Breaking down the Bengals’ selection of Matt Lee in Round 7

The Bengals waited until the very end to grab an interior offensive lineman, but they got a good one.

The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their part of the 2024 NFL Draft by using their 10th and final selection on Miami (FL) center Matt Lee.

Lee spent four years at UCF, and since he was redshirted his freshman year, he was able to transfer to the Hurricanes to play his senior season. While at UCF, he started 36 games at center and was named to the Second-Team All-AAC in 2022 and First-Team All-AAC in 2020.

In his single season with the Hurricanes, he started 12 games, all at center, and was named Second-Team All-ACC.

What are the Bengals getting in Lee?

Lee is small, which raised flags for a lot of teams in the scouting process. He weighed in at just 288 pounds at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and there are some concerns about his ability to be an effective run blocker or whether he can stand up to a bull rush or not.

However, he’s a technician as a pass protector at the center position who makes up for his lack of mass with above-average strength and a head that keeps moving. In other words, despite his size, he wasn’t beaten often as a pass protector.

As you can see at Pro Football Focus, Lee rarely allowed his QB to get pressured over the last three seasons.

If you’re strictly going off Twitter, Matt Lee may have been the Bengals’ best selection this year.

What will Lee do for the Bengals?

Ted Karras is the starting center on the team, and unless he gets hurt, Lee won’t be asked to do much other than learn from a seasoned veteran and stay ready. He’ll also cut his teeth in special teams as he gets used to game speed in the NFL.

Anything he could do that would create a significant impact would likely come after the 2024 season unless things really come unraveled. He’ll go into camp looking to fight for a spot on the depth chart as Karras’ backup with guys like Trey Hill and Nate Gilliam.

As he competes for that role, he’ll need to improve his ability as a run blocker. It would be good if he could put on a little weight, if possible, or maybe the Bengals can hire Jason Kelce to teach him how to pull like a guard.

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