Daniel Faalele Would Be A "Big" Help To The Cincinnati Bengals
This freakishly big human is Daniel Faalele. He’s been a staple at the University of Minnesota as the right tackle for the three seasons (he opted out in 2020 due to the pandemic). He is 6 foot 9, 380 pounds. Let that sink in for a second. Before going to Minnesota, he only had one year of organized football at IMG Academy. Why is that? Well, he is from Australia and originally played rugby and basketball. If you take a charge from this guy, you are going to get hurt. In his final game against West Virginia, he lined up as a fullback for one play. The defense immediately called timeout. I can only imagine what that conversation was like on the sideline.
“Coach, what if he gets the ball?”
“He won’t. It’s only a trick to get us offsides.”
“But what if he actually gets it?”
“Stop him!”
“And how the heck do we do that?”
“There’s only ten seconds left in the timeout, get back out there!”
Ten seconds later, he gets the carry and gets in easily from the two yard line. Coaches on the sideline have no words.
Ok, now that I’m done with my comedy routine, I want to tell you the point of this article. The draft is coming up relatively soon and there is one team that comes to mind when you think of offensive line issues. That team is none other than the AFC North champs, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Why This Makes Sense
Joe Burrow has not had the best protection in his first two seasons. The left side of the line seems to be in good shape with Jonah Williams at left tackle and Jackson Carman will eventually become the regular starter at left guard. Carman was a second round pick from Clemson and is originally from Cincinnati. The problem right now is the right side of the line. The big addition in the offseason to address it was signing Riley Reiff from the Vikings.
Riley Reiff…really? How’d that work out? He’s on injured reserve right now and Burrow was the most sacked quarterback (41 times), so not great. No doubt Daniel Faalele is the biggest body in the draft. The one major downside is that his size sometimes limits his mobility. But he is a certified people mover. There is a chance he may be a guard at the NFL level. The Bengals are in the playoffs which means they will have a pick in the 20s or 30s depending on how they finish, and that might not be high enough to get the big guy. Faalele is viewed as a late first or early second round pick. Does it make sense for the Bengals to trade up a few spots to get him? If they really want him, sure. Tampa Bay moved up one spot in the draft in 2020 to draft right tackle Tristan Wirfs from Iowa. Wirfs has looked great so far.
Biggest Priority
No pun intended, but improving the right side of the line is the most important job for the Bengals in the offseason. They will also have the 25th pick in the future rounds as of right now. Maybe the Bengals package some of those picks to move up in round two and take the best guard available after taking Faalele in round one. Trey Hopkins is a young center who the team will hope will develop into a regular NFL starter. It isn’t a full proof plan, but this is a way the Bengals can get a solid young offensive line for Joe Burrow.
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