The Cincinnati Bengals will be a Super Bowl contender in 2023 regardless of what happens in the upcoming NFL draft.
As long as Joe Burrow is under center, the Bengals’ Super Bowl window is open.
But there are still some ways Cincinnati can upgrade their roster and improve their odds of winning the Super Bowl.
And one of those ways is via the 2023 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati Bengals could use some competition at left guard
One area where the Bengals could improve is at left guard.
Rookie Cordell Volson played well at times in 2022, but if the Bengals want to take home the Lombard Trophy, they could use a higher-level play at left guard.
It seems unlikely that Cincy will spend big at left guard in free agency — Volson still deserves a chance to compete for the job after all — but they could find some value late in the draft to provide some competition.
That’s why I think the Bengals would be wise to target Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Jerome Carvin in the later rounds of the draft.
Carvin is being severely overlooked by draft analysts.
The former Vols standout is being projected in several mock drafts as a seventh-round pick.
That’s despite the fact that Carvin started 26 SEC games over the last two years and allowed just one sack.
Carvin has extensive experience in the SEC at left guard, right guard, and center. Left guard, however, has proven to be his best position. Still, he’s a player that would provide a lot of versatility as a late-round pick.
Carvin is far from a sure thing. But he’s the type of player that could end up being one of those “surprise guys” that folks wonder a few years from now how he fell so far in the draft.
Jerome Carvin controls the defender. He’s played all 3 spots on the interior pic.twitter.com/L45Ue4RuJk
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 31, 2023
The later rounds are all about taking gambles and this is one of the better bets the Bengals could make.
