I think we're picking at a great spot and there is going to be a ton of talent available at our first pick. I'd be happy with a number of options, but I'd be even happier if we were able to trade down to a bit later in the 1st and pick up some extra picks. I don't like including trades in my mocks though, so this is with all our original picks. Rep for feedback as always.



1. Ryan Kelly C Alabama



We finally address the center position with far and away the best center in this draft class.  Great technique and has quick feet. Could use a little more strength (an NFL weight room should help) but it isn't a glaring flaw.


2. Sterling Shepard WR Oklahoma



Ideal slot receiver. Shows the ability to get separation (bye bye Sanu) with his quickness and route running. Strong combine secures his spot in the 2nd. Size could limit him just to the slot, but we need a slot guy.


3. Deiondre Hall CB Northern Iowa



My absolute favorite corner in the draft. I may cry tears of joy if we grab him. 6'2" with arms longer than some offensive tackles.  One of the best press man corners in the entire draft AND he's a ballhawk. Six INTs this year (2 of which were returned for TDs). Also holds his school record for pick-6's in a career with 4. Why is he available in the 3rd? Small school and ran a slow 40 at the combine. 4.69 at the combine, but massively improved at his pro-day with a 4.55. Again, we grab this guy and we could take kickers in every other round and I'd still be happy


4. Adolphus Washington DT Ohio State



May not slide to our spot late in the 4th, but the depth of this DT class may cause him to drop. If he's there he would be a steal. Moves much quicker than you'd expect for a man weighing 300 lbs. Good quickness of the ball and has shown good instincts at sniffing out screens.  Underwhelmed early, but improved as his career went on.


5. Nick Kwiakoski LB West Virginia



Decent week at the senior bowl, but ran slow at the combine. Plays faster than his 40 time would indicate. 86 tackles, 10 for a loss and 3 sacks. 3 Ints and 7 pass breakups.  Former safety who converted to LBer, so shedding blocks could be an issue.


6. Lawrence Thomas DE Michigan State



Solid defender and some good moments at the Senior Bowl. Could be a nice late round sleeper to develop.


7. Andy Phillips K Utah



Just look at those guns. Nuge will just quit he's so scared.
 

I like it.

I love Washington and he'd be a steal there, but I'd be nervous to risk him not falling that far and a good NT would make our front 7 dominant, so I'd kind of like one earlier.

Really warming to the idea of Kelly in the first. It's the one position I'd argue where a player could come in and start straight away. At 24 it's the perfect place to pick the top interior line talents, because by the time we pick in the second they will have gone. It also gives us room to perhaps trade down a few picks collecting value in the back end, I really liked our approach a few years back with Zeitler and it worked out great for us. Would love to see something similar happen this year. We add Kelly to the mix and we have some frightening talent on our line once more.

Kelly seems to have that natural lower body, that should give him a fighting chance versus the 3-4 NTs that he will see in the NFL. Compared to Bodine, who has great upper body strength, but not the legs to back it up...

Hard to complain if it falls that way

I like it, why not get a solid center it's our weakest link on the line, and with Zeitler a FA after this year it provides insurance in the middle. The Washington pick could happen as DT's will slide down in this draft.

Warming up to the idea of Ryan Kelly, but I just don't think he is ranked that high. I could see more likely that they get the CB in RD 1, the WR in 2 (love Shepard), and then a C prospect like Nick Martin in Rd 3. He could have a year to develop and get stronger but if he blows you away, he could take Bodine's job. The rest of the draft is very solid, although I am still kind of pulling for Nug.

Nice I would love a center, but again I'd be wworried about safety, I think we need that more then corner.

(04-25-2016, 03:49 AM)bengalsturntup5532 Wrote: Nice I would love a center, but again I'd be wworried about safety, I think we need that more then corner.

I have heard a couple people mentioning their concern for a safety, but remember that the Bengals also have Derron Smith from last year's draft that gained a little experience last year.  I see a fairly high ceiling for him.  He needed to get a bit stronger, but he has excellent instincts and makes plays.

If you also consider Josh Shaw that can play more nickel CB, and you have Adam Jones, Dennard, Kirkpatrick, as the CBs and Smith, Williams, Iloka, and Mays as the safeties, you see a bigger lack of depth at the CB position.  

I know they really like Shaw and I think he could also make an excellent safety.

I typically grade mock drafts based on the first 4 rounds, since the last 3 rounds are basically impossible to predict (players who everyone thought would be day 2 picks fall because day 3 projections were taken by overeager teams on day 2 etc).

And your first 4 rounds are an A+ for me. I don't see us drafting a center in the first, but I would love it if we did. Sheppard is a guy that I think could really make our offense run well. We have Eifert and Gio for moving chains, Green to do everything and Sheppard as the deep threat. Not a bad thing in any way.

Taller corners are kind of a crapshoot (they either become Richard Sherman or they become Stanley Jean-Baptiste. But I'm hopeful for Hall.

And Washington would be amazing in the 4th round. And, unlike in most drafts, I could see him falling simply because of the insane depth at DT this year.

Well done!

(04-23-2016, 04:18 PM)Aquapod770 Wrote: I think we're picking at a great spot and there is going to be a ton of talent available at our first pick. I'd be happy with a number of options, but I'd be even happier if we were able to trade down to a bit later in the 1st and pick up some extra picks. I don't like including trades in my mocks though, so this is with all our original picks. Rep for feedback as always.



1. Ryan Kelly C Alabama



We finally address the center position with far and away the best center in this draft class.  Great technique and has quick feet. Could use a little more strength (an NFL weight room should help) but it isn't a glaring flaw.


2. Sterling Shepard WR Oklahoma



Ideal slot receiver. Shows the ability to get separation (bye bye Sanu) with his quickness and route running. Strong combine secures his spot in the 2nd. Size could limit him just to the slot, but we need a slot guy.


3. Deiondre Hall CB Northern Iowa



My absolute favorite corner in the draft. I may cry tears of joy if we grab him. 6'2" with arms longer than some offensive tackles.  One of the best press man corners in the entire draft AND he's a ballhawk. Six INTs this year (2 of which were returned for TDs). Also holds his school record for pick-6's in a career with 4. Why is he available in the 3rd? Small school and ran a slow 40 at the combine. 4.69 at the combine, but massively improved at his pro-day with a 4.55. Again, we grab this guy and we could take kickers in every other round and I'd still be happy


4. Adolphus Washington DT Ohio State



May not slide to our spot late in the 4th, but the depth of this DT class may cause him to drop. If he's there he would be a steal. Moves much quicker than you'd expect for a man weighing 300 lbs. Good quickness of the ball and has shown good instincts at sniffing out screens.  Underwhelmed early, but improved as his career went on.


5. Nick Kwiakoski LB West Virginia



Decent week at the senior bowl, but ran slow at the combine. Plays faster than his 40 time would indicate. 86 tackles, 10 for a loss and 3 sacks. 3 Ints and 7 pass breakups.  Former safety who converted to LBer, so shedding blocks could be an issue.


6. Lawrence Thomas DE Michigan State



Solid defender and some good moments at the Senior Bowl. Could be a nice late round sleeper to develop.


7. Andy Phillips K Utah



Just look at those guns. Nuge will just quit he's so scared.
 

Hall is currently a 6th round grade on CBS Sports so I think we can get him much later than the 3rd....maybe washington in the 3rd?  even though i like other DT's better.  overall it is decent.

(04-25-2016, 09:35 AM)pulses Wrote: Hall is currently a 6th round grade on CBS Sports so I think we can get him much later than the 3rd....maybe washington in the 3rd?  even though i like other DT's better.  overall it is decent.

I'm not sure how updated their rankings are, but if it was before his pro-day I can see why.  He ran a 4.69 at the combine. Very slow for a corner.  Now he massively improved at his proday and ran a 4.55.  Not light speed by any means, but fast enough.