2014 Mock Draft: Three rounds and all defense

The Super Bowl is over and now that the Seattle Seahawks have been crowned NFL champions, the first-round of the 2014 NFL draft is completed. And with that, mock drafts surface with the revised draft order, plugging the Denver Broncos at No. 31 overall and the Seattle Seahawks at No. 32.

SB Nation released theirs Monday morning and continued to identify cornerback as Cincinnati's biggest first-round need, selecting TCU cornerback Jason Verrett:

Although Verrett isn't the most physically imposing cornerback in the draft this year, he can make a play on the ball better than other corners. Leon Hall had another Achilles' injury this season, and Terence Newman will be 36 at the start of next season. Whatever cornerback the Bengals have highest on their board should be the pick.

Mocking the Draft added two more rounds, giving the Bengals Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley at No. 55 overall.

Brandon Thompson played well when Geno Atkins was injured, but the Bengals may look to move on from Robert Geathers and Domata Peko to save some money. Before tearing his ACL, Easley was viewed as a top-15 pick. So while he does a lot of the same things Thompson and Atkins do, a player of his quality will find a way onto the field.

Taking a defensive tackle in the second-round is one that I vehemently disagree with. True. Releasing Peko and Geathers can save Cincinnati $6.8 million in cap savings. However, along with selecting Devon Still and Thompson in the second and third rounds of the 2012 NFL draft, Cincinnati doesn't have a need to save money. Plus Peko is ideally a candidate to have his contract re-negotiated, rather than being out-right released.

At No. 88, MTD selects Arizona State outside linebacker Carl Bradford as an eventual replacement for James Harrison.