NFL insider floats a ‘wild-card’ rumor about Bengals’ first-round pick

The Cincinnati Bengals have a really small list of obvious draft targets at No. 10 overall this year.

Those fall on the defensive side of the ball, of course. There’s Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles. Then there’s the cornerback debate between Mansoor Delane and Jermod McCoy.

But what about Kadyn Proctor?

For those a little blindsided by this, Proctor out of Alabama is one of the best offensive tackles in the draft class. Not a familiar name to Bengals fans, given the focus on defense.

But Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated floated the idea in a recent mailbag: “Damon, my guess is that No. 10 is close to being the floor for Downs. I don’t say that unequivocally because I think Bain could be in play for them, as well as the top two corners (again, depending on what they think of McCoy’s knee). I’d also throw Proctor in there as a wild-card name I’ve heard for Cincinnati.”

Maybe this was just said in passing around the NFL as something the Bengals might do as a last-case scenario at No. 10. Styles, Delane and Downs could be gone by the time they get to the podium. If they don’t like the medicals on McCoy and can’t find a trade-down partner, maybe Proctor would really be the top player on their board.

It would be a controversial pick for the Bengals, to say the least. Proctor is the 27th-ranked player at PFF, for example. Orlando Brown will turn 30 next month, but just signed an extension. Amarius Mims is a former first-rounder who looks like he could be a long-term starter. There’s no guarantee Proctor could kick inside to guard, if needed.