Kentucky OL Darian Kinnard makes sense for Cincinnati Bengals
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium to advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the 1988 season. The Who Dey faithful is living in a surreal reality.
Instead of diving all into draft prospects, folks are making plans for the Super Bowl. What a time to be alive. However, the draft season officially kicked off this week.
Senior Bowl practices began on Tuesday, and Kentucky is well represented with Yusuf Corker, Luke Fortner, and Darian Kinnard participating.
With the live practices come mock drafts.
Over the next two-plus months there will be risers and fallers on draft boards. For Kinnard, the former four-star recruit appears to be a top-50 prospect with a chance to sneak into the backend of the first round. The All-American makes sense for a franchise that must fix what is one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines to protect star quarterback Joe Burrow.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports released a mock on Tuesday that has Kinnard going to the Bengals at No. 31 overall.
“The Bengals opted to take Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell and it was the right move, even though Sewell has shown well in Detroit. But they still need to make protecting Joe Burrow a priority,” writes Wilson. “Kinnard is a mauler who plays with an edge and he can wreak havoc as both a run-and pass-blocker.”
The right side of the Bengals offensive line needs major help. Kinnard could potentially walk in and be a starter at either right guard or right tackle.
Darian Kinnard is making waves at the Senior Bowl
On Tuesday, practices got rolling down in Mobile, Ala., and Darian Kinnard did not wait long to make a splash. In one-on-one’s with Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson, things got a bit heated.
Kinnard appeared to have one of the best days in the first practice and was consistently battling with Johnson in a matchup between a pair of top-50 prospects.
There were some questions about if Kinnard would be a tackle at the NFL level and the star college player is getting a chance to show he can hold up on the edge. Measuring in at 6-4, 324 pounds, with 11-plus inch hands and 83-inch wingspan, Kinnard has the frame to succeed at tackle.
That first-round mock may be on to something.
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