March 31, 201610 yr 1. Wide Receiver This need is fairly obvious. While A.J. Green remains an elite wide receiver, the dropoff between he and Brandon Tate, currently listed as the team's second wide receiver, is significant. The Bengals signed Brandon LaFell today, and he'll take the No. 2 role, for now, heading into the draft. But with James Wright and Jake Kumerow rounding out the current group, Cincinnati is still in desperate need of a real No. 2 pass-catcher. This year's draft class has some intriguing prospects, but the Bengals are reportedly highest on Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas. The notion that Thomas is a first round wideout seems a bit ridiculous, considering the fact that Laquon Treadwell, Corey Coleman and Josh Doctson will all likely come off the board before him, and even Will Fuller and/or Tyler Boyd could pass him up in the draft. Last season, six wide receivers came off the board in the first round, but that could be partially attributed to a historically dominant 2014 wide receiving draft class. This year, I only expect three wide receivers to come off the board in Round 1, and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiahmocked three wideouts in the first round of his latest mock draft. Though wide receiver is easily the Bengals' biggest need, this doesn't necessarily mean that the team will try to fill the need in the first round. Even if Michael Thomas comes off the board before the Bengals have a chance to draft him, guys like Will Fuller, Tyler Boyd, Pharoh Cooper, Sterling Shepard and Braxton Miller could still be around in Round 2, and plenty of guys will be available even later in the draft. Let's not forget that Marvin Jones was a fifth round selection and T.J. Houshmandzadeh was a seventh-rounder. The Bengals could take a patient approach in the draft when it comes to wide receiver; after all, they still have A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert on the roster. 2. Cornerback The Bengals selected Dre Kirkpatrick in the first round of the 2012 Draft and Darqueze Dennard in the first round of the 2014 Draft, so the question remains: will Cincinnati continue the streak of picking a corner in the first round of every other draft? Whether the Bengals pick a corner in Round 1 or Round 7, it seems certain that the team will take a corner. Kirkpatrick, who was consistently burned last year, is still the team's number two corner, and he'll be a free agent after this season. Kirkpatrick has shown bright moments, and Bengals fans all hope he can emerge as the playmaker he was once expected to be when he was selected in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. If Kirkpatrick can't show progress, however, the Bengals could end up letting him walk in free agency. And even if Kirkpatrick progresses, Cincinnati still needs depth at corner. Leon Hall has made a couple of visits with other teams, and he probably won't return to Cincinnati. While Dennard could be a solid replacement as the team's slot corner, he is coming off a serious injury. Eli Apple, Mackensie Alexander and William Jackson III could all be solid first or second round options, depending on how the draft falls. The Bengals also seem to like third round prospect Zack Sanchez. Where the Bengals will take a corner, who the selection will be and how many corners the team will pick remains a mystery, but the odds of Cincinnati drafting a corner in April are very high. 3. Defensive Tackle The Bengals will likely place Brandon Thompson on PUP to start the season, and DeShawn Williams, the team's sixth defensive tackle on a contract will have to have an impressive training camp and preseason to make the 53-man roster. Ahead of him are Geno Atkins, Domata Peko, Marcus Hardison and Pat Sims. Cincinnati needs to draft a defensive tackle, specifically a nose tackle, to serve as Peko's long-term replacement. Defensive tackle is the deepest position in the draft, so it's tricky to predict whether the Bengals will elect to take a defensive tackle early or wait until late in the draft to address the need. 4. Safety 5. DE 6. Interior OL 7. RB 8. OT 9. LB 10. Kicker Bengals top 1 needs heading into the 216 NFL Draft - Cincy Jungle
March 31, 201610 yr I'm assuming the Center position is covered by number 6 (Interior off line)... I might even put the Center position in the top 3... It's been pretty weak the last several years.
March 31, 201610 yr Author I'm assuming the Center position is covered by number 6 (Interior off line)... I might even put the Center position in the top 3... It's been pretty weak the last several years. From the article: I get it; Bengals fans don't think Russell Bodine is the answer at center. I'm higher on him than most, given the fact that he's just 23-years-old and hasn't even hit his prime, but the Bengals' lack of depth on the interior line is a need, whether you think Bodine needs to be replaced or not. Bodine played every snap of the 2015 season. His backup, T.J. Johnson, has played 22 career offensive snaps and would not be suited to play center in the case of an injury along the interior of the offensive line. The Bengals should consider drafting an interior offensive lineman who can play guard or center, as he'll back up Bodine and both the guards. Kevin Zeitler and Clint Boling are both excellent guards, but Zeitler will hit free agency in 2017 and the two players don't have a reliable backup. While Jake Fisher could back up these guys inside, that would leave Eric Winston as the team's sole backup offensive tackle. Ultimately, the Bengals just need depth on the offensive line. Even if the Bengals were to draft USC center Ryan Kelly, it's highly unlikely Kelly would see any more than 30 snaps on the season, barring an injury to a starter. But with a historically high number of concussions in 2015 and an extensive amount of injuries to offensive lineman around the league, the Bengals need to play it safe and establish depth behind Boling, Bodine and Zeitler. If Cincinnati is unable to work out a long-term with Zeitler in 2017, the player the Bengals select could end up starting just a year from now.
March 31, 201610 yr Author For starters I may consider switching 2 and 3. I think DT is a greater need than CB but they are both problematic positions for the Bengals.
March 31, 201610 yr Author Looking through the rest of that list I may place a higher rank on LB but I agree with the author there is a logjam of LBs on the current roster and space is limited. Overall I think it is a good summary.
March 31, 201610 yr Read an article the other day that tried to compare some of this year's WR prospects with a current NFL player. The one they had for Michael Thomas out of Ohio State, was Marvin Jones. The writer of the article said, no wonder the Bengals may be so high on him, compared to other teams! As to whether they take a CB in the first round...I doubt it. Although, if for some reason Eli Apple was still there come their pick, I'll admit I'd at least consider it (depending on who is still on the board for WR). Given that it's a pass-happy league now, I don't think you can have too many quality corners. Like the article, I'm still not sure on Dre, and don't know how healthy Dennard is going to be, both short term and long term.
April 1, 201610 yr Can you draft an owner? Honestly there is very little to complain about how Mike Brown has done as the owner over the last 6 years. Your post belongs back in the 90s and early 2000s.
April 1, 201610 yr From the article: I get it; Bengals fans don't think Russell Bodine is the answer at center. I'm higher on him than most, given the fact that he's just 23-years-old and hasn't even hit his prime, but the Bengals' lack of depth on the interior line is a need, whether you think Bodine needs to be replaced or not. Bodine played every snap of the 2015 season. His backup, T.J. Johnson, has played 22 career offensive snaps and would not be suited to play center in the case of an injury along the interior of the offensive line. The Bengals should consider drafting an interior offensive lineman who can play guard or center, as he'll back up Bodine and both the guards. Kevin Zeitler and Clint Boling are both excellent guards, but Zeitler will hit free agency in 2017 and the two players don't have a reliable backup. While Jake Fisher could back up these guys inside, that would leave Eric Winston as the team's sole backup offensive tackle. Ultimately, the Bengals just need depth on the offensive line. Even if the Bengals were to draft USC center Ryan Kelly, it's highly unlikely Kelly would see any more than 30 snaps on the season, barring an injury to a starter. But with a historically high number of concussions in 2015 and an extensive amount of injuries to offensive lineman around the league, the Bengals need to play it safe and establish depth behind Boling, Bodine and Zeitler. If Cincinnati is unable to work out a long-term with Zeitler in 2017, the player the Bengals select could end up starting just a year from now. For some reason I have never been a fan of Cincy jungle artlicles and usually find a lot o disagree with. Completley disagree with them on saying Boling is an excellent guard. I bet if the Bengals had to do it over they probably wouldn't have signed him back last year for that price.
April 1, 201610 yr Bengals definitely need another WR but I am generally opposed to taking a WR in the 1st round, even if it is a mid-to-late round selection. My vote would be for the best defensive player available.
April 1, 201610 yr Can you draft an owner? What have Mike and Katie done over the past few seasons to tick you off now?
April 1, 201610 yr Honestly there is very little to complain about how Mike Brown has done as the owner over the last 6 years. Your post belongs back in the 90s and early 2000s. What have Mike and Katie done over the past few seasons to tick you off now? They run a business and its a good business. I just wish they ran it like it was a hobby for them. Holding the county at gun point and crying poor. I like the team and they have put a decent product on the field. just not huge fans. Also goes back to a little arrogance Katie showed to one of my buddies years ago.
April 1, 201610 yr Author They run a business and its a good business. I just wish they ran it like it was a hobby for them. Holding the county at gun point and crying poor. I like the team and they have put a decent product on the field. just not huge fans. Also goes back to a little arrogance Katie showed to one of my buddies years ago. I don't blame them for holding the city hostage just a little. This is big business, if the city of Cincinnati doesn't want them the Bengals plenty of cities will step to the plate. I ran into Mike Brown two or three years ago, he wasn't very friendly, who cares. At least that is how I look at it. I can only imagine how many people say how many negative things to them.
April 1, 201610 yr I don't blame them for holding the city hostage just a little. This is big business, if the city of Cincinnati doesn't want them the Bengals plenty of cities will step to the plate. I ran into Mike Brown two or three years ago, he wasn't very friendly, who cares. At least that is how I look at it. I can only imagine how many people say how many negative things to them. I completely understood all the Mike Brown haters because for many years the way he ran the team was horrible. However there is very little to complain about how he does things now. Many years people complained screaming for him to hire a GM. Well as we see with the reds having a GM doesn't mean things get done right or that you will win. I know it probably is hard for people to say or think about. However the Bengals management and way of running things is better than the reds way over the last 6 years. The Bengals have built themselves to win now and also still keeping foundation strong for the future. The reds management does a great job though making their ballpark more fan friendly and putting things in place for the fans. So if we could combine the ownership styles of the two, we would be sitting pretty lol.
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