2012 NFL Draft: Why Bengals Must Address Offense in Round 1

There is no doubt that the 2011 NFL season was a rousing success for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Success, though, was all but guaranteed going into the season.

It's hard to believe that before the year started, there were questions as to whether Marvin Lewis would return as coach. Throw that in with Carson Palmer's refusal to play and it adds up to one chaotic offseason.

But then a strange thing happened. The Bengals actually drafted very well. With a draft history littered with names like Akili Smith, Chris Perry, Dan Wilkinson, Ki-Jana Carter, etc., draft failure is almost a guarantee.

Instead, by selecting A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, the Bengals appear to have solidified their starting quarterback and wide receiver positions for the next decade.

Drafting those two is one of the main reasons Cincinnati went from 4-12 in 2010 to 9-7 and a Wild Card berth in 2011.

However, if the Bengals are going to build on the success they had this past year, the team should follow last year's draft plan and look to offense early in the draft.

Everyone knows the phrase, "Defense wins championships," but in this day age, it seems that offenses rule the NFL roost.

With the league cracking down more and more on concussions, players have seen more and more fines for hits that were deemed helmet-to-helmet.

While it's admirable to try and eliminate concussions from the game, the NFL is almost slowly eliminating defense from the game altogether.

That means the impetus is now more on teams to have a prolific offense in order to take advantage of the league's crackdown on helmet-to-helmet hits.

While Dalton and Green both made the Pro Bowl, the Bengals still only ranked 20th in total offense, so clearly, there is some room for improvement.

The two will obviously improve as the years go on, but there are still holes to fill in the Cincinnati offense.

Running back might be one of the bigger ones.

Cedric Benson has been a solid player ever since joining the Bengals in 2008. He has three straight years of 1,000 yards rushing. But at his age, 29, Benson's productive years are getting fewer fast.

As a free agent, he could leave Cincinnati altogether. Benson wasn't entirely happy that he lost carries last year to Bernard Scott as the Bengals move to more of a two running back system.

Should Benson test the market, none of the backups appear to a viable starting option, either.

Scott is 28 and only rushed for 1,000 over his entire three-year career. Neither Cedric Peerman nor Brian Leonard has any shot at winning the top spot in the depth chart.

Running back should be a top priority in the draft.

Although, looking at the rankings, it doesn't appear the team will have too many options in the first round. CBS has only Trent Richardson as a projected first-round pick, and there's no conceivable way he will fall to the Bengals at No. 21.

Another option, while maybe not entirely necessary, may be wide receiver.

A.J. Green obviously looks like he can be a Pro Bowl-caliber player every season, much like Chad Ochocinco was in years prior. But the Bengals still need another great receiver if they want to make the jump to becoming a Super Bowl team.

For all of his freakish athleticism, Jerome Simpson only managed to have one good year in the three that he's been in the league.

Not to mention the fact that he was arrested for allegedly trafficking marijuana. If convicted, he could face anywhere between one and five years in prison.

Even if found not guilty, it's likely that Roger Goodell will suspend Simpson for some period of time.

And this hinges on the fact the Bengals re-sign Simpson in the first place. He's now a free agent, so the Bengals might see this as the perfect opportunity to sever ties with him completely.

Whether or not Simpson is on the field, the need for another receiver is there.

Unlike running back, there are a few more options to look at for Cincinnati. Justin Blackmon is eliminated immediately. Unless he has some Dez Bryant-like off-field issues, he'll go in the Top 5.

However, the Bengals could go after either Kendall Wright, Michael Floyd or Mohamed Sanu. Wright could play well off Green as a speedy option since Green is a much better possession receiver.