It's time for the latest Cincinnati Bengals 5-round mock draft. Be sure to check out our first version that Mickey Mentzer put together.
One could argue the Bengals are just a few players away from becoming a true Super Bowl contender. It also helps that this is similar to last year's draft, in that there's not a lot of elite players at the top, but there is plenty of depth in the later rounds.
That's great news for the Bengals, who don't pick until the back-end of each round, but there's still potential to land a number of players who could play significant snaps as rookies.
Here's a look at five player in five rounds that could do just that for the Bengals in 2014.
Round 1, Pick No. 24: Dee Ford, DE/OLB, Auburn
With Missouri's Kony Ealy off the board and no true DE worth picking at this spot, the Bengals go with a hybrid end/outside linebacker in Auburn's Dee Ford.
Most see the 6'2", 246-pound Ford's best fit in the NFL as a stand-up pass rusher in a 3-4 defense. But with the Bengals, Ford would be put at weakside DE, especially with Michael Johnson having departed in free agency and Carlos Dunlap now occupying the strongside.
Ford could also line up at strongside linebacker in the same role Manny Lawson and James Harrison played there with the Bengals, though Ford would be a superior pass-rusher at this stage.
With Michael Johnson gone, that's 15 sacks over the past two seasons walking out the door, and a guy like Ford could certainly help ease that loss.
This past year a s a senior, Ford registered 10.5 sacks to go with 14.5 tackles for loss. 2 of those came in the BCS National Championship against Florida State, a game in which Ford was arguably the best player on the field.
Ford dominated off the edge, picking up 2 sacks and 8 hurries on only 30 rush attempts. He'll fit nicely with the Bengals as he becomes guy who routinely gets 10+ sacks every year.
As a rookie, he'd split time between SAM linebacker and DE, ensuring he'd be on the field often for a team looking to win the AFC North again and advance in the playoffs.
2nd Round: Pick No. 55: Trai Turner, OG, LSU
The Bengals are in need of more offensive line depth, and Turner is good enough to challenge Clint Boling (if healthy) for his starting job. At worst, Turner would be a quality backup to have in the event either Boling or Kevin Zeitler go down with an injury.
Turner is a mauler in the run game and engulfs defenders who try to bull rush him in pass protection. He does a good job of consistently getting under opponents' pads and winning the leverage battle.
Look how he displays this while at right guard vs. Arkansas:
3rd Round, Pick No. 88: Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood
The Bengals go against the grain here and dip into the small-school ranks to take a corner. Desir didn't get much attention coming out of high school as a senior, and ended up accepting a scholarship offer from Washburn in Topeka, Kansas.
He would go on to lead the MIAA in interceptions with seven and pass deflections with 13. Desir also finished seventh in forced fumbles, and was named first-team All-MIAA and second-team All-American honors.
He left Washburn before the 2011 season and didn't get back onto the field until 2012, but got right back to making an impact, grabbing nine interceptions on the season to again lead the MIAA. He also tied the NCAA Division II lead that year in pass deflections with 18.
Desir finished this past year with 33 tackles, four interceptions and 12 pass deflections.
What really makes Desir stand out is his 6'2", 206-pound frame, but his ball-hawking ability doesn't hurt either:
Going from the D-II ranks to the NFL won't be an easy transition, but he did perform well at the Shrine Game and Senior Bowl against his fellow NFL competition.
Still, he takes a year to sit and watch Leon Hall Adam Jones and Terence Newman for a year while challenging Dre Kirkpatrick for playing time as the fourth CB.
Then in Year 2, Desir should be ready to step into a bigger role with Newman likely gone.
4th Round, Pick No. 123: Kevin Pierre-Louis, LB, Boston College
Overlooked an an undersized 6'1", 235-pound backer from Boston College, Kevin Pierre-Louis is an athletic freak who could be the steal of this year's draft.
If he's on the board with Cincinnati on the clock here, KPL is too good of a prospect to pass-up. They've not been able to find that pass-rushing LB that could make this defense truly elite.
Not since 2001 have the Bengals had a LB have at least five sacks when both Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons both had six. The team signed James Harrison to try and fill that role, but he only managed to get two sacks this year and was cut this offseason.
Pierre-Louis set career-bests as a senior in 2013 with 108 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and his first career interception, earning All-ACC First Team honors.
With the Bengals, he would play weakside linebacker mostly while possibly getting some snaps as a nickle-defensive end.
5th Round, Pick No. 164: Brock Vereen, S, Minnesota
The younger brother of New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen, Brock Vereen is looking to make it in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball, and the Bengals are interested.
Vereen has shifted between cornerback and safety in college, and would be an ideal candidate to backup Nelson as FS while also providing depth at CB. Vereen was a full-time starting CB in 2011, recording 67 tackles 67 and 3.5 tackles for loss.
He moved to free safety in 2012 and started seven games and began his senior season there in 2013 before moving back to cornerback for the final seven games, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors.