Cincinnati Bengals Draft Scouting Guide for the 2015 Senior Bowl

The Cincinnati Bengals hit the road to the 2015 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, an event that has been a critical part of the franchise's offseason operations for years.

Marvin Lewis coached in the 2011 iteration of the event and in the past has selected critical pieces such as USC's Keith Rivers after spending time with them there. Last year alone the team gambled on participant Will Clarke.

This year's edition is heavy in areas of need for the Bengals. The game itself occurs on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 4 p.m. ET, although the Cincinnati staff will be hard at work all week unearthing gems, potential fits and creating the draft board itself.

To better prepare for the event, below is a rundown of the top positions the Bengals figure to monitor in the coming week, as well as some of the top names at each slot to keep an eye on in the process.

2015 Senior Bowl Guide for Cincinnati Bengals

Offensive Tackle

Player	School	SR. Bowl Team	Height	Weight
T.J. Clemmings	Pittsburgh	North	6'6"	315
Donovan Smith	Penn State	North	6'5"	335
Austin Shepherd	Alabama	South	6'5"	320
La'el Collins	LSU	South	6'5"	321

Cincinnati will get a personal look at a pair of likely first-round offensive tackles this week thanks to the presence of Pittsburgh's T.J. Clemmings and LSU's La'el Collins.

The latter is a warhorse in the trenches who can pave the way on the ground right away, as is the former. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller recently put it best concerning Collins:

Clemmings will be one of the spectacle's stars, though. A late switch in his collegiate career to offensive tackle, "upside" is the name of the game when it comes to the Pittsburgh standout.

There is a reason ESPN's Mel Kiper mocks Clemmings No. 10 overall to the St. Louis Rams.

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Should the Bengals not want to invest early, quality mid-round talents such as Donovan Smith and Austin Shepard will also be in attendance.

Shepard, all 6'5" and 320 pounds of him, will remind some Cincinnati faithful of a certain Alabama offensive tackle already on the roster.

While the Senior Bowl only features a small crop of the tackle class as a whole, it figures to give the team plenty of options on draft day(s).

Defensive End

Player	School	SR. Bowl Team	Height	Weight
Henry Anderson	Stanford	North	6'6"	287
Za'Darius Smith	Kentucky	North	6'6"	263
Nate Orchard	Utah	North	6'4"	255
Markus Golden	Missouri	South	6'3"	260
Trey Flowers	Arkansas	South	6'3"	270
Preston Smith	Mississippi State	South	6'6"	270

The story is much of the same at defensive end.

While there are no surefire first-round picks in attendance, Nate Orchard likely comes closest. A tad undersized, though, the Utah product would be a somewhat strange fit in Cincinnati.

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks recently broke down how Orchard best fits at the next level:

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When I look at Orchard, I believe he can function like Bears DE Willie Young or Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich as an "Elephant" defensive end. He is at his best rushing the passer from a three-point stance, which allows him to play to his strengths as a relentless edge defender. Of course, a defensive coordinator must be willing to play with an undersized defensive end or one-dimensional linebacker in a scheme, but Orchard's production and performance make him an intriguing option.

"

If the Bengals like what they see and Orchard falls to the second or third round, he has the versatility to be a key rotational piece, something the line desperately needed last season.

The same goes for a few other names, though. Lost in the hype of Shane Ray is Markus Golden, who along with Trey Flowers is a tad smaller but a strong mid-round prospect nonetheless.

Preston Smith out of Mississippi State is an interesting fit, too, as the staff may covet an end strong enough to stand tall against the run and provide a rush, although his stock may soar by draft day.

Defensive Tackle

Player	School	SR. Bowl Team	Height	Weight
Michael Bennett	Ohio State	North	6'2"	288
Carl Davis	Iowa	North	6'5"	315
Danny Shelton	Washington	North	6'2"	339
Gabe Wright	Auburn	South	6'3"	284
Joey Mbu	Houston	South	6'3"	310

Danny Shelton is one of the draft's fastest risers thanks to his ability to generate unorthodox pressure up the middle—something the Bengals can already do with Geno Atkins when he is healthy—as well as clog running lanes.

Rotoworld's Josh Norris describes exactly what the Cincinnati defensive front needs from a prospect in the 2015 class:

Michael Bennett's quick burst off the snap and great use of leverage make him a viable second- or third-round target, too, while Iowa's Carl Davis figures to see a major stock boost after a great bounce-back campaign.

If the Bengals want to scout some of the absolute top options to upgrade the interior of the defensive line, Mobile, Alabama, is the place to do it.

Linebacker

Player	School	SR. Bowl Team	Height	Weight
Denzel Perryman	Miami	South	6'1"	242
Stephone Anthony	Clemson	South	6'3"	245
Jordan Hicks	Texas	North	6'1"	234
Zack Hodges	Harvard	North	6'3"	235
Lorenzo Mauldin	Louisville	South	6'4"	252
Geneo Grissom	Oklahoma	South	6'4"	252
Hau'oli Kikaha	Washington	North	6'3"	246

Linebacker is arguably one of the weaker positions at the Senior Bowl.

That suits the Bengals just fine. If they want to find a two-down thumper to possibly replace Rey Maualuga, they will not want to do it in the early rounds, anyway. Lewis rarely takes linebackers high, nor does it make sense to grab a 'backer who only sees the field in running situations.

The talent in the mid rounds is there, though. Take Miami's Denzel Perryman for example. As Mike Loyko of NEPatriotsDraft.com points out, he may be next in what is becoming a long line of linebackers to use the event as a major stock boost:

If the Bengals want to improve depth on the outside spots after injuries ravaged them again in 2014, Washington's Hau'oli Kikaha touts the athleticism the staff desires, as does Harvard's Zack Hodges.

With the way the Bengals treat the linebacker position each year, keep a close eye on all names, really. Players the staff gravitates toward, especially those who go undrafted, seem destined to get a look in the Queen City.

Cornerback

Player	School	SR. Bowl Team	Height	Weight
Doran Grant	Ohio State	North	5'11"	193
Eric Rowe	Utah	North	6'1"	201
Kevin White	TCU	North	5'10"	174
Quandre Diggs	Texas	North	5'10"	195
Senquez Golson	Ole Miss	South	5'9"	176
D'Joun Smith	Florida Atlantic	South	5'11"	190

While impossible to know where, the Bengals will draft a minimum of one corner in 2015, as the team needs more talented insurance as veterans continue to be on their last legs. 

Ole Miss' Senquez Golson is a good starting point, as what the proven SEC defensive force loses in size he makes up for with sheer talent, as CBS Sports' Dane Brugler muses:

Down the road, Golson as a speedy slot guy to counteract the speedy offensive weapons around the league sounds ideal.

USA TODAY Sports

Should the Bengals want to go bigger on the edges though, the mid-round prospects are certainly available to them.

Utah's Eric Rowe comes to mind as a big, versatile defensive back who can line up at corner and safety, right along the lines of what the Bengals look for out of their players.

Cincinnati's quest to improve its secondary depth has no greater launching pad than the Senior Bowl, where a number of veteran collegiate players will make a name for themselves against the best of the best.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Rosters and info courtesy of SeniorBowl.com unless otherwise specified.