Wes Bunting of the National Football Post has picked out the top-10 prospects in the All-Star Classic after three days of practice in Little Rock, Arkansas. Those players range from quarterbacks to defensive backs. It's no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of holes in their roster to fill as some spots need upgrades and they stand to lose a handful of players in free agency.
According to Bunting, two of his top-10 players would be good fits for the Bengals.
The first is his No. 3 ranked player, Utah State running back Michael Smith -- 5-foot-8, 208 pounds
A short, compact athlete who displays an explosive element to his game when pressing the line of scrimmage. He runs low, has a good feel between the tackles with the short area quickness to side step defenders laterally and accelerates into the open field. Looks like a draftable NFL back to me.
There's no question that the Bengals need a new running back. Not only do the team and Cedric Benson seem to heading in separate directions but the Bengals could use an upgrade to help their flat running game. However, this is likely to be a position that the Bengals will upgrade early in the draft with a player like Trent Richardson, Doug Martin or one of the other top backs in this year's class. If they select Smith, I would think it would be in a later round.
The other player Bunting says would be a good fit may come as a surprise: Richmond quarterback Aaron Corp -- 6-foot-4, 214 pounds
When you watch his footwork from under center and when asked to re-set his feet and balance himself in the pocket, he looks like a NFL caliber QB. He throws a catchable football; looks natural on the move and his arm strength should continue to slightly improve as he adds more bulk/strength to his lean frame.
It's obvious that Andy Dalton is the quarterback of the future and I doubt that the Bengals would look to waste another draft pick on a quarterback in 2012, especially when they can find a journeyman backup like Bruce Gronkowski in free agency. However, if they would draft a quarterback, it would just be to fill a longer term backup roll for Dalton. I just don't see it this season.