The Cincinnati Bengals seem to have unlimited options this year in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Just ask Cris Collinsworth. In a chat with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com right after his excellent interview with Joe Burrow, the former Bengals wideout listed off names like Penei Sewell, Kyle Pitts and Ja’Marr Chase.
Yet Collinsworth’s main preference would seem to be that the team trades out of the pick entirely:
“I’m worried they have three tackles at that point, and moving Sewell to guard, I’m worried about that because I want to keep him developing. What I would do is do everything in my power to trade out of that position. Hoping somebody would overpay to get a quarterback. I think I’ll be able to get a tackle in the first 15 picks. I think I’ll be able to get a receiver in the first 50 picks that is high quality.”
It’s a really, really tough call for the Bengals to make, but it might just be the right one.
While four quarterbacks could come off the board over the first four picks, giving the Bengals the pick of any non-passer they could ever want, that fifth pick could be worth an absolute haul via trade. Opting to move down and acquiring more premium assets — which means more prime talent across the roster — could provide a kickstart to the rebuild.
Even the Bengals say they have talked trade downs with other teams — but that they don’t want to stray too far from the fifth pick, where they’re guaranteed a top talent. But Collinsworth’s preference only needs one team to massively overpay for it to come to fruition.
