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Including the postseason, Joe Burrow was sacked 70 times in 20 games in 2021. Whether it's via free agency and/or the draft, the biggest priority this offseason should be to make sure Burrow isn't sacked 70 times in '22. Green was a three-year starter at Texas A&M who has made starts at every position along the offensive line except center.

The combine was my first chance to see Penning in action, and while I love his demeanor, I have doubts about whether he can play left tackle in the NFL. I don't think he's athletic enough to stick there and routinely win against NFL edge rushers. That said, while right tackle is where I think he ends up, the Bengals need help all over their line, and Penning provides that.

Pending free agent Eli Apple clearly wasn't the answer at cornerback. Elam is a 6-foot-2 corner with elite ball skills who fine-tuned his technique after an underwhelming sophomore season. His game is built on speed and physicality, which you normally don't see in the same toolkit.

Ahem... the Bengals adding perhaps the best interior lineman in the draft at No. 31 doesn't really seem fair, but Green being available makes it a no-brainer and gives Joe Burrow someone else to protect him in the pocket.

You won't find many mock drafts handing the Bengals someone other than an offensive lineman. It's a glaring problem that led to 74 sacks allowed in 2021 between the regular season and playoffs, and their 48.8% pass block win rate was the NFL's third worst. That's disaster waiting to happen when you have one of the game's brightest young passers in Joe Burrow playing behind that line.

Central Michigan's Bernhard Raimann is one option, but I love Johnson's versatility and smoothness in pass pro. He posted a 32-inch vertical jump, 32 reps on the bench press and 7.38 seconds in the three-cone drill -- all top-four results among the offensive linemen. Riley Reiff and Quinton Spain are off to free agency, and Johnson is putting in work at center, meaning he could play any of the interior positions for Cincinnati.

Smith's stump-grinding power will be an immediate help at guard while he continues to hone his technique before bumping outside as a starting tackle in the future. Smith is a fast riser in the pre-draft process.

Last offseason the Kansas City Chiefs, after seeing their quarterback under siege in the pocket during most of Super Bowl LV, revamped their entire offensive line. The Cincinnati Bengals do not need to redo their entire group up front, but making sure they can protect Joe Burrow is a huge priority. Trevor Penning plays with a nasty streak -- something he talked about in Indianapolis and that was on display throughout Senior Bowl practices -- and can handle both zone and gap/power blocking designs in the run game.

Making sure the Bengals have their best five options in front of Burrow for Week 1 next season is an offseason priority, and this is a step towards achieving that goal.