Cincinnati Bengals' 7-Round Mock Draft and Top-100 Big Board

The Cincinnati Bengals won't be one of the most unpredictable, exciting teams to watch in this year's NFL draft.

Head coach Marvin Lewis and the Bengals have entertained in past years with rather surprising selections such as Tyler Eifert in 2013 and doubling down on offensive tackle over the first two rounds of last year's event.

This year is more straightforward, though. Incredible drafting in past years or not, Cincinnati has leaked enough talent to make what the team needs or desires in the 2016 class rather predictable.

Losing the top wideouts behind A.J. Green—Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu—is a big factor. So is a weakness at center with Russell Bodine, a hole on the defensive line with Domata Peko and age catching up to all three levels of the defense.

Cincinnati will undoubtedly still go best player available, though more weighted toward needs this time out, especially considering the team didn't get any compensatory picks, leaving it with just seven selections.

Here's a look at a big board and seven-round mock draft.

Top 100 Big Board

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

Jalen Ramsey headlines Cincinnati's big board.

A big board tailored for the Bengals is rather interesting. It must feature some of the biggest prospects in the class despite the team's first pick falling at No. 24, but it can also omit obvious places the front office will ignore.

For example, there's no point in listing quarterbacks like Jared Goff or any notable offensive linemen until later down the board. This big board reflects need and prospect stock above all else, with a slant toward how the Bengals have drafted under Lewis, and it should serve as a general idea as to how the team might act in each of the opening rounds.

Cincinnati Bengals Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Jalen Ramsey	S	Florida State
2	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
3	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
4	Darron Lee	OLB	Ohio State
5	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
6	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
7	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
8	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
9	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
10	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
11	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
12	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
13	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
14	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
15	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
16	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
17	Kamalei Correa	LB	Boise State
18	Robert Nkemdiche	DT	Ole Miss
19	Vernon Butler	DT	Louisiana Tech
20	Andrew Billings	DT	Baylor
21	Kevin Dodd	DE	Clemson
22	Noah Spence	DE	Eastern Kentucky
23	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
24	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
25	Jonathan Bullard	DE	Florida
26	Nick Martin	C	Notre Dame
27	Jason Spriggs	OL	Indiana
28	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
29	Tyler Boyd	WR	Pittsburgh
30	Cody Whitehair	OL	Kansas State
31	Emmanuel Ogbah	DE	Oklahoma State
32	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
33	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
34	Germain Ifedi	OL	Texas A&M
35	Su'a Cravens	LB	USC
36	Chris Jones	DT	Mississippi State
37	A'Shawn Robinson	DT	Alabama
38	Joshua Perry	LB	Ohio State
39	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
40	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
41	Jarran Reed	DT	Alabama
42	Shilique Calhoun	DE	Michigan State
43	Artie Burns	CB	Miami (Fla)
44	Keanu Neal	S	Florida
45	Christian Westerman	OL	Arizona State
46	Hunter Henry	TE	Arkansas
47	Austin Johnson	DT	Penn State
48	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
49	Kyler Fackrell	LB	Utah State
50	Karl Joseph	S	West Virginia
51	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
52	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
53	Kentrell Brothers	LB	Mississippi
54	Shon Coleman	OL	Auburn
55	Carl Nassib	DE	Penn State
56	Braxton Miller	WR	Ohio State
57	Le'Raven Clark	OL	Texas Tech
58	Deion Jones	LB	LSU
59	Jordan Jenkins	LB	Georgia
60	Vadal Alexander	OL	LSU
61	Sheldon Day	DT	Notre Dame
62	Charles Tapper	DE	Oklahoma
63	Jalen Mills	S	LSU
64	Kenny Lawler	WR	California
65	Leonte Carroo	WR	Rutgers
66	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado State
67	Jerald Hawkins	OL	LSU
68	Will Redmond	CB	Mississippi State
69	Joe Schobert	LB	Wisconsin
70	Sean Davis	CB	Maryland
71	Connor McGovern	OL	Missouri
72	Javon Hargrave	DT	South Carolina State
73	Cyrus Jones	CB	Alabama
74	Darian Thompson	S	Boise State
75	KeiVarae Russell	CB	Notre Dame
76	Adolphus Washington	DT	Ohio State
77	Jordan Payton	WR	UCLA
78	Bronson Kaufusi	DE	BYU
79	Kolby Listenbee	WR	TCU
80	Scooby Wright III	LB	Arizona
81	Keyarris Garrett	WR	Tulsa
82	Ronald Blair	DE	Appalachian State
83	Yannick Ngakoue	LB	Maryland
84	Max Tuerk	C	USC
85	Jonathan Jones	CB	Auburn
86	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
87	Maurice Canady	CB	Virginia
88	Charone Peake	WR	Clemson
89	DeAndre Houston-Carson	S	William & Mary
90	Jaylon Smith	LB	Notre Dame
91	Jihad Ward	DE	Illinois
92	Aaron Burbridge	WR	Michigan State
93	Hassan Ridgeway	DT	Texas
94	Eric Striker	LB	Oklahoma
95	Nick Vigil	LB	Utah State
96	Jatavis Brown	LB	Akron
97	Matt Judon	DE	Grand Valley State
98	Graham Glasgow	OL	Michigan
99	Rashard Robinson	CB	LSU
100	Maliek Collins	DT	Nebraska

Round 1

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Josh Doctson is the perfect complement to A.J. Green.

Pick 24: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU

Wideout got a mention in the intro and a heavy slant in the big board because of the aforementioned losses.

With Jones and Sanu out the door, the Bengals lost 1,210 receiving yards and four touchdowns from last season. They also lost one of the league's most underrated No. 2 wideouts who posted 10 scores in a season and a versatile glue guy.

Cincinnati attempted to make up the difference by adding Brandon LaFell, but it feels more like a Band-Aid solution to what could be a major problem.

Josh Doctson is a surefire pick if he's on the board at No. 24. Forget receiving numbers—Doctson might turn out as a better version of Jones, a guy at 6'2" and 202 pounds with a freakish ability to get deep and outpoint smaller defensive backs at the ball's peak.

"I think he'll be a receiver that people start to find problems with and then he'll get 65­-70 catches by Year 2 or 3. He can really go get it when the ball is in the air. Those guys aren’t easy to find," an NFC scout told NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Doctson fits the Cincinnati offense better than any wideout projected for the first round. He can line up anywhere and demand respect with his deep speed and ball skills, making for a formidable, versatile trio in tandem with Green and Eifert.

Round 2

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Nick Martin adds depth and perhaps starts as a rookie.

Pick 55: Nick Martin, C, Notre Dame

The Bengals aren't afraid to admit mistakes these days. Bringing back defensive end Michael Johnson comes to mind.

That said, it's a different animal for a front office to admit it whiffed by trading up for an offensive lineman who simply hasn't been able to put it together at the pro level, the subject of the topic being Bodine.

If the Bengals can swallow the old pride, though, there's a perfectly viable instant starter likely available in the second round by the name of Nick Martin. A three-year starter at Notre Dame, Martin comes in at 6'4" and 299 pounds and is a nasty, mean player smart enough to run the spot and bully enough to find success as a rookie.

Even if the Bengals still want to give Bodine a shot, Martin isn't a terrible pick. He could kick left or right to guard should an injury arise, or Bodine could do so. There's no such thing as too much quality offensive line depth these days with the trenches becoming more and more of a crapshoot to draft by the year.

Round 3

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Javon Hargrave is a project who can rotate in right away.

Pick 87: Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State

Veteran loyalty aside, Cincinnati needs to get serious about the interior of the line next to Geno Atkins now, not later.

Peko is a respectable veteran and critical presence in the locker room, but at 31 years old, he's also a victim of age. Cincinnati hasn't gone out of its way to shore up the future behind him with Pat Sims, and the jury remains out on whether Brandon Thompson or Marcus Hardison can assume a starting role.

Such a theme in mind, Cincinnati could pull off a mid-round steal here with South Carolina State's Javon Hargrave.

While far from a household name, Hargrave comes in at 6'1" and 309 pounds and can disrupt well from the interior. While he's not the biggest tackle, his stout, compact frame helps him hold ground against the run.

There's a reason a guy like CBSSports.com's Rob Rang labels Hargrave as one of the draft's top sleeper picks:

"

With all due respect to the "skill position" players, what makes the 2016 NFL Draft unique from recent years is the remarkable talent at defensive tackle. Hargrave is a perfect example of this. Despite recording an eye-popping 29.5 sacks over the past two seasons and turning heads at both the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, only the most passionate of NFL Draft fans are familiar with him in part because there are simply so many other defensive tackles to choose from. In terms of slicing through gaps and wreaking havoc behind the line of scrimmage, however, few are better than Hargrave.

"

Hargrave won't start right away, but he's a step in the right direction as far as eyeing the future goes. For a team all about rotational depth in the trenches, the upside here is impossible to ignore, as is the value.

Round 4

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Jihad Ward adds a strong rotational presence to a deep line.

Pick 122: Jihad Ward, DE, Illinois

Make that two in a row for the defensive line.

This one has to do with a bevy of factors, chief among them value and miscues of the past.

Defensive end took an underrated hit this offseason with the loss of Wallace Gilberry, with only Margus Hunt and Will Clarke behind the starters. The former seemed like a candidate for the cutting block before last season, and the latter has yet to emerge.

Adding some high-upside depth to the rotation couldn't hurt, especially when it's Illinois' Jihad Ward. Blessed with a 6'5", 297-pound frame, Ward fits the typical lengthy edge players Cincinnati loves to deploy.

Ward isn't dominant enough to play inside, but his strength gives him plenty of power to play on the edge against the rush. As a rusher, length and straight speed make him a high-effort guy who could play well off Atkins from the interior and Carlos Dunlap or someone else on the other edge.

Competition creates the best depth chart, and it's time for Cincinnati to get serious about the edge behind the starters.

Round 5

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

D.J. White looks like a starter once he develops.

Pick 161: D.J. White, CB, Georgia Tech

The loss of Leon Hall to free agency doesn't seem like a major ordeal thanks to youngsters like Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard, not to mention Adam Jones is still in the fold.

But keep in mind Jones is 32 years old, and while Kirkpatrick has flashed, Dennard is still a work in progress. Behind them, Chris Lewis-Harris is a nice depth option and Josh Shaw could be something in time, but it's not the most reassuring overall outlook if a starter goes down. 

In the fifth round, Cincinnati could massage these concerns by grabbing a guy in D.J. White who could one day start at nickel. At 5'11" and 193 pounds, the Georgia Tech product might come in a tad smaller than some would prefer, but he makes up for it with sticky coverage skills and a knack for big plays.

Rang best summed up White as a guy who has "eventual starter" written all over him:

"

White is not a household name, but he's athletic, confident and has the knack for making game-changing plays in big games. He may have to be moved inside to nickel in the NFL but given that this is a starting position for many teams in today's pass-happy NFL, it is a role which could suit him perfectly.

"

Like the offensive trenches, there's no such thing as having too many quality defensive backs in today's NFL. White is another and fills a necessary void.

Round 6

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Travis Feeney can carve out a niche role if he can stay healthy.

Pick 199: Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington

The Bengals have to address linebacker at some point, so why not get a value guy who can hit on many check marks, including strong coverage experience and a surefire productive career on special teams? 

Had Travis Feeney stayed healthy for most of his college career, he'd probably wind up coming off the board in the third round. But he had multiple shoulder surgeries, and it's something likely to keep teams away.

For shame. Feeney is a converted safety at 6'4" and 230 pounds who slots perfectly as a 4-3 outside 'backer thanks to elite speed and coverage skills, though tackling is an issue.

Cincinnati added Karlos Dansby in the offseason, but bringing on a glue guy for special teams and perhaps more to compete with Jayson DiManche, Paul Dawson and others isn't a terrible idea, especially with the upside Feeney presents.

Round 7

Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

Tre Madden could fight for a roster spot if healthy.

Pick 245: Tre Madden, RB, USC

Here, what should be a golden rule of NFL drafts applies—take a running back in every class. 

There are plenty of options for the Bengals to choose from, though USC's Tre Madden sticks out as quite interesting. He missed two seasons with injuries, but Rang's colleague, Spencer Hall, goes out of his way to compare the former Trojans star to T.J. Yeldon of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Warranted or not, Madden is a proven big back (6'0", 223 lbs) who can get what's blocked. There's value in that, and as a former linebacker, he could feast on special teams, too.

Yes, the Bengals already have two high-profile starters, special teams ace Cedric Peerman and the versatile Rex Burkhead. But again, competition breeds the best roster. And hey, getting a guy in the seventh round who can make the final roster through a niche role and special teams and perhaps in time be a key component of a committee? That's just good drafting.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of April 18. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.