Cincinnati Bengals: Final 7-round 2019 NFL mock draft on draft day

By Kenn Korb | Apr 25, 2019

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Jonathan Bonner #55, Jay Hayes #93 and Jerry Tillery #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a defensive stop on 4th down against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on November 18, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Navy 24-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 05: Jerry Tillery #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates after making a tackle against the Texas Longhorns during the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on September 5, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

Round 2, Pick 42: Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame

Last season, when everybody was healthy, the offense was not a problem for the Bengals. They were putting up points in bunches on the way to a 4-1 start, and if guys like A.J. Green, Andy Dalton and Tyler Eifert had stayed on the field, this could have been a team fighting for the playoffs rather than just playing out the stretch and hoping nobody else got hurt.

With that in mind, it isn’t crazy to think that the offense may have a high enough floor (health permitting) that Cincinnati can be comfortable using two-straight picks on their milquetoast defense.

If they do so, and that first selection is for a linebacker, bolstering their defensive line depth would be a fine idea, based off not only making their biggest defensive strength stronger, but also that the best player who may be left on the board plays among that position group.

Jerry Tillery may not be as immediate of a contributor as others at his position (which makes sense, since he was an offensive lineman prior to college and is still learning the nuances of the other side of the ball), but he has an intriguing size-power combo that could allow him to be dominant in the years to come.

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