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Post by 77bengal on Feb 1, 2016 22:17:11 GMT -5
Instead of putting together a few standard drafts this year, I thought I would mix it up and do one or two that buck that trend. Who knows, I may even put one together for our Steeler friends.
Needless to say, this mock draft will focus on players that played in this weekends Senior Bowl. Don't be surprised if a few of the players I list here wind up on my 'Ultimate Seven Round - Super Bowl Here We Come - Mock Draft'. This draft will not include any trades nor the signing of free agents. Here goes nothing.
Round One: Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville. I've wanted the Bengals to pair Geno Atkins with another dominating DT for a few years now and it's past time to do so. So why draft him?
1) Domata Peko has been in free fall for four years now and he needs replaced ASAP.
2) Brandon Thompson, Pat Sims and Wallace Gilberry will all become free agents in March and none of them are dominating players.
3) The Bengals struggled vs. the run this past season. Plugging up the middle would make this defense much better.
4) It starts up front and when a team has a chance to add a player of Rankins talent, it's smart to do so.
Round Two: Darian Thompson, FS, Boise State. Thompson does it all and he does it with cruel intent. He can defend the pass, run and is a big play maker. So why draft him?
1) This draft is deep with talented safeties and when a draft is deep at a certain position, it's usually smart to partake.
2) Reggie Nelson and George Iloka are free agents.
3) Shawn Williams and Derron Smith are unproven.
4) The Bengals need to add players that have a propensity for making big plays and Thompson fits the bill.
Round Three: Jack Allen, C, Michigan State. Centers always fall in the draft and there are a couple rated above Allen, so there's a good chance he's here when the Bengals select. So why draft him?
1) Russell Bodine has struggled since entering the league.
2) Depth at the C position is terrible.
Round Four: Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia. Mitchell has nice height and weight. He's also fast which is something this team needs badly on the outside. So why draft him?
1) Speed is the name of the game nowadays.
2) Mohammad Sanu and Marvin Jones are free agents.
3) Like Geno Atkins, A.J. Green also needs some help to keep defenses from solely focusing on him.
Round Five: Jay Lee, WR Baylor. The Bengals need to add a WR with speed to their roster and Lee has a lot of what they're looking for. So why draft him?
1) Speed and more speed.
2) Mohammad Sanu and Marvin Jones are free agents.
3) Big upside.
Round Six: James Bradberry, CB, Samford. Bradberry looked good, not great, at the Senior Bowl which is a lot more than others can say. So why draft him?
1) Adam Jones and Leon Hall are free agents.
2) Darqueze Dennard suffered a knee injury and Dre Kirkpatrick has been injured for most of his NFL career.
3) Roethlisberger, Flacco and Goff?
Round Seven: Lawrence Thomas, DE, Michigan State. Bradberry looked good, not great, at the Senior Bowl which is a lot more than other participants can say. So why draft him?
1) Michael Johnson needs pushed.
2) Margus Hunt hasn't panned out.
3) DT/DE Wallace Gilberry is a 31 year old free agent who just put together a season to forget.
So there you have it. This draft has added some very talented players to positions that are in need of an upgrade without selecting players that didn't attend the Senior Bowl. The Bengals should have no problem in adding players from the upcoming draft that can get this team over the hump.
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Post by lostwou on Feb 3, 2016 7:45:42 GMT -5
They met with WR Jay Lee at SR Bowl. He's a 6rd-FA. Maybe good pick late.
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Post by 77bengal on Feb 3, 2016 14:31:55 GMT -5
They met with WR Jay Lee at SR Bowl. He's a 6rd-FA. Maybe good pick late. Yes they did and I think it's a good sign. The more I see of Georgia WR Malcolm Mitchell, the more I like. Many scouts view him as a poor mans A.J. Green considering his speed and big play ability. I also like Rashard Higgins. Higgins is also a speedster that makes big plays and displays great confidence in his abilities. Sterling Shepard also looks great in about every phase of the game. Could turn into the most productive WR in this draft. Corey Coleman is another interesting prospect but it's hard in evaluating him. Coleman is small and he played in a pass happy offense at Baylor therefore I question whether or not he'll be able to produce as consistently in the NFL as he did as a Baylor Bear. Laquon Treadwell has dropped in my eyes. He's slower than several receivers in this draft so I question whether his speed and separation ability. But the receiver I keep going back to is Josh Doctson. Doctson makes it look easy and he has the speed that the Bengals covet. His hands are already better than most receivers in the NFL using them to catch the ball away from his body. |
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Post by lostwou on Feb 4, 2016 5:14:14 GMT -5
You know Jay Lee was the 3rd receiver behind Coleman. He was in the same pass happy offense so he is also hard to evaluate which is why he could go undrafted. I really like Pharao Cooper. Hes as good as if not better than Coleman imo. Mainly because he is tougher and stronger for a slot man. And if he would of had better QB play his numbers would have been better. I like Doctson as well but he will most likely shoot up to rd 1 after the combine. But think about him outside opposite Green, and Cooper and Eifert in the middle. Holey cow that could put us over the top. Its a nice idea if they can fill some spots through FA and give us the luxury of making those picks.
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Post by 77bengal on Feb 4, 2016 16:12:00 GMT -5
You know Jay Lee was the 3rd receiver behind Coleman. He was in the same pass happy offense so he is also hard to evaluate which is why he could go undrafted. I really like Pharao Cooper. Hes as good as if not better than Coleman imo. Mainly because he is tougher and stronger for a slot man. And if he would of had better QB play his numbers would have been better. I like Doctson as well but he will most likely shoot up to rd 1 after the combine. But think about him outside opposite Green, and Cooper and Eifert in the middle. Holey cow that could put us over the top. Its a nice idea if they can fill some spots through FA and give us the luxury of making those picks. Yeah, i'm aware of Lee's positioning on the team and that's why I don't have him being selected in the top half of the draft. But I doubt he goes undrafted. Cooper is another one of those speedsters that could help this team immensely. All I know is that the Bengals would be wise to double-up in the draft at WR. Brandon Tate offers virtually nothing and needs to be shown the door. The forgotten player in all of this is WR James Wright who missed all of last year with an injury. Could Wright step up and be as productive as Sanu or close to it? Or is he nothing more than a sixth or seventh receiver at best? Can't wait for free agency to start so we know where this team stands roster wise. |
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Post by Rodneck on Feb 4, 2016 17:55:58 GMT -5
Just want to say I am enjoying your conversation. I'm glad this one has the "Like" button because I don't have much else to contribute! Love to hear your input about players I don't know. Other than looking over some pro free agents I don't get any deeper on players. Too much time elsewhere looking at stats and film. but I can give you an expanded profile of Gulfstream Park turf racing? Or the pedigrees down to root sires and damsires on Triple Crown contenders! LOL! IMG_20160204_0002.pdf (659.73 KB) IMG_20160204_0001.pdf (827.72 KB) |
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Post by lostwou on Feb 15, 2016 12:18:48 GMT -5
I tend to agree on this 77. If they can re-sign one of the safeties and adam jones, the best DT on board would be awesome. They might try to fill it in FA. But I say lets get some fresh blood in there. 1 of the 1st 2 picks should be DT. Our biggest weakness other than OL is a pass rush. That should be fixed minus a center with last years picks. I think our DEs do pretty well getting around the edge but theres not enough push in the middle to send em right to Dunlap.
I think you get 2 WRs in the draft and spend the rest on defense.
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Post by 77bengal on Feb 15, 2016 13:48:01 GMT -5
I tend to agree on this 77. If they can re-sign one of the safeties and adam jones, the best DT on board would be awesome. They might try to fill it in FA. But I say lets get some fresh blood in there. 1 of the 1st 2 picks should be DT. Our biggest weakness other than OL is a pass rush. That should be fixed minus a center with last years picks. I think our DEs do pretty well getting around the edge but theres not enough push in the middle to send em right to Dunlap. I think you get 2 WRs in the draft and spend the rest on defense. Drafting two WRs in the upcoming draft is a good idea as things stand right now. Every new WR the Bengals bring in, whether it be through free agency or the draft, should be able to stretch a defense and/or be very fast. Slower possession type WRs should not be brought in as they are usually less consistent (Sanu) and will do virtually nothing in relieving some of the double teams that A.J. Green sees week in and week out. Last night I compared DT Andrew Billings to DT Sheldon Rankins and I still think Billings is physically the better player. Billings simply gets off the snap quicker and thus gets a step on would be blockers on a more consistent basis. However, if the Bengals were to add either one of these guys to the starting front four, I would be very pleased as both look like solid players. Also, improving the pass rush with Billings or Rankins will automatically improve the pass defense and thus force teams to go to a short passing game as the Steelers did vs. the Bengals in the playoffs. Keep in mind that the Bengals struggled vs. the run and Billings is not only a great pass rusher, but he's also a great nose tackle and/or run stuffer. By drafting Billings, the Bengals are sorta getting two players in one. A pass rusher and a run stuffer. This in turn leads to the Bengals needing fast linebackers that can cover and tackle from sideline to sideline and LB Paul Dawson should get an opportunity to be just that. I think the Bengals are gonna allow Emmanuel Lamur and/or Vincent Rey to walk and insert Dawson into the starting lineup. Dawson didn't run well at the combine last year and some consider him slow but not myself. When you watch Dawson play, he's as fast as anybody else on the field or faster. Simply put, there's timed speed in shorts and there's football speed and Dawson possesses the latter. Speaking of WRs, I really like Rashard Higgins out of Colorado State as mid-round consideration. I included a video showcasing his abilities. Higgins is somewhat 'brash' but I like that in my WRs because it usually translates into confidence on the field and thus production. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpjRhP2q26k |
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Post by lostwou on Feb 15, 2016 14:42:41 GMT -5
The knock on Billings is that he is mainly a run stuffer lacks in pass rush. I also like either DT from Alabama. Bengals love AL players. One of them might be available at 24.
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Post by 77bengal on Feb 15, 2016 16:56:40 GMT -5
The knock on Billings is that he is mainly a run stuffer lacks in pass rush. I also like either DT from Alabama. Bengals love AL players. One of them might be available at 24. This is where we slightly differ. Billings isn't Aaron Donald, but he is a solid pass rusher as well as being a great run stuffer in my opinion. Like you, I also like Alabama DT A'Shawn Robinson but I think his linemate, DT Jarren Reed, is one of the most overrated players in the entire draft. I see Reed as just being a serviceable to mediocre player in the NFL. Nothing about his game jumps out at me and I think it's fair to suggest that most of his production had more to do with him being surrounded by great players than his own ability. Another DT that I'm really high on is Vernon Butler of Louisiana State. Butler is massive weighing well over 300 pounds (330?) yet he's nimble and athletic for someone his size. He's also brutally strong being nearly impossible to move once he anchors. The video below shows Butler toying with offensive linemen like a cat does with a mouse until he throws them aside to make the tackle. Butler could very well be the best DT in this draft class causing teams to question why they didn't draft him when they had the chance. Round one is a good possibility. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgOxjWwxtVo |
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Post by lostwou on Feb 16, 2016 5:04:58 GMT -5
Butler good choice. He should be there in rd 2. There are about 10-15 DTs that are really good. They should be able to get one up to rd 3-4. Butler is ranked all over. Depends on whose big board your looking at. He's any where from 3rd to 7th. Everyone evaluates differently. I disagree about Reed. He's a good player. I like Billings I was simply saying what some analysts and coaches think but I disagree. I think he will improve his pass rush. Especially along side of Atkins.
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Post by 77bengal on Feb 16, 2016 12:10:03 GMT -5
Butler good choice. He should be there in rd 2. There are about 10-15 DTs that are really good. They should be able to get one up to rd 3-4. Butler is ranked all over. Depends on whose big board your looking at. He's any where from 3rd to 7th. Everyone evaluates differently. I disagree about Reed. He's a good player. I like Billings I was simply saying what some analysts and coaches think but I disagree. I think he will improve his pass rush. Especially along side of Atkins. I was positive that Butler would be available to the Bengals in round two, but apparently the Lions are considering him in round one. I personally don't see him getting out of round one. I'm only guessing here, but considering his agility, I think he'll run well at the combine for a big man much like DT Dontari Poe of the Chiefs did a few years ago. If he runs well and does well in the shuttle, he's a first round lock. However, Rankins and Billings aren't slouches and I expect both to perform well at the combine also. Besides DT Jarren Reed, there's another DT I hope the Bengals avoid in Mississippi's Robert Nkemdiche. Nkemdiche is very talented but scouts say he's a head case and he did have a 'mysterious accident' a few weeks ago in which he supposedly fell from a building and injured himself. Was this a cry for help? Is he suicidal? I don't know but the young man needs to get some professional help before something tragic happens. I'm really rooting for this kid but I don't think he would be a wise selection early in the draft. |
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Post by lostwou on Feb 17, 2016 15:41:13 GMT -5
I don't like the Malcomb Mitchell pick. Character concerns. Hes a 6th rounder at best. And you didn't take a LB.
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Post by 77bengal on Feb 17, 2016 17:15:50 GMT -5
I don't like the Malcomb Mitchell pick. Character concerns. Hes a 6th rounder at best. And you didn't take a LB. You have to keep in mind that I limited myself to Senior Bowl participants only. I did this to demonstrate just how deep this draft class is; what positions the Bengals need to upgrade; and how it would take a moron to screw this draft up. Malcomb Mitchell may have some baggage, but how serious is it? Scouts compare him quite regularly to our own A.J. Green. Besides, I don't have them drafting him until round four. As far as LBs go, I wasn't that impressed with any of them. Kyler Flackerell(?) opened some eyes but that was about it. Nothing to write home about. |
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