Bengals address needs on offensive and defensive lines in NFL draft, add a receiver for depth

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The Cincinnati Bengals used the NFL draft to take some of the pieces they believe were most needed to address weaknesses.

The Bengals want to keep oft-sacked franchise quarterback Joe Burrow off the turf. Toward that end, they took huge Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims (first round, 18th overall).

To add depth to the interior of the defensive line, they got defensive tackles Kris Jenkins from Michigan (second round, 49th overall) and McKinnley Jackson from Texas A&M (third round, 97th overall).

With some uncertainly in its receiver ranks, Cincinnati added Alabama’s Jermaine Burton (round 3, 80th overall).

First-round pick Mims — 6-foot-8, 340 pounds — may be a long-term solution at right tackle who can help keep Burrow’s uniform clean.

The Bengals lost tackle Jonah Williams to Arizona in free agency. They have Orlando Brown Jr. on the left side and signed 10-year veteran Trent Brown to a one-year contract to play on the right side for 2024.
That means Cincinnati can ease Mims into the rotation behind the two veterans who can help coach him up.

“I feel like I’m a nasty football player,” Mims said. ”At O-line, you’ve got to do that. You’ve got to be like that, honestly, just because you’re playing the hardest position on the field, in my opinion.”

Bengals coaches speculated Mims dropped in the draft because of a relative lack of snaps for a three-year college lineman. He played in seven games and suffered a high ankle sprain that required surgery in 2023. He started just eight total games at Georgia.

Mims said he has plenty of tape he can show to doubters. The Bengals certainly liked what they saw.

“I don’t want to argue back and forth with people about starts and snaps, or how many I got, how many the other person got in front of me,” Mims told reporters. “I made the most out of my opportunities, and now I’m here.”