Cincinnati Bengals ready for turnaround in 7-round 2020 mock draft

As mentioned, the interior offensive line in Cincinnati could use some work. 2018 first-round pick Billy Price hasn’t quite panned out but could also move to center over Trey Hopkins. Meanwhile, free-agent signee Xavier Su’a-Filo is nothing but a stopgap veteran with little upside. Thus, taking a player like Robert Hunt to start Round 3 makes a lot of sense in terms of value.

Hunt is a great mover in space and plays with tremendous power and pop when on the line, though he played tackle for Louisiana in college. However, his issues at the position were with footwork, which becomes less of a concern if he makes the projected move inside to play guard.

Adding that type of force on the interior along with getting Jonah Williams in the fold and having veteran Bobby Hart at right tackle (and maybe Price to move to center), this line could be ready to protect Burrow and help the young quarterback by paving the way for star-in-the-making Joe Mixon at running back.

For whatever reason, some people have pegged edge defender as a primary need for the Cincinnati Bengals. They certainly could stand to add mid-round depth at the position but it’s not of grave concern. Carl Lawson has flashed in his young career, as has Sam Hubbard. So with that plus veteran Carlos Dunlap in the fold, it makes more sense to me for the franchise to address other needs early and grab a player like Bradlee Anae outside of the top 100 picks.

Anae is not going to wow anyone with his athletic traits but he will turn heads with the motor he plays with. Despite being the focal point of the Utes defense in college, he was an unrelenting force coming off the edge and simply wore opposing offensive linemen down with his physical play that never stops. That makes him a valuable tone-setter on this Bengals defensive front and someone who could be an impact player in a rotation at defensive end.