The Bengals are busy building their big board. Here’s another name to add.
The Cincinnati Bengals continue to build their own big board for the upcoming NFL Draft, and another name they appear to have added is Tennessee Volunteer defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, according to Ian Rapoport. He also visited with the Brown, Falcons, Bears and Bucs, and he has upcoming visits with the Bills and Titans.
The Bengals have previously met with defensive linemen Walter Nolen and James Pierce, and it’s clear they’re looking to bolster a defensive front that struggled to get to the passer, outside of Trey Hendrickson, of course.
Norman-Lott was featured on a talented and heavy rotation on the Volunteers defensive line, so his snaps were limited, but he he was primarily a three-tech. The undersized lineman excelled at creating havoc in the backfield, and led FBS defensive tackles in pass rush win rate and win percentage. Having a consistent pass rusher from the interior of the defensive line is something the Bengals have lacked since Geno Atkins’ departure.
The Bengals’ defense, even with Hendrickson’s lead-leading 17.5 sacks, only managed 36 sacks in total, landing them in the bottom 10 defenses in the league at generating pressure. In a conference with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson, who the Bengals play twice a season at a minimum, they can’t afford to not have more pass rushers. If the Bengals don’t find a defensive tackle, they like early, or if Norman-Lott is sitting available to them in the third or fourth rounds, selecting him would absolutely make sense.
ESPN ranks Norman-Lott as the seventh-best defensive tackle and the No. 52 overall ranked player in this year’s draft class. PFF ranks him as the ninth-best interior defender and the No. 66 overall selection. Dane Brugler, however, has Norman-Lott as this year’s 15th-ranked interior defensive lineman has him outside the top-100 prospects in this year’s “The Beast,” and believes he’ll be a third or fourth-round pick.
What would you think about the Bengals grabbing Norman-Lott on Day 2 or early Day 3 in this year’s draft?