The Cincinnati Bengals used three of their 10 picks in the 2021 NFL draft on offensive linemen and immediately put them to work in rookie minicamp.
Second-round pick Jackson Carman, as expected, was taking reps as the starting right guard in practice on Friday. He projects to be the favorite to start there next to Riley Reiff, the new right tackle.
At right tackle for minicamp was D’Ante Smith, a fourth-rounder we’ve already argued should be getting much more attention. He won’t start as a rookie, but he’s got experience at both tackle spots and could develop into a starter.
Trey Hill, a sixth-round pick out of Georgia, got reps as the starting center. He was perhaps the team’s biggest steal in the draft and if Trey Hopkins can’t start in Week 1 after recovering from his knee injury, the late-rounder could very much be in the conversation to start.
While we’ll know quite a bit more about the offensive line battles when veterans arrive and training camp really gets started, this brief look from rookie minicamp is a bit of early insight into how the coaching staff feels about the new guys.
