Cincinnati Bengals: Making the case for Andrus Peat

By Ryan Ratty | Apr 26, 2015

This year’s draft class is loaded with tons of intriguing tackles. Each year, there are always a few tackles to go in the first round. The left tackle position and the right tackle position are crucial to an offensive line’s success, so having a quality, blue-chip guy at those positions is wise. The problem with this year’s draft class is that it really doesn’t have a top, standout guy. Out of the three best tackles in this draft class in Andrus Peat, La’el Collins, and T.J. Clemmings, many believe that the prospect with the highest ceiling is Peat.

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The best offensive linemen prospect in this year’s draft is Brandon Scherff and while the Iowa product did play left tackle in college, his measurables and his style of play could be better-suited at the guard position in the NFL. That said, Scherff gets removed from the tackle conversation and the top guy at the position, my opinion as well, is Peat.

Out of Stanford, it’s safe to say that Peat went to one of the smartest schools in the nation. Not only did he get three years of a Stanford education, but Peat also went to a school that is notorious for producing quality NFL players, especially on the offensive line. In the past few years, David DeCastro, David Yankey, and Cameron Fleming are just a few names that have transitioned into productive players in the NFL.

Peat is the next guy from Stanford to enter that conversation. At 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, with 34 1/2-inch arms, Peat is one of the bigger tackles in this draft class. He has broad shoulders and long arms, two traits which make NFL scouts absolutely salivate. He’s extremely powerful for a left tackle, which tells me he could start off his career at the right tackle position.

He does a great job with his hands. At Stanford, he played in an NFL-like system, which will make scouts further intrigued into the prospect. Another thing I love about Peat is his athleticism. He shows the ability to seal the edge and get to the second level of the defense.

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The Cincinnati Bengals are a team that could be intrigued by Peat. Unfortunately, even though it’s one of the most important positions on an offense, the left tackle position doesn’t get the attention the quarterback position or the wide receiver positions gets. However, one of the best offensive tackles in all of football is Andrew Whitworth.

The problem with Whitworth is that he’s aging and the Bengals have to start thinking about their long-term future. With Peat, the Bengals can get a player with the ability and the versatility to play guard and tackle. Besides Whitworth and right tackle Andre Smith, the Bengals really didn’t get much out of their interior offensive line.

For the first years of his career, when Whitworth is finishing his career in Cincinnati, Peat could easily play left guard or right guard and then make the transition over to left tackle when Whitworth retires.

Many Bengals fans will disagree, but given the contact he was just given, Andy Dalton is the man going forward for the Bengals. He hasn’t done much in his career, but if the Bengals want him to be the man who brings them far in the post-season, they will need to get him more protection upfront and drafting a player like Peat does just exactly that.

Next: Bengals 7-Round Mock Draft

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