Don't Sleep on Bengals Taking Marcus Roberson in NFL Draft

The Bengals will be looking to draft a cornerback early in the 2014 NFL Draft. What round that's in remains to be seen, but with the depth at that position this year, the caliber of player they'll be able to get in the second or even third round won't be a big drop-off than what they'll be able to get in the first-round.

At this point, Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard and Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert are widely viewed as the draft's top two prospects. If either one of them is one the board at pick No. 24, the Bengals should pounce on them and immediately address that need, leaving them to pick the best player available with most of their remaining draft picks.

However, if neither one of them is one the board, or the Bengals don't feel they fit their system well and decide to go elsewhere, one player they may target in the second-round is Florida's Marcus Roberson.

Charlie Campbell of Walter Football wrote a nice scouting report on Roberson, even comparing him to former Bengals All-Pro Johnathan Joseph.

There are a lot of similarities between Joseph and Roberson. Both are good man corners who have the speed to prevent separation and good size to match up against bigger receivers. Joseph was the 24th-overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Roberson was a candidate to go that high at one point, but now is more likely to be a second-day pick.

Roberson entered the 2013 college football season as one of the top corners in the nation, but a PCL injury and a late-season suspension have caused his stock to fall and possibly knock him into Round 2 for a team like the Bengals to steal.

Here are some highlights of Roberson in action, courtesy of Draft Breakdown: