NFL Mock Draft: Bengals Select MSU CB Darqueze Dennard

Cornerback.

We've identified it several times as a position that Cincinnati could address in the first-round of the 2014 NFL draft. Our reasons include the uncertainty regarding Leon Hall's recovery from an Achilles tear (and the fact he's suffered two Achilles injuries in the past three years), Terence Newman turning 36 years old and Dre Kirkpatrick being inconsistent and another uncertainty.

Of the more consistent trends in mock drafts, cornerback is the position.

SB Nation is keeping with those trends when Mocking the Draft gave Cincinnati Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard.

Secondary depth will be a priority in Cincinnati this offseason. With all of the top safeties off the board, the Bengals could take this opportunity to address the cornerback spot. The value matches need with this pick as well. Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard is aggressive in coverage and could use some seasoning, but his talent could get him drafted much higher than this by May.

Mocking the Draft added a second round, selecting Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley.

Dom Easley would be a top-10 draft pick if he hadn't torn his ACL this season. The Bengals wouldn't need to rush Easley back, but once healthy, Easley would give the Bengals superior depth at an increasingly important position. Geno Atkins and Dom Easley would be dangerous as part of a rotation at defensive tackle.

Sounds pretty, but we can't see the Bengals using a second-round pick at defensive tackle when that position was addressed in the second and third rounds during the 2012 NFL draft.