Cincinnati upgrades its secondary with the selection of McDuffie. The Bengals have made strides this season but they need to keep adding blue chip players.
Linderbaum is another Iowa product who plays with brilliant technique and efficient manipulation of every fundamental skill a lineman could possess. He moves with a balanced strength combining leverage and use of angles to overcome larger opponents. Linderbaum is arguably the most technically sound interior offensive lineman in this draft class. At the center position, he is hands down the best option and a potential day one starter.
The Bengals need secondary help, and they get it right in their own backyard. The man they call "Sauce" is a complete corner, with the ability to make opposing receivers disappear, and is a sure tackler if his man does happen to come up with the ball.
The Cincinnati Bengals use this pick to draft OT Jaxson Kirkland. Kirkland has good feet and held his own in his matchup against the best edge rusher in this class, Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Bengals love to push the ball down the field to their many weapons but will need to be able to protect long enough for those plays to develop.
McCreary has had one of the best cornerback careers of the PFF College era, and his 2021 campaign is his best yet. The Auburn corner earned 78.0 and 80.8 PFF grades in 2019 and 2020, and he possesses an FBS-high 90.3 mark through Week 12 of 2021. He's always at the catch point and rarely loses, as only Stingley has forced more tight coverage than McCreary since 2019. He's smart, fast and scheme-versatile. Even in a talented corner class, McCreary is an easy first-rounder in my eyes.
Gardner hasn't surrendered a touchdown over the entirety of his three-year career with the Bearcats, and with this pick he could stay near his college. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he's a lanky press-coverage corner who has the length to consistently cloud throwing windows and make it hard for receivers at the line. The Bengals' defense has been better this season, but it still ranks 24th in passing yards allowed per game (260.3).
