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Finally it's here. Christmas The NFL draft has arrived for real this time. Is it just me or has this been the longest draft season ever? The amount of mock drafts, scouting reports and draft scenarios doubled because our Bengals have two first round picks. I'm here to put you out of your mock draft misery with my final mock draft of the year. It's been riot, guys. Thanks for the debates and inquiries.
1/14/12: Stephon Gilmore (17), Mark Barron (21)
2/23/12: David DeCastro (17), Stephon Gilmore (21), Chris Polk (53)
4/2/12: - Riley Reiff (17), Dre Kirkpatrick (21), Marvin Jones (53), Isaiah Pead (81)
| 1 | Indianapolis Colts | Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford |
| 2 | Washington Redskins | Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor |
| 3 | Minnesota Vikings | Matt Kalil, OT, USC |
| 4 | Cleveland Browns | Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Bucs | Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU |
| 6 | St. Louis Rams | Fletcher Cox, DT, Miss State |
| 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Stephon Gilmore, CB, S.Carolina |
| 8 | Miami Dolphins | Ryan Tannehill, QB, A&M |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | Michael Brockers, DT, LSU |
| 10 | Buffalo Bills | Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia |
| 11 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston |
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks | Melvin Ingram, DE/LB, S.Carolina |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | Mark Barron, S, Alabama |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis |
| 16 | New York Jets | David DeCastro, OG, Stanford |
| 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame |
In this scenario, the choice would have to be between Michael Floyd, Riley Reiff, Quinton Coples, and Dre Kirkpatrick. All would be welcomed additions but I'm betting the Bengals are high on Floyd and would love to have him opposite A.J. Green. Floyd is an instant starter and should provide another big weapon for Andy Dalton. It's a quarterback driven league and providing Dalton with every opportunity to succeed should be the biggest priority.
I didn't go Kirkpatrick and Coples because the drop off at WR is steeper than DE and CB. Plus, most mocks have Kirkpatrick available at pick 21. I decided against Reiff because I don't think they'll draft a guard unless it's David DeCastro.
|
18 |
San Diego Chargers |
Riley Reiff, T/G, Iowa |
|
19 |
Chicago Bears |
Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina |
|
20 |
Tennessee Titans |
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama |
|
21 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
Doug Martin, RB, Boise State |
At this point, the decision would be between Doug Martin, Whitney Mercilus, Courtney Upshaw and Devon Still. Adding Doug Martin gives the Bengals an every down RB that they haven't had in about a decade. With Floyd and Martin, the Bengals offense is officially stacked. They'll be running against 7-man fronts with Green and Floyd and I would expect Martin to find success early and often.
I could easily see Upshaw or Mercilus being the pick here. Adding another pass rusher should be high on the list of luxury picks and this is exactly what pick 21 is. Devon Still would also be an eventual replacement for Domata Peko.