2012 NFL Draft: Latest Mock Draft has Same Story, but Different Possibilities for the Bengals

Add one more to the list: Charley Casserly of NFL.com has come out with his latest mock draft. This mock is much like many others with the Bengals taking Janoris Jenkins with the no. 17 pick, but it is the blurb underneath the pick that stands out from other mock drafts:

If I were in charge in Cincy, I would try to trade up and acquire Trent Richardson. But cornerback is a big need, too. (And the Bengals can address running back with their second first-round pick ...)

Casserly is one of the few commentators who thinks that the Bengals should trade up to get Richardson. Most mocks have Richardson either falling to the Bengals or have the Bengals drafting a RB with their second first round pick or in the second round. While my feelings have been made clear regarding trading up for Richardson, Casserly believes that it would be a smart move by the Bengals to trade up for him. Casserly doesn't make clear what he would give up or who he would trade up to, but he has the Chiefs taking Richardson at no. 11. Trading up that high would easily cost the no. 17 pick, a third, and a fourth, if not more, which might be too much for a RB, in a deep talent pool, in the first round.

Casserly admits that cornerback is a big need for the Bengals and that they can draft another RB with their second round pick, but Casserly has the Bengals selecting Lamar Miller out of Miami.

Miller would be a good pick, but I think drafting him in the first would be comparable to drafting Chris Perry in 2004. It is a stretch and could go either way, but there are other positions that could be addressed with the no. 21 pick when Miller would, most likely, be available for the Bengals in the second round. Also, Miller might not even be the second-best RB prospect available since David Wilson and Chris Polk will likely be available. Wilson and Polk might be better options for an offense in the hard-hitting AFC North since they are a bit bigger and have a bit more experience than the redshirt sophomore. One thing is for sure: the combine will shed a lot of light on who the Bengals will be looking at to fill the RB void that the Bengals will likely address in the draft.