NFL Mock Draft 2018: Complete first round after Week 5
56. . OT. Texas. Connor Williams. 7. player
Two tackles in the first seven picks? That’s right. For whatever the reason, the offensive line in Cincinnati still needs some shoring up. The Bengals have a good (not great) pair of bookends in Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher. It’s the guards that need to be strengthened.
Connor Williams is a giant. At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds he’s not a candidate to slide into the interior of the offensive line. Ogbuehi, on the other hand, started 19 games in college at guard before transitioning to tackle in his final season. That versatility should allow the line to assimilate Williams into the fold.
The Bengals offense seemingly has all the other pieces, but it’s the line that hasn’t come together, yet. The backfield duties are split between a trio of solid running backs while Andy Dalton has a good amount of talented pass catchers. However, that assumes he can get the ball to them.
Speedster John Ross, AJ Green and red zone favorite Tyler Eifert don’t have much value at all if Dalton is under duress. Adding a big man like Williams to an offensive line that already has some good pieces should put the Bengals over the top.