2019 NFL Mock Draft: Ed Oliver, Nick Bosa fight for top spot
By Randy Gurzi
13. Cincinnati Bengals: Derrick Brown, Auburn, DT
Well, Marvin Lewis isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It looked like he was ready to leave the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, but that ended up not coming to fruition. Instead, the coach continued his incredibly long tenure with the franchise.
They enter Week 2 with a 1-0 record after defeating the Indianapolis Colts. They looked good in the win, but before believing they’re back to being a threat in the AFC we need to see them put together another good showing against a better team.
What we do know is their offense looked better after a complete offseason in Bill Lazor’s system. There’s still plenty of room for improvement on that side — with the offensive line needing some upgrades.
They may ignore that still and look elsewhere. Lewis remaining on staff means he’ll still have plenty of input on their draft and he’s a defensive guy at heart. Look for them to decide to go for O-line later in the draft and add themselves another force on the defensive line here with Derrick Brown out of Auburn.
Brown is massive at 322 pounds, but like Vita Vea who went 12th overall in 2018, he’s got more athleticism than his frame indicates. He could play either defensive tackle spot and would learn from Geno Atkins while also helping him play even better by drawing attention from blockers.