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As we near the NFL Draft at the end of this month, the mock drafts come fast and furious. For some, it's a bit much; for others, you can never have enough. Consider us in the camp of the latter. So when we hear that former NFL scouts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks did a three-round mock draft dedicated solely to the AFC North division, needless to say it got our attention.
The other interesting aspect to mock drafts this year pertains directly to the Bengals. Internal discussions between the staff here at CJ confirms that we don't know what they are going to do in a few short weeks, which makes things both exciting and frustrating. We know the positions that they will likely be addressing early (running back, safety, linebacker), but we don't know what order that they will prioritize those positions, nor do we know their top players that they're coveting at each spot when they're targeting them.
We start with the team that the two gentlemen began with in the Baltimore Ravens. Both men see most of the same needs for the squad with this offseason's departures of so many veteran mainstays from both sides of the ball.
Brooks:
Round 1, pick 32: Eric Reid, safety, LSU
Round 2, pick 62: Kiko Alonso, linebacker, Oregon
Round 3, pick 94: Aaron Dobson, wide receiver, Marshall
Jeremiah:
Round 1, pick 32: Tank Carradine, defensive end, Florida State
Round 2, pick 62: D.J. Swearinger, safety, South Carolina
Round 3, pick 94: Marquise Goodwin, wide receiver, Texas
The Cleveland Browns don't have the luxury of having a second round pick this year, so they will definitely have to make the two they have count. The Browns might not have as many holes as one is inclined to think, given their activity in free agency. Still, both men feel that cornerback is a need.
Brooks:
Round 1, pick 6: Chance Warmack, offensive guard, Alabama
Round 3, pick 68: Leon McFadden, cornerback, San Diego State
Jeremiah:
Round 1, pick 6: Dee Milliner, cornerback, Alabama
Round 3, pick 68: Landry Jones, quarterback, Oklahoma
Since we want to save the best for last, we'll jump to the Pittsburgh Steelers next. Both men went with a player on defense that fits the Steelers scheme, but somewhat surprisingly, they both went with the avenue of stockpiling the offense in those first three picks as well. For the most part, they saw the same draft unfolding for Pittsburgh.
Brooks:
Round 1, pick 17: Jarvis Jones, linebacker/defensive end, Georgia
Round 2, pick 48: Quinton Patton, wide receiver, Louisiana Tech
Round 3, pick 79: Travis Kelce, tight end, Cincinnati
Jeremiah:
Round 1, pick 17: Jarvis Jones, linebacker/defensive end, Georgia
Round 2, pick 48: Le'Veon Bell, running back, Michigan State
Round 3, pick 79: Travis Kelce, tight end, Cincinnati
On now finally to the Bengals. Both Jeremiah and Brooks agree on the need for a running back and picked the same player for Cincinnati to plug-and-play from day one. They are also keen on the idea of taking a tackle somewhere within those first three rounds, as both men did so. Again, in case you've forgotten, the Bengals have the Raiders No.37 overall pick because of the Carson Palmer trade back in 2011.
Brooks:
Round 1, pick 21: Eddie Lacy, running back, Alabama
Round 2, pick 37: Menelik Watson, offensive tackle, Florida State
Round 2, pick 53: D.J. Swearinger, safety, South Carolina
Round 3, pick 84: Jamie Collins, linebacker, USM
Jeremiah:
Round 1, pick 21: Matt Elam, safety, Florida
Round 2, pick 37: Eddie Lacy, running back, Alabama
Round 2, pick 53: Terron Armstead, offensive tackle, UAPB
Round 3, pick 84: Matt Scott, quarterback, Arizona
Lacy has consistently been the consensus top running back in the class, but a hamstring injury that has been plaguing him all offseason could be hurting his stock. Though he is a great fit for the AFC North, the Bengals might opt for one of the quicker backs with more receiving ability like North Carolina's Giovani Bernard or UCLA's Jonathan Franklin. Lacy's upcoming Pro Day will likely be a key factor in determining where all of the running backs will fall this year.
Swearinger seems like a solid late-second to third round prospect at this point. Opinions are mixed on the other safeties like Elam and Reid, where they could go anywhere from the late first round to the end of the second. Though Jeremiah picked a quarterback for the Bengals, they might not go that route because of their acquisitions of Josh Johnson and John Skelton. Still, Scott is an interesting prospect at the position who has been gaining a lot of buzz lately.