Every year, a few of the NFL Draft's top talents end up getting selected later in the draft than expected.
I’ve scoured the overall rankings of the top NFL prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft and compiled the consensus top prospects, with the assumption that each of these players will assuredly be gone before the Bengals make their draft pick, the No. 24 overall pick in the draft.
These are prospects who each rank in the top 10 overall on multiple draft rankings, and fit need positions for a number of teams picking prior to the Bengals.
These prospects include:
- OT: Laremy Tunsil
- LB: Myles Jack
- DL: DeForest Buckner, Joey Bosa
- DB: Jalen Ramsey, Vernon Hargreaves
- RB: Ezekiel Elliott
After these few players who will be gone, there are a number of very good prospects who will be ready to make an impact in the NFL in 2016. And if history is any indicator, at least one of them will fall to the Bengals’ draft spot. It has happened before.
- In 2012 uber-regarded offensive guard David DeCastro fell to the mid 20’s.
- In 2013 both Sharrif Floyd and Tyler Eifert fell to the Bengals at pick #21. Both of them had been considered as candidates to go much higher.
- In 2014 cornerback Darqueze Dennard was considered to be perhaps the top defensive back in the entire draft, and impossibly available for the Bengals at #24 overall. Yet, there he was.
- In 2015 with the Bengals sitting at #21 overall, defensive tackle Malcom Brown falling to them seemed to be something of a pipe dream, as was pass rushing phenom Shane Ray. But when the Bengals were on the clock, both were available.
So it’s reasonable to expect that after this group, at least one well regarded prospect will fall to the Bengals. And the question is, which of them would get you the most excited for the Bengals to have the potential to pick?