Bengals Bytes (4/27): Options waiting

Enquirer seven-round Bengals mock draft
What seems like the longest draft lead-up season in history is finally over and we can focus on what the Bengals will come away with this weekend. It’s a crucial three days as the franchise looks to stop the bleeding of the team which slid in the wrong direction last year and must find impact players not only Thursday but especially with eight picks on Saturday.

Bengals could make a WR splash in the draft

The Bengals have a passable receiving corps, but after A.J. Green, PFF premium stats show how the outside performance was a bit lacking in 2016.

5 players the Cincinnati Bengals are most likely to draft at 9
The Cincinnati Bengals own a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft for the first time since 2011 after a run of five consecutive playoff appearances ended in 2016.

What had been a young, talented and deep roster allowed the Bengals the luxury of viewing the draft through a broader lens, knowing they weren’t dependent on their top picks making immediate impacts.

Cincinnati Bengals Will Have Options With Ninth Pick
Things will get real interesting on Thursday night when the Cincinnati Bengals make the ninth selection of the draft. Will it be an edge rusher, wide receiver, linebacker or even running back? Could it be another cornerback? One thing is sure. The closer we get, the higher the anticipation rises.

SportsNation -- What is the Cincinnati Bengals' biggest draft need?
Coming off an 6-9-1 season, the Cincinnati Bengals own the No. 9 overall pick in the first round of this weekend's NFL draft. The Nos. 41 and 73 selections also belong to Cincinnati, which saw its offensive line struggle last season before LT Andrew Whitworth and RG Kevin Zeitler left in free agency.

Bengals’ Biggest 2017 NFL Draft Needs, Part III: Wide Receiver
Of the three position groups we’ve discussed so far, wide receiver is the one that could be most immediately impacted by the draft. AJ Green is an All-Pro talent. But who else on the roster catches your eye … or the ball?

Bengals 2017 Draft Analysis - Linebacker: Deep crop should provide needed help
The Bengals enter the 2017 with a hole to fill in the starting linebacker unit and questionable depth so the draft will likely be imperative toward filling those needs.

Standout outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict has played just 26 games combined the last three seasons and, barring an injury between now and the start of the regular season, he will be able to start the opening game for the first time since the 2014 season.

The Skinny Podcast: Bengals draft preps
Richard Skinner was joined by Jed DeMuesy and Geoff Hobson from Bengals.com to analyze Bengals draft preparations and look into team needs heading into the three-day event.

AFC North Bytes

Adam Schefter: Mitchell Trubisky expected to go No. 1 over Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett wants to be the No. 1 overall pick, but some people around the league reportedly expect the Cleveland Browns to go with a quarterback instead. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on SportsCenter that his sources think the Browns will take North Carolina QB Mitchell Trubisky instead of Garrett.

Baltimore Ravens: Looking at Cam Robinson/Takkarist MckKinley in 1st?
We’ve heard whispers of the Ravens having interest in Robinson. And while not sexy, it does make some sense. Plugging him in at right tackle would allow the team to keep Alex Lewis in his optimal spot at left guard. It’s also a move that ranks lower on the risk scale. Many in the organization have spoken publicly about their desire to develop a physical offensive line, enabling them to run the football more effectively in 2017.

Steelers 2017 Draft: Major Media Mock Draft Roundup
The 2017 NFL Draft will be getting underway in Philadelphia in less than 24 hours from now and it looks like most of the major media analysts have their final mocks out.

Below, I have compiled who mocked who to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first-round at 30th overall and each name is linked to that person’s full mock draft in case you would like to read them.

Random Bytes

Mock draft: Bob McGinn's projections
Bob McGinn's projections for Thursday's first round of the 2017 NFL draft. Foster brings risk (medical, character), but the Bengals never have been been bashful in that department. A defense that was 31st overall and against the run just gained an identity.

Today's NFL draft hysteria? You can thank Mel Kiper Jr. and Joel Buchsbaum for that
What is now a national obsession and one of the biggest days on the sports calendar was once mocked as a trivial obsession for two devoted — and very different — NFL draft analysts of yore. You can’t tell the story of the draft’s incredible rise from afterthought to prominence without giving the original NFL draftniks their proper due: Mel Kiper Jr. and Joel Buchsbaum.

Bills scouts bracing for a post-draft house cleaning
Although plenty of teams react to a bad season by dumping front-office employees in January, the more sensible approach is to wait until after the draft. That’s when the bulk of the work has ended, and it also prevents the scout from taking to a new team the fruits of the labor performed on the prior employer’s nickel.

NFL Draft Cover Letter - Derek Barnett
Dear NFL GMs and Coaches, I’m writing to express my interest in becoming your next dominant football player. I’m not one to tout my own accomplishments. It’s not really in my nature. But I also understand that this is a time when I should be open about what I’ve done in the past and what I plan to do in the future.

Information wars: How teams get the REAL draft intel
The pre-draft process is a thorough vetting that involves film study, timing, testing, interviews ... and intelligence mining. Conor Orr has the inside scoop on the most reliable (and covert) sources.

Mayock mock: Browns, Cardinals trade up for QBs
It's a homecoming for Cleveland-area native Mitchell Trubisky, and the honeymoon begins with a trade-up to make it happen. Mayock projects the Cleveland Browns to trade the No. 12 pick to the Tennessee Titans to take Trubisky at No. 5, giving the club its latest answer to a painful long-term question at the quarterback position. This trade would suggest the Browns are unnerved by the possibility that the New York Jets would turn in the card for Trubisky at No. 6 overall.