Cincinnati Bengals Mock Draft Roundup: What the Experts Are Saying
Wide receiver and all levels of the defense dominate the mock drafts surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals going into Thursday's event.
It's mock-draft season, otherwise known as silly season in the NFL. Mocks pop up faster than eye-rolling quotes from anonymous folks, which isn't such a bad thing if one understands a mock is first and foremost a tool to understand a team's needs, prospects' values and how the team would act if the board fell a certain way.
Hence why the experts have earned such a label over the years.
For the Bengals, it's all about replacing Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu at wideout and fixing some sour points on the defensive side of the ball.
Such a theme in mind, let's take a look at what some notable experts think about Cincinnati's No. 24 pick.
Nate Davis, USA Today: WR Corey Coleman, Baylor
1 of 7USA Today's Nate Davis offers the first look at a possible wideout for the Bengals at No. 24 with Baylor's Corey Coleman.
Coleman isn't the first wideout who springs to mind when it comes to fit in Cincinnati's scheme, not with Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson out there. But he's not a bad fit, either, not after catching 74 passes for 1,363 yards and 20 scores last year and coming in at 5'11" and 194 pounds.
Davis explained the pick: "Even if he doesn't catch a ton of balls, Coleman's speed could have a dramatic effect by clearing out defenders for WR A.J. Green and TE Tyler Eifert while replenishing the wideout depth Cincinnati lost during free agency."
Deep speed is what the Bengals would love from Coleman. The aforementioned Jones isn't around to stretch the field anymore, and other attempts at finding a reliable deep target have floundered.
Some might argue Coleman's production stemmed from a friendly collegiate offense, but speed is speed and something defenders have to respect.
Like Davis wrote, Coleman doesn't have to catch a ton of passes to have a significant impact on the offense, especially as a rookie.
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: WR Josh Doctson, TCU
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As mentioned, TCU's Doctson seems more in line with what the Bengals need at wideout.
Hence NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah taking such a route in his latest offering.
Doctson comes in at 6'2" and 202 pounds off a season in which he boasted 79 catches for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. Even better, just like in draft workouts, he flashed an insane ability to go up and get the ball at its highest point in a way that might remind some Bengals fans of Jones.
Remember, Cincinnati lost Jones and Sanu this offseason. The former tallied 10 scores in a single season when healthy, and the latter was a nice chain-moving, versatile presence.
Should Jeremiah's scenario pan out, the Bengals get a Jones-type presence back on the field across from A.J. Green, taking pressure off the No. 1 and tight end Tyler Eifert.
Lanky but known for major plays in the air, Doctson would join a team with a quarterback who loves to chuck it up and let his guys go get it. The fit makes too much sense to ignore.
Cris Collinsworth, Pro Football Focus: WR Will Fuller, Notre Dame
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Notre Dame's Will Fuller hasn't come up often in the first-round conversation until late in the process, though Cris Collinsworth of Pro Football Focus is the latest to champion the cause by mocking him to the Bengals.
A late riser, observers like what they see in the 6'0", 186-pound wideout who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. From a numbers standpoint, Fuller looked great last year with 62 catches for 1,258 yards and 14 scores.
Collinsworth explained the speed dynamic within the Cincinnati offense:
"I’ve seen a ton of Fuller from watching Notre Dame these last few seasons, and he is one of the fastest players I’ve seen in college football. It seemed like he would come down with at least one deep ball every game, even against the best competition, so it’s no surprise he ranked No. 1 in the nation in deep-ball catch rate this season. His speed is a game-changer, both on deep routes and in taking screens and hitches for big gains after the catch, and NFL defenses would have a hard time covering him one-on-one with A.J. Green drawing more attention on the other side.
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Speed is the name of the game with Fuller, who comes in a tad lighter than most would prefer. Like Coleman, though, simply the threat of his speed is something Cincinnati's offense has missed for years.
Slap Fuller in the offense, and it's hard not to think Green and Eifert will have a somewhat easier time producing.
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Todd McShay, ESPN.com: DT Andrew Billings, Baylor
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In a joint effort with Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN.com's Todd McShay bucks conventional wisdom and addresses the defensive side of the ball with Baylor's Andrew Billings.
As McShay writes, the pick is somewhat a product of how the board fell in the live mock: "With the top three receivers gone, Billings can be a disruptive force in the middle of the defensive line. He has a rare combination of quickness, athleticism and power."
It's good to have an idea as to how the Bengals might act if they don't want a wideout, right?
Billings is a freakish athlete who comes in at 6'1" and 311 pounds. A former offensive lineman, the Baylor product doesn't have any problems getting deep for leverage and anchoring against the run.
For those unsold, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein hinted at big things for the young tackle:
"Billings won't turn 21 until March of 2016, but he has the overwhelming strength of a full-grown NFL defensive tackle. With elite power and unusual closing speed for a big man, Billings has a chance to become something we rarely see -- a playmaking nose tackle with the ability to dominate at the point of attack. Teams will decide through research and interviews whether Billings can handle the NFL life at such a young age, but if he can, he has all-pro potential.
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This is just what Cincinnati needs inside next to Geno Atkins. Domata Peko, though a strong leader, is 31 years old and not productive enough anymore, and the team's past attempts to find a starter next to Atkins haven't panned out.
Billings might, and perhaps right away with the proper guidance.
Rob Rang, CBSSports.com: WR Corey Coleman, Baylor
5 of 7It's Coleman time again thanks to CBSSports.com's Rob Rang.
Citing the losses and pure speed Coleman brings to the table, as well as some hardware the Baylor product reeled in, it's hard to argue with the assessment:
"The Bengals still have superstar A.J. Green but will want to fortify a receiver corps which lost Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu to free agency. Coleman won the Biletnikoff Award last season by catching 20 touchdowns, offering the pure speed to serve as an ideal complement to red zone threats Green and tight end Tyler Eifert.
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When mocks overlap like this because a fit makes so much sense, it's fun to take a look at comparisons.
Such as, say, ESPN.com's Steve Muench comparing Coleman to a guy named Antonio Brown:
"Like Brown, he's a big-play threat with the burst to take the top off the coverage and threaten after the catch, plus his 40-time matches up with his playing speed, as he ran a 4.38 40 at his pro day. If Coleman develops as a route runner and becomes more of a consistent pass-catcher, this comparison won't seem as aggressive as it might now.
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Physically, the comparison makes sense, though Cincinnati fans might not want to go into the draft expecting Coleman to morph into such a player.
Still, it's the upside that makes the pick so intriguing. The rookie impact of helping other players on the roster is nice, but the down-the-road outlook shouldn't go overlooked.
Robert Klemko, TheMMQB.com: WR Will Fuller, Notre Dame
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Fuller gets another nod of first-round confidence, this time from TheMMQB.com's Robert Klemko.
In the given scenario, the Bengals miss on Coleman and Treadwell, who come off the board in back-to-back fashion before the team hits the podium.
Not that the Bengals will complain, per Klemko: "With Mohamed Sanu in Atlanta and Marvin Jones in Detroit, wide receiver becomes a priority for the Bengals in a draft rich with late-first-round talent at the position. I think the Bengals would prioritize Coleman over Fuller, but would be happy with either."
Fuller isn't a terrible consolation prize by any means, not with him bringing something to the table the team has never really had.
For someone like Zierlein, Fuller ranks at the top of the wide receiver class because of these tools: "Fuller has devastating long speed with instant acceleration and a history of running a more robust route tree. His hands are definitely an issue, but his ability to hit long touchdowns mitigates that concern to an extent."
As a piece the Bengals could move around and deploy deep in any scenario, Fuller looks like a great fit.
Whether he's the team's first choice is clearly something experts don't concur about.
Matt Miller, Bleacher Report: WR Michael Thomas, Ohio State
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The middle of the first round offers wideout-needy teams a bevy of names to choose from, as one can glean by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller going with Michael Thomas for the Bengals.
Thomas, 6'3" and 212 pounds, doesn't pop off the page from a numbers standpoint after a somewhat quiet season in which he caught 56 passes for 781 yards and nine scores.
A lack of eye-popping numbers didn't stop Miller from hearing the Bengals feel strongly about Thomas, though: "The AFC North has taken notice of Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas. I’m told by sources with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals that the former Buckeye ranks as the top receiver on both of their draft boards."
Cincinnati surely wouldn't mind a player like Thomas, who looks the part with elite size but needs to be groomed for a few years to start reaching for his potential.
Thomas isn't a project per se, but he has plenty of work to do when it comes to fundamentals such as route running. These concerns get massaged in Cincinnati's system, where he'll be free of the burden of production.
Again, viewed in a long-term lens mostly, Thomas sticking in the state of Ohio certainly makes sense.
Stats are courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of April 25. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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