Cincinnati BengalsESPN InsiderBengals Best pick: Johnathan Joseph, cornerback, South Carolina. The Bengals took advantage of a deep cornerback class by taking Joseph with the 24th overall pick. Joseph lacks ideal experience as a first-round prospect, but his combination of size, speed and natural athletic ability is outstanding. He should compete immediately with Keiwan Ratliff for playing time in the nickel and dime packages, and he ultimately should take over for Tory James as the starting right cornerback for the Bengals.
Worst pick: Frostee Rucker, defensive end, USC. Defensive end was definitely a need area, but Rucker was taken too high at No. 91 overall. Rucker has enough quickness and size to develop into an effective situational reserve, but he simply is not dominant in any one area. He lacks power to consistently hold his ground versus the run and isn't fast enough to develop into a legitimate threat as a situational edge rusher. The Bengals could have found a more explosive end prospect, including Victor Adeyanju (Indiana) or Ray Edwards (Purdue).
Work to do: The Bengals failed to improve their tight end situation via the draft. Matt Schobel signed with Philadelphia this offseason, which leaves Reggie Kelly as the starter and Tony Stewart as Kelly's backup. While both Kelly and Stewart block well, neither is a weapon in the passing game. Cincinnati needs an athletic tight end with enough speed to make some big catches down the middle of the field. At this point, though, it might be too late to find someone who fits that description.
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