The Bengals addressed a position of need in Round Four, selecting North Carolina center Russell Bodine with the No. 111 pick on Saturday.
But let’s not bury the lede here: the Bengals traded up with the Seahawks to take Bodine, and the Bengals rarely ever trade up.
As longtime team observer Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com pointed out, the Bengals hadn’t moved up in the draft since 2002, when they jumped up six spots for tight end Matt Schobel. Furthermore, Hobson noted that the Bengals, including today’s deal, have only traded up three times in team history.
The Bengals’ only other move up the board was in 1995, when they moved into the No. 1 spot for running back Ki-Jana Carter.
Anyways, back to Bodine. A two-year starter with the Tar Heels, Bodine (6-3, 310) is likely to compete with Trevor Robinson for the Bengals’ starting center job. Strength doesn’t appear to be an issue for the Bengals’ newest offensive lineman; he bench-pressed 225 pounds 42 times at the Combine.
To move up for Bodine, the Bengals traded a fourth-round pick (No. 123) and a sixth-round selection (No. 199) to Seattle, a club that’s no stranger to wheeling-and-dealing during the draft. At No. 123, the Seahawks took their second wide receiver of the draft, selecting Alabama’s Kevin Norwood.
Two receivers? That’s interesting. But a Bengals Draft Day trade up the board? Now that’s one for the scrapbook.
