Bengals Draft Depot

Most think the Bengals should come out of this draft with a Safety. I'm included in that and to be more specific I'd like to see a Free Safety that has the ability to come up and play the run and the pass. That Safety does not have to be a 1st rounder by any means, this Safety class is loaded and potential starters can be had maybe in to the 4th round. Nate Allen is a player with a borderline 1st/2nd round grade. To obtain him the Bengals would have to have him slide a bit to their 2nd round pick, which isn't unusual for a Safety. Or what I hope happens is they trade back into the early 2nd round and pick up some extra 2nd and 3rd round picks.

Nate Allen is considered a well rounded prospect. He isn't elite really in any one area but is very good in all areas and doesn't have much in terms of weaknesses. Allen has decent size for a Safety and has good agility for that size. He put up good times in the short shuttle and 3 cone drill which verify what I saw on tape that he is fluid with his hips and can stop,start, and change direction quickly. He is a 3 level Safety, can play the run, can play the intermediate pass, and can cover the deep ball. He has good instincts and can diagnose the play in a hurry. Allen is a leader and made the secondary calls at South Florida. He has excellent range, can cover alot of ground. He has good hands and when the opportunity presents can make the pick. When he gets the ball he has good ball skills and is a threat to take it to the house.

The negatives on Allen are that he isn't elite in any one category, but he solid in all of them. He doesn't have elite level speed. He could use some refining of his technique in man to man coverage. He doesn't deliver the knockout blow, but he is a sure tackler. Some say he doesn't have much upside which I disagree with, a player as smart as he is can figure out many ways to get better. He's got the skill level to play in the NFL and if he works harder than others will be better. In the NFL everyone is good, those who work the hardest are the ones that become great.

Allen is solid all the way around and to call out his physical skills is just nit picking. He does need some work on his man coverage, but he's got the necessary skill set to do it all as a Safety in the NFL. The guy was a leader on a South Florida team with alot of good players and made the calls in the secondary. He has lots of game experience as he was a 4 year player in college, and is ready to come into the NFL and make an immediate impact. He could be a starter right now in the NFL and I think would be a better FS than anyone the Bengals currently have on their roster. Zimmer would like a player like Allen who is intelligent and picks up schemes quickly. At South Florida his coaches said he was an extension of the coaching staff out on the field. I think he'd be an excellent pickup at the beginning of the 2nd and an argument could be made would you rather have Thomas or Mays? Or would you rather have Allen and an extra pick or 2 in this very deep draft? If the Bengals feel like they have to get one of the top 4 Safeties and no one is there at 21 look for a possible trade back come April 22nd.