Bengals prospect visit might hint at NFL draft plans

Offensive line continues to quietly lurk as a need for the Cincinnati Bengals in the upcoming draft.

It’s not just the concerning depth on the interior, either. The Bengals could use another swing backup offensive tackle to get in the mix and improve the depth and long-term outlook there.

That might explain why the Bengals have a “30” visit lined up with Florida’s Austin Barber.

Barber revealed the news during a chat with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo:

“I had formal and informal interviews at the NFL Combine. I met with a bunch of teams at the Senior Bowl. I’ve pretty much met with every team in the NFL. I’m about to take some pre-draft “30” visits with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, and the Arizona Cardinals.”

Here’s NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein on Barber:

“Tall tackle prospect with starting experience at both tackle spots. He’s played against top-tier talent in the SEC, which bolsters his case, but his struggles against Texas A&M and Miami provide an idea of his ceiling. He has good feet and strong hands. He knows how to play but he struggles to bend and drive at the point of attack. Same goes for anchoring or defending his edges against power rushers. Barber projects as a Day 3 pick with a chance of becoming a swing tackle.”

The Bengals recently extended Orlando Brown and have Amarius Mims starting on the other side. But Cody Ford sticks out as the only viable swing backup right now.

Barber would be a developmental pick, but the Bengals clearly have an emphasis on keeping the new names onboarding, given the ever-increasing importance of offensive line depth leaguewide.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals prospect visit might hint at NFL draft plans