Bengals 7-round mock draft addresses biggest needs with SEC players

The NFL Draft begins next week, and Chad Reuter of NFL.com just did a seven-round mock draft that sees the Bengals address their biggest needs with some SEC flavor.

It all starts with LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow going No. 1 overall to address Cincinnati’s need for a franchise signal-caller. The next biggest need for Cincinnati is at linebacker, where they find help in the form of Burrow’s teammate, linebacker Jacob Phillips, in Round 4.

The Bengals also address offensive tackle in Round 3 with Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson, who is ranked 55th overall by ESPN, so that would be good value at that spot.

The main complaint I have with this is taking Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet in Round 2. He’s a talented player, but there’s no scenario in which he’s the best player available at the 33rd pick (ESPN ranks him 64th overall).

The final three picks see Cincinnati dip into the small-school ranks to grab a guard, cornerback and edge player.

Here is what the entire mock looks like:

• Round 1: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
• Round 2: Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
• Round 3: Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia
• Round 4: Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU
• Round 5: Kyle Murphy, OG, Rhode Island
• Round 6: L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Louisiana Tech
• Round 7: LaDarius Hamilton, Edge, North Texas

If the Bengals make just seven picks, I can’t see them taking that many small-school prospects in one draft. Last year with 10 picks, they drafted one player that didn’t play in a Power 5 league, and that was in Round 7 when they took cornerback Jordan Brown out of South Dakota State. The Bengals prefer players who played in a Power 5 league or a big Group of 5 team (Memphis, Houston, etc.).

What are your thoughts on this NFL Mock Draft for the Bengals?