Bengals Draft Depot

Well Marvin Lewis is coming back which could be a good thing, because that might mean Mike Brown is willing to give up some control or make some sacrifices. Most are hoping that Bob Bratkowski is fired and I'm on that bandwagon. He's had too long with too much talent on that offense and he hasn't produced at all since 2005 when they were a top offense despite Brat, not because of him. That offensive line was so good and so were the WR's and Rudi Johnson that there was no way even Brat's terrible play calling could stop them.

Anyway enough of my Brat rant, I'm a firm believer that to win consistently in the NFL you have to be good up front on both sides of the ball. A good offensive line can make average RB's look good. If you give a decent QB time to throw he will look like an all-pro. Look at Palmer in the SD game, he had all day to throw and looked like the Palmer of 2005. So I would have no problem if the Bengals take someone on one of the lines in the first round, in fact, I believe that you should take someone on one of the lines within the first 2 rounds every year.

Now the bigger weakness is the offensive line, but the problem is picking 4th there isn't an offensive lineman worthy of that pick. There are a few on the defensive line that are worth that pick: Fairley, Bowers, Dareus, and Paea. Three of those are DT's in a 4-3 like the Bengals run and Fairley is my highest rated player in this draft. Dareus could play inside or on the end. Bowers is the pass rusher. Paea is a freakishly strong DT that can clog up the interior. Early last season the Bengals had trouble rushing the passer, but Carlos Dunlap came on in the 2nd half of the year for 9.5 sacks and looks to be a dominant pass rusher. Also Geno Atkins does a nice job getting after the QB from the DT position. I'd have no problem taking Fairley who can stuff the run and get after the passer. He is unblockable and will command double teams and with Peko already in there they would be very tough to run on. The only other I'd take with the 4th pick would be Bowers who will be an elite pass rusher coming off of the edge and he and Dunlap would give us a combo as good as Mathis and Freeney only they are bigger and can stop the run as well.

Now my preference is for them to get rid of Chad and TO and draft AJ Green. Those two are not team players and do their own thing out there. It's amazing what happened when they were out and Carson had WR's actually running routes to where they were supposed to go. Plus getting rid of them will allow Carson to be a true leader, he'll have WR's that will actually listen to him and Carson will be a top notch QB once again. I know the Bengals need help on the lines, but AJ Green is a WR that only comes along every 5/6 years or so and he'll give them that true number 1 that they'll need with Chad and TO gone.

As far as the lines go, I'm hoping they can get a good LG in free agency. Guards don't really break the bank. I think Bobbie Williams has one more year left in him at RG. RT is a problem, but there's not much they can do there with Andre Smith making all that money and basically being a big fat flop, literally. If Andre can get things going and they can upgrade at LG the line should be pretty good. Also a good Guard can be had in the 3rd round of the draft.

On defense they could use another DT, hopefully Pat Sims can play better and they can use him on running downs and Geno Atkins on obvious passing downs. I like what Micheal Johnson is doing and obviously Carlos Dunlap looks to be a stud and should be the opening day starter next year. Free Agent DT's are expensive and I'd stay away from any big name players at that position as they will break the bank. I think they are pretty set at LB atleast for next year as long as they can keep Brandon Johnson. They need to get J Jo resigned to a long term deal. Safety is a mess really, Reggie Nelson showed some sparks but was inconsistent. Roy Williams is good against the run, but is a liability in coverage. Crocker is getting old and both he and Williams are injured often. I think Rahim Moore could be sitting there when they pick in the 2nd round and if he is they should grab him. He's the top Safety coming out, is a true FS that is good in coverage and is a ball hawk. Having him would allow Zimmer to get even more creative as he wouldn't have to worry about constantly giving up the deep ball with Safeties that can't cover.

This team is not far away from being a serious contender. Obviously Carson Palmer is going to have to play much better for them to have a chance. But there is alot of good young talent on this team and the nucleus is there for them to make a Super Bowl run in the near future. On the offensive side they have these young guys: Jermaine Gresham, Jordan Shipley, Jerome Simpson, Bernard Scott, Kyle Cook, and Reggie Stephens who looks to be promising and could be moved to Guard possibly. If they draft Green they will be loaded with pass catchers and would be a lineman away from having an explosive offense. They need to get Benson back for atleast one more year though.
On defense they are loaded with young talent still on their rookie contracts or close to it: Carlos Dunlap, Geno Atkins, Rey Maualuga, Domata Peko, Pat Sims, Keith Rivers, Leon Hall, Jonathon Joseph. That young nucleus has the makings of a dominant defense for years to come. If they can land Rahim Moore they'll have that ball hawking Safety every dominant defense needs. You add a couple peices to that defense and a lineman or two plus AJ Green to that offense and you have a Super Bowl contender. As long as Carson Palmer can get back to being a top 6 or 7 QB, and that's a big if. If he can't you have to take a 1st rounder next year and get him developed quick, especially with all this young talent on this team.