FOX Sports Sees Shades of Bengals Legend Max Montoya in Dylan Fairchild

 Dylan Fairchild could be a very important part of the Bengals' offense this decade. FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang thinks of former Bengals Pro Bowl guard Max Montoya when he thinks about Fairchild.

Montoya is one of the greatest players in Bengals history, ranking 11th in franchise history with a 94 Approximate Value on Pro Football Reference.

"Cincinnati has dedicated a lot of draft picks and money to its skill positions and is now hoping that Fairchild can step right into a starting role as a rookie," Rang wrote. "He was overshadowed for much of his time at Georgia, and the megawatt star power in Cincinnati guarantees the same will occur with the Bengals, even if he plays well as a rookie. I like his bulk, strength, agility, and mentality and think he’ll prove a longtime starter, perhaps emerging as the best guard for the Bengals since Montoya, the only player at this position ever selected to the Pro Bowl from Cincinnati."

Now, this is more of a fun thought exercise than Rang saying Fairchild is the next Max Montoya. Bengals fans would surely welcome that kind of development after the team's cycled through guard after guard for much of the past decade.

Fairchild will battle it out for a chance to start at one of the guard spots in training camp.