FanPost

Why the Bengals may have made the right moves on day one

Hey ya'll. Been a while, but wanted to comment on day one's head scratcher moves. Like most of you I'm sure, I was absolutely flabbergasted when we passed on DeCastro not once, but essentially twice by trading down from our 21st pick which could have also gotten him and then seeing the Stelers pick him up....

Alright, deep breath.

Here's why this may all pan out...

Zeitler vs DeCastro - I'm not even going to pretend like I know anything about Kevin Zeitler beyond what I've read in the last couple days - and why Alexander prefers him over DeCastro when the rest of the known world thinks the opposite. However, I will point out that Alexander has been successful when picking linemen in the first two rounds. In fact, I'd say he's been 3-0 (Levi Jones, Eric Steinbach, and Andrew Whitworth). And from what I can tell, the only significan advantage DeCastro has over Zeitler is he can pull better. As long as Zeitler can prevent an interior pass rush into Dalton's face, I'll be content. And if he can run-block (which I hear is actually better at up the middle than DeCastro) and execute a few pulls, that's sugar on top.

The flexibility of Kirkpatrick - Again, was at first a little confused on why we're drafting a CB who's lacking in speed (and has character concerns) with the 17th pick, however this guy is intriguing. With the FB position on the endangered species list, we have to realize we need more than just two quality CBs to cover the typical 3-4 receiver sets of today's NFL offense. With his length, explosiveness, hitting ability, and experience playing in a complex defense at Alabama, Kirkpatrick might be the perfect fit for our defense. While Hall and Pacman/Clements are covering the outside receivers, Kirkpatrick covers the slot receiver over the middle. To me, there's low risk with high reward here: If he fails, we give up a 5-10 yard pass - if he succeeds, we have a pick-6 gong the other way. Picture Kirkpatrick as playing nickel and/or replacing the SS (Nelson back, Hall and Pacman/Clements on the outside, Kirkpatrick over the slot). He could have the potential for being that irregular and deceptive ball hawk opposing QBs dread for years to come.

Beefing up the defensive line - And... again, was scratching my head on why we're drafting two DTs in the first three rounds. However, this makes a lot of sense given the small size of Atkins, departure of Fanene & Rucker, and uncertainty in Sims. Still will probably end up taking Peko's starting position next to Atkins. Regardless, Peko/Still and Thompson rotating in with Sims as insurance will shore up the defensive line. Thompson, the pick we got for trading down will potentially add some strength needed in short yardage situations.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.