2014 Mock Draft: Bengals Select FSU cornerback LaMarcus Joyner

Mock Drafts are like opinions and a*******. Everyone has one.

Now that our usually pessimistic introduction about the newest mock draft has been checked off our collective check list, let's get to it. The characteristic theme about Cincinnati's most-likely target holds true for the latest mock draft by Sports Illustrated's Don Banks. Much like a significant percent on all mock drafts that we come across, Banks has the Bengals selecting a cornerback.

This time, Florida State cornerback LaMarcus Joyner.

With Leon Hall coming off a season-ending Achilles tear, and both Terence Newman and Adam Jones showing signs of age, cornerback looks like the obvious front-burner need for the Bengals. Dennard and Gilbert, the draft's top two cover men, are gone, but Joyner is an intriguing prospect who makes up for his lack of ideal size (5-8, 187) with good instincts and a knack for finding the football. He has drawn comparisons to Arizona's Tyrann Mathieu in that regard, and -- very similar to the onetime Honey Badger -- his role in the NFL is projected as a hybrid slot corner or safety. If the Bengals pass on a defensive back in favor of another need at defensive end, Missouri's Kony Ealy could be their target.

ESPN draft expert Todd McShay also gave Cincinnati Joyner is his most recent mock (Mel Kiper Jr. didn't have Joyner going in the first round). ESPN ranked Joyner as the third-best cornerback in this year's class, but ripped his "marginal size" as a 5-foot-8 cornerback. CBS Sports, on the other hand, ranked Joyner No. 6 at cornerback, writing about his weakness:

Though he plays with desirable aggression and intensity, he can be overaggressive at times, biting on fakes and allowing receivers to gain a step. While playing with no fear, does lack ideal size for safety. Where will his ideal position prove to be in the NFL?

SB Nation's Mocking the Draft ranks Joyner No. 10 among all cornerbacks.