The Bengals got a long look at a pair of top offensive line prospects this week. According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Bengals hosted Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu on a top-30 visit on Tuesday. The Bengals also have a top-30 visit scheduled with Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, per Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler.
After redshirting as a freshman and playing sparingly during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, Fautanu emerged as a full-time starter in Washington between 2022 and 2023. This culminated in a 2023 campaign where he earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors. That performance also propelled him up the draft boards, as Fautanu is expected to hear his name called at some point during the first round.
Fuaga is one of the offensive tackles competing with Fautanu to be selected in the first round. The Oregon State product was also a first-team All-Pac-12 honoree this past season. Scouts have lauded the prospect’s offensive line IQ, and there’s some belief he could play both tackle and guard in the NFL.
The Bengals brought in Trent Brown to play opposite Orlando Brown Jr., so the team doesn’t desperately need an OT. However, as Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic noted Friday, the Bengals still need a swing tackle, and they’d love for a rookie to provide Brown with some competition at right tackle.
If the Bengals do opt for a first-round offensive tackle, Dehner can’t envision the coaching staff playing around with the rookie’s position. Alex Cappa is firmly entrenched in one guard spot, and the Bengals “really like the progress” of Cordell Volson, per Dehner.
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