As you are well aware at this point, the Bengals selected Oklahoma Sooner tight end Jermaine Gresham with the 21st pick last night. Some of you would have rather seen the Bengals move up for FS Earl Thomas, who went 14th overall to the Seattle Seahawks. Others wanted the Bengals to draft WR Dez Bryant, who was picked by the Cowboys just ahead of the Ravens at 24th overall. Ozzie Newsome did as Ozzie Newsome does and found an over-eager suitor for th 25th overall pick, moving out of the first round altogether.
So who's still on the board for the Bengals? Joe Reedy has a great list:
S Taylor Mays (Southern Cal): The second round is a good spot for him, but the odds are long that he will be gone by the time the Bengals go on the clock. The big question is what is his best fit — as an in the box safety who excels in run coverage or a center-field type defender.
S Nate Allen (South Florida): Coach Marvin Lewis was at his pro day. He is a solid defender with good coverage skills, instincts in coverage and good closing speed. Some think though he is not an intimidating-type safety.
S Morgan Burnett (Georgia Tech): Good ball skills in coverage and also effective when closing in and playing run support.
S Major Wright (Florida): Rugged defender with good speed. The concerns are that he is shaky in coverage and is inconsistent as a tackler.
DE Carlos Dunap (Florida): First-round talent, third-round player. Great physical ability but lacks consistency.
DT Brian Price (UCLA): Very good run stopper. Explosive off the ball who can close the pocket and pressure the passer.
DT Terrence Cody (Alabama): Can be a run stopping machine in a 4-3 set. Definitely can clog space and bring double teams.
OG Zane Beadles (Utah): Very good in pass blocking and also has the versatility to play some tackle.
OG Jon Asamoah (Illinois): Good leverage and can also excel in pass protection.
WR Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati): We all know he wants to be drafted here and can also upgrade the return game.
WR Taylor Price (Ohio): Very underrated and excels at making the tough catches down the middle.
WR Golden Tate (Notre Dame): Good at playing the ball in the air but concerns about the lack of separation skills.
WR Arrelious Benn (Illinois): Good route runner and can explode off the line.
One name that didn't make this list that has been linked to the Bengals is Florida LB Brandon Spikes.
Picks in the 2nd round are limited to 7 minutes per pick. The round starts at 6:00 ET tonight. The third round will also occur tonight with a time allotment of 5 minutes per pick. The Bengals remaining picks? 22 in the 2nd (54 overall), 21 in the 3rd (84 overall), and 33 in the 3rd, (compensatory, 96 overall). Remaining positions that we might expect the Bengals to draft today are OG, WR, Safety, or DT. Reedy's list does a great job at highlighting some guys that might make good picks for Cincinnati.
Also of note tonight, Jermaine Gresham is expected to have a press conference sometime around 5:30 with local press in Cincinnati. Yesterday after he was picked, when asked of his celebratory plans, he simply commented that he was going to bed with a flight to catch in the morning. Interestingly (or not), this is the second straight year that the second consecutive year in which the Bengals have selected according to a majority of mocks (A. Smith, Gresham) predictions. The 2nd and 3rd rounds could have their own story to tell - stay tuned!