Mike Mayock talks NFL Draft and what Bengals should do

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock held his pre-scouting combine conference all on Tuesday, and he offered several thoughts related to the Cincinnati Bengals.

At one point, he was asked specifically what the Bengals, in need of a cornerback, will do at pick No. 24 when most of the top prospects at the position are expected to be gone:

I think [Darqueze] Dennard and [Justin] Gilbert will be gone before Cincinnati is on the clock. Now, you hear me talk about flavors all the time, and with corners, that's very true, you know, what type of flavor are you looking for.

There are a lot of guys with potential first round talent out there, the [Loucheiz] Purifoy kid from Florida but he's had some off‑the‑field issues, [Marcus] Roberson from Florida had some injuries, Bradley Roby from Ohio State, some real good tape, some not so good tape.

I am a Kyle Fuller guy, I think he makes a ton of sense but we need to see what he runs. I have him ranked higher than most of the corners out there and like I said earlier why, I think [Jason] Verrett is the ideal nickel in this draft.

I think the top two guys will be gone and then it's just a matter of what Cincinnati and Paul Guenther and that new staff are looking for.

He was also asked about new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, whom he has high regard for:

I think he'll do great. I mean, he was on Mike Zimmer’s hip for the last several years. He's had a tremendous background for a younger guy. I think the players respect him. I think like the young linebacker just took Paul and his wife with him to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl which is awesome. He's earned respect and I think he'll do a great job.

Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard is player that's been linked to the Bengals in many mock drafts, but Mayock thinks he could climb into the top 10 before everything's said and done:

The top of the draft for me, [Darqueze] Dennard can step in from day one, and I say that because he's a prep corner who can ‑‑ he can tackle, he competes. I don't think he'll be overwhelmed. Justin Gilbert from Oklahoma State, return kicks, big play guy. I think those two guys step right in without a problem and I think the [Jason] Verrett kid steps in day one as a slot ‑‑ excuse me, as a nickel playing again for the slot.

I think he can go three, four rounds deep and find different kind of kids that can compete early. I mentioned the kid from Utah, [Keith] McGill who is 6‑3 and the kid from Nebraska [Stanley Jean-Baptiste] who is 6‑2 and a half. There are a bunch of long corners out there and that's kind of the flavor of the day.

As far as Dennard, how early could he go? If he runs 4.4 would Detroit pull the trigger at 10, maybe. But from my perspective, I think both corners are going to go between, worst case, 11 and 20, being Justin Gilbert. They're kind of different flavors. Gilbert's a different kind of guy. Darqueze Dennard, if he runs 4.4, 4.2, anywhere in the 4.45, under 4.5 range, he'll be fine. If he runs 4.58 or 4.55, there's going to be questions.

Here's a link to the full transcript.