarterback Joe Burrow is involved in the evaluation process, saying, “I talk to a lot of people throughout the process. He’s an engaging guy, so I like to engage with engaging guys. We’ll just leave it at that.”
4. The Bengals probably aren’t going to trade down. If they do, it’ll be just a couple of spots to still get the guy they want. “We’ll be careful not to get overly greedy and get out of a spot to where we maybe lose a premier player,” Tobin said. “We feel like we’ll get one of the premier players in this draft.”
5. If you combine the above with insider Malik Wright’s insistence that the Bengals aren’t targeting Kyle Pitts, this results in them taking Ja’Marr Chase, the most coveted non-OL talent that should interest the team. Unless, of course, they’re seriously considering Micah Parsons.

We talked to another insider and voice of the Bengals, Wayne Box Miller, about what the team might do in the Draft. You can watch below:

You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below: