Do Bengals land steal of the draft in latest mock?

NFL mock draft season is in full force as the "experts" do their best to predict who will land where in the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25 in Detroit. In NFL.com's Lance Zierlein's latest mock, the Bengals may just land the steal of the draft.

Zierlein has Cincinnati selecting Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu with pick No. 18 in the first round.

"Fashanu has good size and length, and plenty of upside, but he still has work to do to reach his potential," Zierlein writes.

Zierlein seems to be less high on the massive 6-foot-6, 319-pound offensive tackle than most are, and the Bengals could be benefactors if the rest of the league follows suit.

Fashanu currently ranks as the second-best offensive tackle and No. 9 overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' big board. 

Some, like NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, even believe he could be the first offensive tackle off the board. Brooks has the Titans selecting Fashanu with pick No. 7 in his latest mock draft. 

But in this exercise, Cincinnati lands Fashanu, which should have its fans jumping for joy. Fashanu seems to be the real deal after not allowing a single sack on 281 pass-blocking snaps in 2023.

The Bengals are going to need to address their offensive line in free agency or the draft since offensive tackle Jonah Williams will be a free agent.

Williams has likely played his last snap with Cincinnati after requesting to be traded last offseason following the signing of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who bumped him to the right side.

Even if Williams was interested in returning in 2024, however, the Bengals are much tighter on money after making Joe Burrow the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

That's why drafting a new offensive tackle like Fashanu in the first round would be a great investment for a cheap price.

It would be surprising if Fashanu did fall as far as he does in Zierlein's latest mock draft. But if he does, it's safe to say he wouldn't make it past No. 18 with Cincinnati looking to strengthen Burrow's offensive line.