Midseason Mock

[*ochocincos*]

The Bengals are 3-5 and things aren't looking very good to give me optimism that the Bengals will finish better than 6-10. Therefore, I expect them to be picking in the 6-12 range.

1) Mike McGlinchey, OT Notre Dame (6'7", 310 lb) - Franchise OT. Experience at both tackle spots. One of the safest picks in the draft. He is especially good in the run game, but does occasionally struggle with some pure speed rushers.

2) Harrison Phillips, DT Stanford (6'3", 295 lb) - 3T that gets good pressure. Phillips plays with power and is always around the ball. He'd be a quality addition to back up Atkins and potentially replace him if Atkins leaves in FA after next season.

3) Isaiah Wynn, OL Georgia (6'2", 302 lb) - Wynn has been really good for the Bulldogs, especially this year at LT. He moved from guard to LT this year and has rocked it. He's shorter in height and arm length than preferred for OT, so his best fit might be at guard but he has versatility that the coaches will love. He's also an aggressive blocker that gets push at the LOS, and some have compared him to Kelvin Beachum, who had a good career at LT in the NFL. If he does show he can stick at OT, I could see him and McGlinchey as franchise bookends. If not, he should be a stud interior OL. And with Fisher now having surgery to try and fix his irregular heartbeat, he may not be able to play again or at least not be relied upon as a starter, and Andre Smith would be a short-term stopgap for RT if re-signed.

3 comp for Zeitler) Bradley Bozeman, C Alabama (6'5", 319 lb) - Knowing how the Bengals (don't) prioritize interior OL, I tried to find a very good, smart, dependable C in the middle rounds that should be an improvement over Bodine. Bozeman offers that, and he is solid both in the run and pass game. He gets good push and doesn't knocked on his butt often like Bodine. If the coaches feel he's not ready to take over as starter by beginning of season, put TJ Johnson as the starter until then.

4) Jarrett Johnson, DE Texas A&M (6'3", 265 lb) - Backing up Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall last year, Johnson had good stats at 4.5 sacks. Now that both are gone, Johnson is expected to fill those shoes. He's done that so far with 4.5 sacks in 6 games. He's an athletic edge rusher with a relentless motor that can also play the run. He'd be a quality player to groom behind Dunlap.

5) Godwin Igwebuike, S Northwestern (6'0", 212 lb) - Well-rounded, versatile safety that can tackle, stuff the run, and defend the pass. With Smith now gone, I see Iggy competing with Wilson for the last safety spot.

5 comp for Whit) Deatrick Nichols, CB USF (5'10", 190 lb) - Depth CB to replace Jones on the roster. Nichols is underrated due to his size and playing at USF, but he'd be a quality backup CB. He's had 4 INTs each seaason 2015-2016 and 49+ total tackles each of those seasons as well.

6) Kalen Ballage, RB Arizona St (6'3", 230 lb) - The Bengals will need another bruiser to replace Jeremy Hill when he likely leaves in FA next year. Ballage is a big RB that can also catch. He should be able to come in immediately and contribute on ST and used sparingly on offense in a rotation with Mixon and Bernard.

7) Nyles Morgan, LB Notre Dame (6'1", 246 lb) - Solid, well-rounded LB that could be a potential replacement for Minter at MIKE.

TL;DR: Changed picks 2, 3, and 3comp from my last mock.

[Hammerstripes]

I've said it before last weekend, but McGlinchey just isn't a good pick in the top 10. I think the Hurricanes finally opened some eyes on his ability to defend NFL level pass rushers.

It really depends on where we end up picking. If we are in the top 5, you have to take the BPA. You can't miss on a pick like that. There are generally 4-5 elite guys in each draft, you have to come away with one of them.

If we end up 7-15, I'm going Nelson. He would immediately help all aspects of the line. He can run block and pass block. AT 325, he's not going to get blown off the ball.

[*ochocincos*]

(11-13-2017, 04:29 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I've said it before last weekend, but McGlinchey just isn't a good pick in the top 10.  I think the Hurricanes finally opened some eyes on his ability to defend NFL level pass rushers.

It really depends on where we end up picking.  If we are in the top 5, you have to take the BPA.  You can't miss on a pick like that.  There are generally 4-5 elite guys in each draft, you have to come away with one of them.

If we end up 7-15, I'm going Nelson.  He would immediately help all aspects of the line.  He can run block and pass block.  AT 325, he's not going to get blown off the ball.

I think the Bengals end up about 7-10.
I really do like Nelson, but I'd be surprised to see the Bengals take a guard that high.

I can understand McGlinchey maybe not being a top 10 pick ideally, I think he's in the range of 11-15.
I'm worried that if the Bengals pass on McGlinchey, they won't find another OT worth a damn in the 2018 draft and might not in 2019 either unless they have a chance to get Trey Adams (assuming he continues his development next year after recovering from his injury) or Connor Williams (assuming he gets back on track after his poor performance this year before going down to injury).

I think the big thing with McGlinchey is he's a power OT, not a finesse OT. If he could do it all, he'd be a top 5 pick, potentially #1 overall. If the Bengals were to change their offensive identity and be a power rushing team, I think McGlinchey fits in well. The Bengals drafted Joe Mixon and play in the AFC North, so it could make sense if they were to go that route.

[Hammerstripes]

I think it really depends on who the next coach is. What kind of identity they decide to use.

IF Josh McDaniels ends up here, his offense is much different then some of the others that would require "power" players on the line.

[Lionel Hutz]

(11-13-2017, 04:29 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I've said it before last weekend, but McGlinchey just isn't a good pick in the top 10.  I think the Hurricanes finally opened some eyes on his ability to defend NFL level pass rushers.

It really depends on where we end up picking.  If we are in the top 5, you have to take the BPA.  You can't miss on a pick like that.  There are generally 4-5 elite guys in each draft, you have to come away with one of them.

If we end up 7-15, I'm going Nelson.  He would immediately help all aspects of the line.  He can run block and pass block.  AT 325, he's not going to get blown off the ball.

Hope not on Nelson b/c they'll just let him walk in 4-5 years.  If Bengals don't value guards enough to extend them for their market value, no reason to take one with a top 10-15 pick.  With that said, somebody else will take him there and get a solid starter for 10+ years.

[Hammerstripes]

(11-13-2017, 05:24 PM)Lionel Hutz Wrote: Hope not on Nelson b/c they'll just let him walk in 4-5 years.  If Bengals don't value guards enough to extend them for their market value, no reason to take one with a top 10-15 pick.  With that said, somebody else will take him there and get a solid starter for 10+ years.

Considering that the average NFL career is less than that, I would be more than happy to have a guy that played at a pro-bowl level for that long.

You never know about resigning him.  They gave Boling quite a bit of money.  I don't think the excuse "they won't sign him to a second contract" is good enough reason to not draft a guy.

In reality, you have him locked up for 6 years.  4 year deal, 5th year option, 6th year franchise tag.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(11-15-2017, 04:33 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: Considering that the average NFL career is less than that, I would be more than happy to have a guy that played at a pro-bowl level for that long.

You never know about resigning him.  They gave Boling quite a bit of money.  I don't think the excuse "they won't sign him to a second contract" is good enough reason to not draft a guy.

In reality, you have him locked up for 6 years.  4 year deal, 5th year option, 6th year franchise tag.

The Bengals won't franchise tag or extend a guard who is in position for top dollar. 
Not as long as Mike Brown is making the final say.

I think it's a perfect reason to not invest a first round pick in a player if you know he's limited to 5 years with the team if he's good. 
Why not take a DT or DE? We will sign those. 

He'd have to be so clear and above what's the best available for me to ever see the logic in this team drafting a guard that high ever again 

[Hammerstripes]

(11-15-2017, 05:23 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: The Bengals won't franchise tag or extend a guard who is in position for top dollar. 
Not as long as Mike Brown is making the final say.

I think it's a perfect reason to not invest a first round pick in a player if you know he's limited to 5 years with the team if he's good. 
Why not take a DT or DE? We will sign those. 

He'd have to be so clear and above what's the best available for me to ever see the logic in this team drafting a guard that high ever again 

You take the best player on the board - period.  

He is very likely going to be the best player on the board when we pick.  This is a perfect Bengals pick, you get a top performer and you don't have to pay him all that much relative to the highest paid guys in at that position in the NFL.

With all of the spread formations and shotgun stuff, strength up the middle is now more important that ever.  You can't have guys in your QBs face.