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The Cincinnati Bengals are in desperate need of an upgrade at offensive tackle after losing starting tackle Stacy Andrews to free agency. The team is expected to address the position via the draft and could do so with the sixth overall selection next month.

The Bengals appear to have their sights set on Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith, who has solidified himself as the top-ranked tackle entering the draft with his combine and Pro Day workouts. Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander attended the school's workout where Smith participated in only position drills, standing on his combine numbers for all other drills.

The coaching staff apparently liked what they saw during the workouts. Smith is scheduled to be in Cincinnati within the next two weeks to meet with the organization.

The addition of Smith would no doubt help shore up the Bengals' worrisome offensive line. The first-team All-American tackle brings a lot to the table, but I think he said it best when asked what he would bring to an NFL team.

"A consistent, productive, player with attitude and leadership," Smith said in a phone interview Thursday, March 12. "There is no other special formula to it. That pretty much sums it up for me. I take pride in performing and doing what I'm asked to do."

The 6-foot-5, 309-pound Smith is extremely versatile and can dominate at either tackle positions, serving up pancakes on opponents at a rate to rival the International House of Pancakes. He has great body control, athletic ability, flexibility, quickness and is very aggressive. He recovers quickly off blocks and shows good agility when pull-blocking. Smith is a premiere pass-blocker after playing in a spread offense throughout his college career. He will need to work on playing more out of a three-point stance at the pro level.

"When I'm on the field I do what I'm trained to do, especially on game day," Smith said. "I'm going to react and respond on game day. It doesn't matter where I line up because football is football. You just need to be productive."

Smith said that he patterns his game after Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Walter Jones and Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Collins, who he watched a lot of in college. Coincidently, Seattle, with the fourth overall selection, is another team coveting Smith.

Although the Bengals may have designs on the top-rated tackle, it is highly unlikely that Smith will be available when the team makes its selection. There are rumblings that the Detroit Lions, with the first overall selection, could consider using the pick on Smith.

No matter how the draft plays out, Smith is not likely to make it past the Cincinnati Bengals.

Carlos "Big C" Holmes covers the NFL for the Dayton Daily News.

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