Bengals rookie Cordell Volson could find himself in the starting lineup

The Cincinnati Bengals spent their fourth-round pick on Cordell Volson out of North Dakota State. The offensive lineman might have a fighting chance at a starting job in 2022. 

Before free agency began, the Cincinnati Bengals seemed destined to draft an offensive lineman with the 31st overall pick. As free agency progressed, however, that was no longer a necessity for the team.

They ended up addressing the secondary with their first two picks and spent their third pick on defense as well.

In the fourth round, the Bengals drafted their first and only player on the offensive side of the ball. It was North Dakota State’s Cordell Volson.

The pick was a bit surprising to some but despite playing tackle in college, it was made clear that Volson would likely be switching to guard, as he projected better there.

Chad Reuter of NFL.com listed some Day 3 rookies who could have a solid chance of starting in the 2022 season and Volson made the cut.

Reuter wrote:

"The team was close to winning it all last year and will not have patience for lapses from 2021 second-round pick Jackson Carman or veteran Hakeem Adeniji — especially if Volson’s intelligence and determination as a blocker turns heads in training camp. Volson also has experience at tackle, so it would not be shocking if he got the call should Jonah Williams or La’el Collins be sidelined."

Bengals rookie OL Cordell Volson is a player to watch

Reuter focuses on the lackluster play by Jackson Carman and Hakeem Adeniji and also dives into the possibility of Volson filling in for either Jonah Williams or La’el Collins should either of them gets injured.

What he fails to mention, however, is the troubling news surrounding Carman. That could be a reason the former second-round pick doesn’t end up starting this year because it could lead to him missing time or not being with the team at all.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Cordell Volson receive quite a bit of playing time this year, whether it be from injuries or players not performing well but the Carman situation adds another element to it for sure.

Either way, it’s very possible that fourth-round rookie Cordell Volson ends up seeing a tremendous amount of playing time during his rookie year with the Cincinnati Bengals.