2012 NFL Draft: 10 Studs Who Will Make Bengals Super Bowl Contenders

With the amount of parity in the NFL, almost any team can make and even win the Super Bowl. Following the NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals may get the one player that can get them over the hump.

Last year was a great season for the team, or at least as great as a 9-7 season can be.

Expectations were low with Marvin Lewis possibly not coming back and Carson Palmer refusing to play and "retiring."

Now, one season later, the script is almost flipped. Realistically, the team is probably at least a year or two from being an elite team, but again, it's hard to really know with the NFL.

Bengals fans are pretty much in agreement over what the biggest needs of the team are in the first couple of rounds: offensive guard, secondary, wide receiver and running back.

Looking at the first two rounds, here's 10 players that can help get Cincinnati in the Super Bowl this year.

David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

Usually it's advisable to select a guard later in the draft. Normally offensive guards don't really impact a game, but the Bengals' interior line was awful last year. Football Outsiders ranked it 30th in the league.

DeCastro is the best guard available. He and Jonathan Martin formed one of the best offensive lines in the country last year at Stanford.

He won All-Pac 12 first team honors in his sophomore season and was a first team All-American last year.

Playing in the Cardinal system, DeCastro has already gotten some experience in a pro-style offense so there really shouldn't be much transition.

In fact, he would probably be the best guard in Cincinnati if selected.

Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

Some project that DeCastro will be gone by the 17th pick. Should that happen, the Bengals could go after Cordy Glenn at 21.

The Georgia Bulldog has some nice versatility. He played at both guard positions and left tackle in college. Glenn was actually first team All-SEC last year as a left tackle.

It's doubtful, though, that he'd succeed as a tackle in the NFL so he is listed as a guard.

Glenn has great size (6'5", 345 pounds) but he's also pretty agile as well. That agility was displayed in his pass blocking last year.

Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Janoris Jenkins' off-field issues are well-documented (via Yahoo Sports). Perhaps most damning for him in the eyes of front-office management is the fact that despite only being 23, Jenkins has four kids from three different women.

It might prove to be too much personal baggage.

The Bengals have a history of taking in guys with character issues, but it feels like they're trying to move past that phase.

No one is really in doubt of Jenkins' talent, though.

He was the the second Florida Gator cornerback in history to start in his first game in college. His career at Florida was curtailed after he was arrested a second time for a drug charge. Jenkins ended up at North Alabama for his senior season.

Jenkins might have matured, but it is probably a reach for the Bengals to select him at either 17 or 21 in order to find out.

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Much like David DeCastro, Kirkpatrick may well be off the board completely when Cincinnati picks at 17.

Kirkpatrick was both a second team All-American and All-SEC last season.

He has good size (6'2", 186 pounds) that will help him deal with bigger receivers. He also would provide a good foil for Leon Hall, who's only 5'11".

The Alabama corner is not without his off-field baggage, either. He was arrested this past January on marijuana charges, which were subsequently dropped.

Kirkpatrick played a lot of man coverage in college so he would be perfect for any NFL team. Plus, working with and getting the blessing from a coach like Nick Saban is huge for any potential first-round draft pick.

Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Cincinnati might have to reach a bit for Stephon Gilmore. Some draft experts project him as a late first-rounder, possibly second-rounder, but the cornerback position needs to be addressed in the first round.

However, lately, he has been shooting up the boards.

Gilmore managed to start in all 40 of South Carolina's games over the past three seasons. He saved his best year for last, leading the Gamecocks in interceptions last year with four.

He has good speed, but not elite speed. He's probably at his best when playing in the zone, but his man-to-man skills are very good as well.

Mark Barron, S, Alabama

With Reggie Nelson a free agent, the Bengals might have a hole at the safety position, which could be filled by Mark Barron.

Barron really burst onto the scene at Alabama in his sophomore season when he notched 76 tackles and seven interceptions. His numbers never reached those levels again, but it was more due to opposing teams trying to avoid him.

His biggest weakness is his lack of elite speed, but he more than makes up for it with his stellar instincts. Barron can be more than effective in either pass or run coverage.

He also has some versatility, too. Some scouts project him as a free safety, but he could easily move to strong safety.

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

Some mock drafts have the Bengals picking Lamar Miller in the first round, but that would be absolutely crazy. He has second round written all over him.

The Bengals are in need of a running back, but the team should neither reach for one nor trade up to take Trent Richardson.

The problem may also be taken care of outside the draft as free-agent running backs Michael Bush and BenJarvus Green-Ellis are set to visit Cincinnati, according to Cincinnati.com.

Should Cincy look to the draft, Miller would be a good choice if they don't reach to get him. He only played two years at Miami after redshirting in his freshman season.

In the one year he did start, Miller ran for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns.

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

LaMichael James could be a really good option.

His size may prevent him from becoming an every-down back, but that won't be a problem with the Bengals.

Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has already said via Pro Football Talk that he wants a running back-by-committee.

James had a pretty illustrious career at Oregon. He won the Doak Walker Award and finished third in the Heisman voting in his sophomore season.

His junior season saw a bit of a drop off, but not much. He did miss a couple games due to injury.

In three years, James managed to run for 5,082 yards and 53 touchdowns.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

Alshon Jeffery had a pretty disappointing 2011 season. After racking up 88 receptions for 1,517 yards in his sophomore season, his numbers were about half that last year—49 receptions for 762.

His stock has fallen quite a bit as some saw Jeffery as a high first-rounder before the season started, but now he projects as a second-rounder.

He's got size (6'3") which will really help him in the red zone and in jump balls. That size is crucial, because many wonder if he has the kind of speed that's necessary for an elite receiver.

His route running has also been called into question.

All of the scrutiny has been beneficial to NFL teams. They'll know exactly what they're getting in Jeffery. He might never be an elite receiver, but he's still going to be very good.

Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest

Chris Givens is almost the exact opposite from Jeffery.

Givens saw a huge spike in his numbers during his junior year. He had two productive college seasons, but last year caught 83 passes for 1,330 and nine touchdowns.

He's not a big receiver, but he ran a 4.41 at the combine. That speed is his biggest asset, as he's not the most physical of receivers. If he can get off the initial jam, then he can easily find space in the secondary.

Givens could provide Cincinnati with a good complement to A.J. Green almost immediately.