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

The hours before the Cincinnati Bengals walk to the podium to make a first-round pick are incredibly interesting.

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals haven't been the most predictable bunch in the first round over the past few seasons, favoring offense heavily but also grabbing a tight end and even an offensive guard.

The rather unpredictable approach has extended to later rounds, too, in large part because the team had built such a stellar foundation it could join the "rich-get-richer" crowd by going best player available. 

Not this year, though. With apparent needs opening up in a big way on both sides of the football, the Bengals might be a little more predictable than usual beginning Thursday. 

Here's a final look at a top-100 big board and seven-round mock draft for the Bengals.

Top 100 Big Board

Cincinnati's first pick falling at No. 24, means a big board tailored toward the Bengals can trim some of the fat such as quarterbacks and offensive tackles after the team doubled up on the spot last year over the first two rounds.

Instead of acting as a general big board, this offering trumpets 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	DeForest Buckner	DE	Oregon
3	Leonard Floyd	OLB	Georgia
4	Joey Bosa	DE	Ohio State
5	Myles Jack	OLB	UCLA
6	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
7	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
8	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
9	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
10	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
11	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
12	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
13	Shaq Lawson	DE	Clemson
14	Sheldon Rankins	DT	Louisville
15	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
16	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
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	Chris Jones	DT	Mississippi State
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	Kenny Clark	DT	UCLA
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

Pick 24: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU

It's no secret the Bengals want to go out and get a wide receiver who can take pressure off A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert after the offseason losses of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu. 

The first round seems like the best spot for this, where the Bengals could get a DeSean Jackson lookalike with Baylor's Corey Coleman or perhaps a Dez Bryant lookalike with Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell.

Or they could grab a guy who will remind many of Jones in TCU's Josh Doctson.

Doctson has explosive big-play ability down the field thanks to his prowess when it comes to grabbing the ball at its highest point.

"Very similar to Treadwell," a scout told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Treadwell's probably a little bit stronger and more physical. Very polished route runner. Very good hands. Vertical guy. Tracks the ball well." 

A perfect fit considering what the Cincinnati offense needs, Doctson likely won't find it difficult to post solid rookie numbers.

Round 2

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Chris Jones would fit well next to Geno Atkins.

Pick 55: Chris Jones, DL, Mississippi State

Quietly high on the list of needs for the Bengals this year is a tackle who can hold up well against the run next to Geno Atkins, somewhat ending the team's reliance on fading veterans such as Domata Peko and Pat Sims.

This need could get addressed as high as the second round with a guy like Mississippi State's Chris Jones still on the board.

Jones is a bit of a late riser who had to fight through effort questions, but at 6'6" and 310 pounds and more versatile than most, he's secured at least a second-round slotting.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein explained what makes Jones so appealing:

"

Ascending prospect whose production this season matched the flashes he showed on tape. Jones has the quickness off the snap to disrupt in the gaps and the strength to control the point of attack. Like Jordan Phillips, Jones plays with an elevated pad level which needs work. With a body type and skill set to play all along the defensive line in both odd and even fronts, Jones has a chance to come off the board early and make his mark in the pros.

"

Call it the perfect fit for the Bengals, a team with a coaching staff that loves to move guys around and employ a rotational approach.

Given the whiffs at shoring up the position next to Atkins in the past, Jones looks like a guy who could turn things for the better effective immediately.

Round 3

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Max Tuerk could push Russell Bodine.

Pick 87: Max Tuerk, C, USC

Cincinnati traded up for Russell Bodine a few years ago, and the promise the coaching staff saw has yet to reveal itself on the field. 

Perhaps the lone weak point on a strong line, the Bengals might find themselves in a position to grab someone such as USC's Max Tuerk in the third round.

Tuerk comes in at 6'5" and 298 pounds and what he lacks in size he makes up for with intelligence and an ability to get up the field.

An injury suffered last year has his stock low, though it doesn't kill all positives, as Pro Football Focus' Mike Renner explained:

"

Tuerk is the best center in this class at locating linebackers on the move, whether it be pulling or at the second level. Any team that utilizes the center pulling to the edge heavily should be pushing Tuerk above Allen and Skura simply because he’s so adept at it. Unfortunately the ACL injury makes his evaluation a tad difficult, as he wasn’t near the same player his junior year.

"

Given Tuerk's health, he could push Bodine in a positive way before eventually taking over at center or guard. While not ideal to take another center, the 22-year-old has the versatility to perhaps make a move if necessary.

Round 4

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Jihad Ward could provide the rotational presence the Bengals need.

Pick 122: Jihad Ward, DE, Illinois

Like tackle, defensive end is quietly a major need in Cincinnati.

It's been easy in recent years to view the entire line as a strength and call it a day, but that's not the case on the edge where the team lost Wallace Gilberry to free agency and Margus Hunt and Will Clarke have yet to show enough.

Jihad Ward has received some interesting hype late in the process, but he seems more like a mid-round guy. He's a bit of a project at 6'5" and 297 pounds considering he only started playing football in 10th grade and was a JUCO star before joining Illinois.

In Cincinnati, Ward could use a rotational role as a way to better learn the game, and his athleticism from either inside or out as a rusher would give the group just what it needs from a sub.

Round 5

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Roger Lewis provides depth and future potential production.

Pick 161: Roger Lewis, WR, Bowling Green

One of the bigger red flags in the 2016 class, Bowling Green's Roger Lewis is an intriguing late-round guy who could fight his way into a roster spot with the Bengals. 

The talent is there. Lewis is a tough wideout at 6'0" and 201 pounds who is unafraid to work over the middle and get the tough yards. He's also reliable on short routes at the first-down marker, which is a nice complement to Doctson's skill set from the first round.

Still, Lewis has a ton of prior off-field issues that have some teams ignoring him completely, according to Matt Miller: "Multiple teams have told me that Bowling Green WR Roger Lewis and Arizona WR Cayleb Jones are off their boards due to off-field issues."

Cincinnati has plenty of young guys like Mario Alford and James Wright to give chances next year. Brandon LaFell would play a similar role to what Lewis offers, too.

Still, though, if Lewis can scrap for a roster spot and learn from a mature offense, he could have a big role down the road.

Round 6

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

James Bradberry is a strong developmental prospect.

Pick 199: James Bradberry, DB, Samford

Big corners who can play press coverage against the massive wideouts dominating defenses these days are a must.

It makes Samford product James Bradberry quite appealing for the Bengals in later rounds. The 22-year-old comes in at 6'1'" and 211 pounds, and while he might look like a transition candidate to move to safety, he's a skilled corner who could use some work.

And why not give him the work? Despite the loss of Leon Hall, Cincinnati still looks fine at corner. Barring a swath of injuries, Bradberry could spend his rookie season learning before really competing for playing time the year after.

"I'm hearing his name come up quite a bit on the road. Anytime a corner looks the part physically, he's going to get plenty of attention because those guys are still fairly rare in our league," an AFC scout told Zierlein.

Bradberry looks the part, which is enough to entice the Bengals to pull the trigger late and work with him.

Round 7

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Tre Madden could fight for a roster spot and provide depth.

Pick 245: Tre Madden, RB, USC

Tre Madden is the type of back who will rarely get more than what's blocked, and that's all right. 

Given the nature of the position and the league's infatuation with the committee approach, Madden, 6'0" and 223 pounds, could carve out a nice niche for himself in Cincinnati.

And yes, the Bengals already have a laundry list of names at running back, but health of any is never assured and it's not a terrible idea to take a back in every draft just as insurance.

A bruiser, Madden might never see the field in base packages, but he's a leader and a guy who can carve out a serious role for himself on special teams after spending time as a linebacker before making the switch to the backfield.

A checkered injury history is a red flag, but if a seventh-round pick stands a chance at making it, it's going to be a guy like Madden who can play many roles for a team.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of April 27. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.