Who will the Bengals pick at #5 of the APC Community Mock Draft?

Atlanta’s new regime resisted trade offers in the APC Community Mock Draft and picked up tight end Kyle Pitts from Florida, giving the Falcons a receiving corps to be feared and bridge to the future as Julio Jones ages. Next up is the team who picked #1 last year, the Cincinnati Bengals. Helping Joe Burrow is the number one priority here. Whether that’s with an OT like Penei Sewell or a WR like Ja’Marr Chase is yet to be seen. While the Bengals did sign OT Riley Reiff this offseason, they may want to continue to bolster their line so as not to see another season-ending injury to their franchise QB. But the reunion of Burrow and Chase may be too good to pass up. Let’s take a look at the prospects and recap our first 4 picks:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
4. Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida

Here are the options we see for Cincinnati at #5.

Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

The consensus top offensive lineman in the draft, Sewell opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An elite athlete at tackle, Sewell brings a nasty demeanor to his game and exceptional strength as well. He won the Outland Trophy as college football’s best lineman as a sophomore in 2019, putting him firmly in the 2021 draft discussion with a year to go.

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU

While DeVonta Smith from Alabama won the Heisman Trophy, Chase’s numbers and tape from 2019 give him a leg up on Smith in this year’s draft class. That year, he was more explosive than Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ first-rounder in 2020 who set rookie receiving records last fall; Chase averaged more than 21 yards per catch and scored 20 times while working with #1 pick Joe Burrow. He’s an incredible athlete who has room to improve his technique and route-running; if he does, he looks like he’ll have the makings of a perennial Pro Bowler.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

In 2021, Smith had a season for the ages as he became the first wideout to win the Heisman Trophy in 30 years (Desmond Howard, 1991) and the first player at any position other than quarterback or running back to win it since Charles Woodson in 1997. The featured weapon in the Crimson Tide’s passing game, Smith’s speed and refined route-running fueled him to 117 receptions for over 1,800 yards and 23 scores, adding one more on the ground. The questions about him are almost entirely about his physical build; can a 6-foot-1, 170-pound receiver hold up in today’s NFL?

With the 5th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select…

Check back later to see who will be joining Burrow in Cincinnati as they look to revitalize the Bengals and make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. At 4 PM EST today, we’ll be running down the options for the Miami Dolphins at #6 and how they can maximize Tua Tagovailoa’s talent in this draft.