Team Needs
Team Needs:
OLB
OG
TE
DE
WR
DT
RB
The Skinny: Cincinnati underwent a sizeable transition last year from a pass-first team that played little defense to more of a "tough" team that focused on running the ball and played great D. And you saw the result. Marvin Lewis has already committed to more of the same in 2010. Despite that transition, though, a team needs to remain balanced and the Bengals were just too underpowered to produce points when they needed them. Outside of Ocho Cinco, the Bengals were severely lacking another weapon on the outside once Chris Henry went down with an injury. His unfortunate passing only makes WR that much more of a pressing need for this team. The Bengals hope that stud pass rusher Antwan Odom will be healthy in time for training camp, but when you saw the drop-off behind him in terms of guys who could rush the passer, that makes DE another obvious need. OG Bobbie Williams is a UFA, which lends some instability to a pretty good OL situation. The Bengals seem to like what they have in rookie TE Chase Coffman, but he didn't see the field much, and I could see the Bengals selecting a TE high if the opportunity presents itself.
4/15 Update: The Bengals added troubled WRs Antonio Bryant and Matt Jones, making WR a bit less of a priority for them but with these guys' checkered pasts, some wideout insurance would not be a bad thing.
Mock Draft
1
-21.
TE
Rob Gronkowski,
Arizona
The Skinny: We've been reluctant to put either Jermaine Gresham or Rob Gronkowski in our first round and this would be a bit of a gamble for the Bengals. But Gronk was spectacular in his Pro Day workout…at least according to him and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Assuming his back his healthy, we prefer Gronk over Gresham.
2
-22.
OG
Mike Johnson,
Alabama
The Skinny: We are starting to get into the range where teams draft offensive guards. Johnson has been a big part of the Alabama running game, and he'll give an immediate boost to the Bengals' offensive line.