Drafting a safety in the first round of this year's NFL draft might be more difficult. While guys like Eric Berry are expected to be long gone before the Bengals pick, Taylor Mays and Earl Thomas are players that the Bengals could realistically pick with the 21st overall pick. However, there could be a scenario brewing in which all three safeties will be selected before the Bengals pick.
While Mock Drafts are a kind of crapshoot, the people picking those selections through this year's SB Nation Mock Draft, tend to know their teams better than most. In that mock draft -- we'll be selecting Sunday night -- all three safeties are gone. Mays went to Seattle, Berry to Cleveland, Thomas to the Dolphins. Not that we're taking to heart that the selections are likely draft picks that the respective teams will make, but it does go to show that there could be enough teams in search for safety help that the Bengals would either be left with their fourth rated safety -- which seems very unlikely at this point. Or the Bengals could elect to go after the best player at a position of need -- not best player available in the draft because it makes no sense if that player is a quarterback or running back, does it?
Furthermore, after Earl Thomas visits the Bengals in early April, he'll be heading north to visit the Cleveland Browns, writes James Walker.