Did Mel Kiper’s Final Mock Eliminate a Plan B Option for the Bengals at OT?

CINCINNATI – ESPN’s Mel Kiper released his final mock draft and held his annual pre-draft conference call today. In the process, he may have destroyed a possible Plan B for the Cincinnati Bengals if they don’t take an offensive tackle at No. 18.

On the latest episode of The PFN Bengals Podcast, Dallas Robinson and I did four mock drafts to explore the positional path based on whether Cincinnati takes an offensive tackle, defensive tackle, or wide receiver in the first round, or if they trade back.

In the latter three scenarios, the University of Washington’s Roger Rosengarten always landed as the best pick outside of the top six tackles, with the Bengals taking him in the third round.

Mel Kiper’s Evaluation of Roger Rosengarten Could Remove OT as Bengals Option

But Kiper sees that as farfetched, grading Rosengarten as a first-rounder and mocking him to the San Francisco 49ers at 31.

“I think he’s very underrated, and he’s not getting enough publicity for the kind of year he had,” Kiper said. “I know a lot of the projections have him in the second and third rounds. I’ve had him in the late first all along.”

On the latest PFN #Bengals podcast, @DallasDRobinson and I use the PFN Mock Draft Simulator to run 4 mocks in real time.
One starts OT, then DT, then WR, then a trade back to explore the different paths.
Let us know which you like best in the comments:https://t.co/LZn3vcGncM

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) April 10, 2024

PFN Lead Draft Analyst Ian Cummings has Rosengarten (6’5″, 311 pounds) as his No. 10 offensive tackle and ranks him 62nd on his big board.

In his scouting report of Rosengarten, Cummings cited the need to reach NFL-level play strength and an ability to control his high-energy motion.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler also has Rosengarten ranked as the No. 10 tackle in The Beast, while putting him at No. 69 in his Top 100.

“I know he had the penalty in the national title game that everybody kind of harps on like they did with (JC) Latham with the hiccup at the end of the game against Michigan in the semifinal, but overall he had a really good two years as a right tackle protecting the blind side of Michael Penix Jr.,” Kiper said.

Washington’s coaching staff moved Rosengarten from left tackle to right tackle when Michael Penix Jr. arrived, specifically to allow him to protect the left-handed quarterback’s blindside.

Rosengarten played 1,235 pass-blocking snaps for the Huskies in his two seasons as a starter. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed no sacks and just 32 pressures.

At the NFL Combine, Rosengarten ran a 4.92 40-yard dash and had a 30-inch vertical leap.

“Offensive line numbers don’t mean a whole heck of a lot. The bottom line is how does he play,” Kiper said. “But it does show you what kind of an athlete he is in addition to being a blindside protector.”

Asked if Rosengarten playing for former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ed McCaffrey at Valor Christian High School in Colorado and working with former 49ers great Joe Staley is factoring into where he has Rosengarten going, Kiper said his evaluation is based solely on the tape.

“Those are an additional couple of points, but I just like the kid and the way he played,” Kiper said. “Roger Rosengarten and (cornerback) T.J. Tampa are the two guys that I don’t think anybody really discusses as high as I have them.

“People always bring that up to me, ‘Nobody has Rosengarten anywhere near where you have him.’ I don’t know exactly where he’ll go, but I think he could go late first, early second. He’s a solid player.”

It’s not as though a Kiper mock is going to cause Rosengarten to rocket up the draft boards for a bunch of teams. But it only takes one franchise to see similar value in him in order for Rosengarten to be eliminated as a later option for the Bengals.

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