It's generally assumed that Aaron Curry is the safest, if not the best, pick in the draft. The Wake Forest linebacker was often projected to be selected at Kansas City with less-likely scenarios of being drafted by Detroit (that'll be tough now) and Seattle. However, in the past week, Curry may no longer be the Chiefs' leading defensive player.
As Mocking Dan of Mocking the Draft points out, LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson could be the Chiefs' third-round selection. With the Lions already picking quarterback Matthew Stafford, this opens the draft up big-time for the Bengals. They will certainly have one of the three big-prospect tackles available to them, as well as an increased likelihood that Aaron Curry will be available to them.
Why Curry?
We're no expert on collegiate players coming into the NFL. So I largely depend on the experts to provide a sense of the NFL draft. I'm led to believe that offensive tackle is a deep position in the NFL draft and the Bengals could still grab a good tackle in the second and third rounds. However, Curry is Curry, so why not take the chance for a hellva duo in Curry and Keith Rivers?
I still firmly believe that the Bengals need to rebuild their offensive line. No matter what happens, the Bengals primary focus should be protecting Carson Palmer. If he goes down again, no matter who we have on defense, a 32nd ranked offense is hardly known as a quality contribution towards a winning formula. In a perfect world, the Bengals draft an offensive tackle and a center in the first two rounds.
But Curry being available really does make you hesitate, doesn't it? Admit it.
In other point, I think drafting B.J. Raji would be a waste. It's not that I don't like his play, or think that he's terrible by any means. He could be a worth a top-ten pick. However, the Bengals have a roster of defensive tackles whereas their critical needs are elsewhere.