There has been a steady stream of mock drafts pouring out of every corner of the Internet lately and for the most part they've had the Bengals selecting a cornerback and either a running back, guard or linebacker in the first round. There's no question that there are several needs that the Bengals need to fill and luckily for them they have two first-round picks in 2012.
In SB Nation's latest mock draft, the Bengals once again select a cornerback and a running back.
First at No. 17, the Bengals select North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
Jenkins salvaged his draft stock in Mobile as well. In practices he showed the kind of ball skills and ability to take on the biggest and best receivers that once had him considered the top corner in the country. He can play in almost any system.
After losing Johnathan Joseph and now that Leon Hall is recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury, the Bengals need a new cornerback to help shore up the team's secondary. Jenkins certainly is talented but his off-field issues may cause the Bengals to think twice about him. If Jenkins has grown up and is ready to act like a pro, he could be a great asset to any team, however, if he's going to be the next Pacman Jones, he could be destructive to any locker room.
After the Jenkins pick, at No. 21, the Bengals take a running back, but not the one you might think. In earlier mock drafts, it's been Trent Richardson but in this particular mock draft the Rams took him off the board at No. 6. Instead, the Bengals take Boise State running back Doug Martin.
Martin moved up draft boards as soon as he weighed-in at the Senior Bowl last week. That translated to the field. Martin does everything pretty well, even pass blocking. Re-signing Cedric Benson would be foolish for the Bengals when they can replace him with Martin, getting an upgrade at a much cheaper price.
The more I read about Martin, the more I like him. Still, the thought that the Bengals may not be upgrading their offensive line with this pick worries me as I doubt Martin would have much success running against AFC North defenses without a good line. However, I also doubt that Martin would be around when the Bengals went on the clock in the second round so I could understand why they'd take him here.
So there you have it. What do you think about this mock draft?