Cincinnati Bengals: Ideal Draft Picks for Each Position of Need

Unlike the past few seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2015 draft with a few glaring needs to address early in the proceedings.

Owners of the 21st pick in the first round, Marvin Lewis' team is in a good position to shore up a position of need.

Whereas first-round selections over the course of the past few seasons such as Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard did not need to see the field much as rookies, Cincinnati's allowance of talent to depart via free agency and inability to fill needs via that same avenue will ask more of whoever the first-round rookie turns out to be.

In order to slow the closing playoff and championship window, the Bengals will need to hit on a blend of need with a prospect who can play right out of the gates this time around.

Within, let's take a look at the biggest needs the Bengals will target in the first round and highlight the top prospects who will be available around the 21st pick.

Offensive Tackle: La'el Collins, LSU

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The years of little concern over offensive tackles is ending in Cincinnati. 

While Andrew Whitworth is coming off perhaps his best season as a pro—he ranked as the league's No. 2 tackle at Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—he is 33 years old.

On the right side, Andre Smith ranked No. 47 on that same list before suffering a season-ending injury. Not only is he on the road to recovery, he is also entering the final year of his current contract before hitting the open market once again.

In other words, the Bengals need to think about the future and possibly shore up a guard position for the time being.

LSU's mauling La'el Collins comes to mind, with a note by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller summing up his strengths quite well:

"

Re-watching La'el Collins cut ups from last night vs. Notre Dame. He kicked some serious ass in the run game.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) December 31, 2014"

Cincinnati may not be in range for a Brandon Scherff or Andrus Peat, while Cedric Ogbuehi is now recovering from a serious knee injury.

Collins is a great fit anyway, and can use a year of occasional contributions to get acclimated before becoming a starter.

Honorable Mentions: Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M; Andrus Peat, Stanford; T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh

Defenisve Tackle: Malcom Brown, Texas

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Cincinnati's need in the heart of the defensive trenches was readily apparent to any observer of the 2014 season. 

Geno Atkins was a shell of his former self for the majority of the season as he worked his way back from a knee injury. Next to him, veteran Domata Peko regressed so much so that he ranked No. 80 out of 81 players graded at his position at PFF.

Leonard Williams is far out of the equation for the Bengals in the first round, but any tackle after that is fair game.

Texas' Malcom Brown is the name to watch. A 6'2", 320-pound force, Brown is quick off the snap to generate pressure and dictates the flow of his running plays with his ability to diagnose and clog lanes.

Brown's best football is ahead of him, a scary notion given his surefire pro skill set.

Honorable Mentions: Danny Shelton, Washington; Eddie Goldman, Florida State; Michael Bennett, Ohio State

Defensive End: Alvin Dupree, Kentucky

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Cincinnati's plan to replace Michael Johnson, who left last year after hitting the market as a free agent, in one word, backfired.

Thanks to injuries and simple lack of production, Margus Hunt and Will Clarke were unable to produce at an efficient clip. The same applies to Wallace Gilberry, leaving Carlos Dunlap as the only effective edge presence for most of the season.

Luckily for Marvin Lewis and the front office, the 2015 class is ripe with talented rushers. So while the team figures to have no shot at Randy Gregory or Shane Ray, Kentucky's Alvin Dupree is very much in play.

Dupree is explosive off the line and can generate pressure from a multitude of spots, although his run defense makes him a situational-based play for the time being.

Still, Cincinnati needs more bodies to rush the passer, something that used to be no issue. With Dupree in the fold, the Bengals could get back to touting the defensive line as a strength.

Honorable Mentions: Danielle Hunter, LSU; Nate Orchard, Utah; Arik Armstead, Oregon; Dante Fowler Jr., Florida

Linebacker: Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State

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Marvin Lewis' Bengals rarely take linebackers at a high point in the draft, but 2015 might be time to change the trend. 

Rey Maualuga is once again on his way to free agency and there is only so much cap space to go around in the Queen City. Starting over with a young prospect in the middle, or perhaps allowing Maualuga to go play on the strong side, may be what the staff decides to do—especially after injuries decimated the unit in 2014.

Benardrick McKinney is alone as the top interior linebacker in the 2015 class, although he could flip outside in certain packages.

McKinney may turn out to be a two-down force at the NFL level, which, depending on one's viewpoint, is not getting enough out of the 21st pick. For someone as great at evaluating defensive talent as Lewis, that is up to him to decide. Regardless, the option should be there.

Honorable Mentions: Prospects such as Georgia's Ramik Wilson in later rounds.

Cornerback: Jalen Collins, LSU

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While another corner in the first round may bore some, the board may fall that way—and it makes sense. 

Gone is Terence Newman. Leon Hall's regression continues. The team's best cover corner, Adam Jones, has one year left on his contract and is 31 years old.

While Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard are ready for bigger roles, the depth chart outlook behind them after 2015 is bleak.

A versatile player such as Jalen Collins will be on the board at No. 21 if the Bengals choose to go that route again. At 6'2" and 198 pounds, Collins is a bigger corner who can match up with the Josh Gordon's of the world in time.

While he awaits his turn like those before him, Collins can gain experience on special teams in a number of ways and come in as a rotational piece.

For a team that loves its first-round defensive backs, try not to be blown away if the staff goes that way once again.

Honorable Mentions: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon; Marcus Peters, Washington; P.J. Williams, Florida State

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).