Playoff Spot Clinched Dreams of the Future

[NATI BENGALS]

Keep: MJ DE, Gilberry DE, Andre OT, Maualuga LB, Newman CB, Pickman CB, Howard LB, Lawson LB, Sims DT, Gradkowski QB, Huber P, Brown K, Harris LS.

Free Agent: Reggie Bush HB

Trades: Our 2nd for Percy Harvin WR (1 year left on rookie contract and a divide between him and his coaching staff), 2nd round pick acquired from Oakland for a 2013 3rd and 2014 1st.

1st: Matt Elam S Florida - 5'10" 202lbs- I think he will be a special player at S in the NFL.

2nd: Traded for a early 3rd round pick in 2013 and a 1st round pick in 2014 - Carson leaving will be the gift that keeps on giving.

2nd: Traded for Percy Harvin - A dynamic proven NFL playmaker.

3rd: Acquired from trading back with Oaklands pick. DJ Fluker OL Alabama - 6'6" 335- Chances are he won't be available here. But he could be.

3rd: Le'veon Bell HB Michigan State - 6'2" 244- Not many HBs come with the blend of size and agility that he does. Take a shot on the freak and see what he has to offer behind BJGE and Reggie Bush.

4th: Cornellius Carradine DE Florida State - 6'4" 265- Late season ACL injury might let us grab another mid round difference making DL.

5th Tyrann Mathieu DB LSU - 5'9" 178 - In an effort to replace Crocker and Clements we bring in an All-American (Elam) and Heisman finalist (Mathieu).

6th Travis Kelce TE UC - 6'5" 260 - Dressing 3 TEs would become an option. IMO he has the potential to have the best career out of this TE class.

6th Greg Blair LB UC - 6'1" 252 - I think he would be an upgrade on Skuta/Rey. Could play MIKE or SAM.
Edit: Blair got an extra year of eligibility. Maybe Lattimore or Dyer is there, i would take either if they were available late in the sixth. Maybe a LB, gotta find more late rounders I like.

Roster

QB: Dalton, Gradkowski
HB: BJGE, Reggie Bush, Le'veon Bell, Herron/Peerman
FB: Pressley/Conner
WR: AJ, Harvin, Sanu, Jones, Hawkins, Whalen
TE: Gresham, Charles, Kelce
T: Whit, Smith, Collins, Fluker
G: Boling, Zeitler,
C: Robinson, Cook


DT: Atkins, Peko, Sims, Still, Thompson
DE: MJ, Dunlap, Gilberry, Carradine, Moch
LB: Burfict, Maualuga, Lemur, Howard, Lawson, Blair
CB: Hall, Kirkpatrick, Pickman, Newman, Mathieu,
S: Nelson, Elam, Mays, Iloka, Sands

K: Brown
P Huber
LS Clark Harris

[stknux]

That is an interesting mock!
I like Matt Elam, he could be a force. The rest of your mock is obviously unique.. so I can't say all that much.
Using the Palmer pick to snowball into more picks down the road is neat.
LeVeon Bell could be a great FB option as well; Carradine would be a good value there.
We have the ability to upgrade at a few spots that you didn't address, but it's all in the eye of the beholder.

[pulses]

Originally Posted by NATI BENGALS

Keep: MJ DE, Gilberry DE, Andre OT, Maualuga LB, Newman CB, Pickman CB, Howard LB, Lawson LB, Sims DT, Huber P, Brown K, Harris LS.

Free Agent: Reggie Bush HB

Trades: Our 2nd for Percy Harvin WR (1 year left on rookie contract and a divide between him and his coaching staff), 2nd round pick acquired from Oakland for a 2013 3rd and 2014 1st.

1st: Matt Elam S Florida - 5'10" 202lbs- I think he will be a special player at S in the NFL.

2nd: Traded for a early 3rd round pick in 2013 and a 1st round pick in 2014 - Carson leaving will be the gift that keeps on giving.

2nd: Traded for Percy Harvin - A dynamic proven NFL playmaker.

3rd: Acquired from trading back with Oaklands pick. DJ Fluker OL Alabama - 6'6" 335- Chances are he won't be available here. But he could be.

3rd: Le'veon Bell HB Michigan State - 6'2" 244- Not many HBs come with the blend of size and agility that he does. Take a shot on the freak and see what he has to offer behind BJGE and Reggie Bush.

4th: Cornellius Carradine DE Florida State - 6'4" 265- Late season ACL injury might let us grab another mid round difference making DL.

5th Tyrann Mathieu DB LSU - 5'9" 178 - In an effort to replace Crocker and Clements we bring in an All-American (Elam) and Heisman finalist (Mathieu).

6th Travis Kelce TE UC - 6'5" 260 - Dressing 3 TEs would become an option. IMO he has the potential to have the best career out of this TE class.

6th Greg Blair LB UC - 6'1" 252 - I think he would be an upgrade on Skuta/Rey. Could play MIKE or SAM.

Roster

QB: Dalton, Gradkowski
HB: BJGE, Reggie Bush, Le'veon Bell, Herron/Peerman
FB: Pressley/Conner
WR: AJ, Harvin, Sanu, Jones, Hawkins, Whalen
TE: Gresham, Charles, Kelce
T: Whit, Smith, Collins, Fluker
G: Boling, Zeitler,
C: Robinson, Cook


DT: Atkins, Peko, Sims, Still, Thompson
DE: MJ, Dunlap, Gilberry, Carradine, Moch
LB: Burfict, Maualuga, Lemur, Howard, Lawson, Blair
CB: Hall, Kirkpatrick, Pickman, Newman, Mathieu,
S: Nelson, Elam, Mays, Iloka, Sands

K: Brown
P Huber
LS Clark Harris

Not a fan of trading for another trouble maker. Not a fan of keeping Lawson,Maualuga, and possibly Howard. With 2 stud LB's who can cover we can have the best D in the league IMO.

Reggie Bush signing i'm ok with. I would still draft a RB tho because I think Scott and Leonard should not be back. I think moving Burfict to the middle and drafting 2 stud LB's is the way to go. Good teams like Seattle and SF have done that and it has worked out well just to name a cpl.

I'd like to sign Henry Melton DT Chicago and use him on passing downs and Peko on running downs.

I think Chris Ivory and Danario Alexander would be good pickups(although both are restricted they would come cheap and be good for us).

I think Keenan Lewis CB would be a good pickup as well.


The only guy you got us drafting I really even like is Elam,I'd like the Tank pick if he wasn't injured.And Honey Badger is a wasted pick in more ways than one.

Kelce is pretty good but I think we need more of a blocking TE with the ones we already have at this time.

[NATI BENGALS]

Originally Posted by pulses

Not a fan of trading for another trouble maker. Not a fan of keeping Lawson,Maualuga, and possibly Howard. With 2 stud LB's who can cover we can have the best D in the league IMO.

Reggie Bush signing i'm ok with. I would still draft a RB tho because I think Scott and Leonard should not be back. I think moving Burfict to the middle and drafting 2 stud LB's is the way to go. Good teams like Seattle and SF have done that and it has worked out well just to name a cpl.

I'd like to sign Henry Melton DT Chicago and use him on passing downs and Peko on running downs.

I think Chris Ivory and Danario Alexander would be good pickups(although both are restricted they would come cheap and be good for us).

I think Keenan Lewis CB would be a good pickup as well.


The only guy you got us drafting I really even like is Elam,I'd like the Tank pick if he wasn't injured.And Honey Badger is a wasted pick in more ways than one.

Kelce is pretty good but I think we need more of a blocking TE with the ones we already have at this time.

We have Whit, Dalton, AJ, and BJGE as leaders on our offense. Harvin has never been suspended and is extremely competitive. I don't think he would be a problem. We are a top 10 D and Maualuga and Lawson are both starters for us. Howard was our best LB before he got hurt. I don't think we get worse bringing them back.

I did draft a HB, meaning we replace Scott and Leonard with Bush and Bell. I have not had a problem with the idea of moving Burfict to middle. But the fact is he is playing a position he never played before and he has a ridiculous number of tackles. We might want to think about keeping him there and letting him grow.

Melton will be the top DT on the market. I don't want to spend that much for a DT when our group is already outstanding.

I like Ivory and Alexander. But I doubt either of their teams want to let them get away. I could see both being given draft pick tenders.

Generally free agent CBs are pricey. If we keep Pickman and Newman I don't want to spend much more on veterans there.

The way I see it

Bush>Leonard
Elam>Crocker
Harvin>Tate
Fluker>Roland
Carradine>Geathers
Mathieu>Clements
Kelce>Quinn
Blair>Skuta
Howard>Vincent Rey

We improve a lot of spots. No way we get worse.

[pulses]

Originally Posted by NATI BENGALS

We have Whit, Dalton, AJ, and BJGE as leaders on our offense. Harvin has never been suspended and is extremely competitive. I don't think he would be a problem. We are a top 10 D and Maualuga and Lawson are both starters for us. Howard was our best LB before he got hurt. I don't think we get worse bringing them back.

I did draft a HB, meaning we replace Scott and Leonard with Bush and Bell. I have not had a problem with the idea of moving Burfict to middle. But the fact is he is playing a position he never played before and he has a ridiculous number of tackles. We might want to think about keeping him there and letting him grow.

Melton will be the top DT on the market. I don't want to spend that much for a DT when our group is already outstanding.

I like Ivory and Alexander. But I doubt either of their teams want to let them get away. I could see both being given draft pick tenders.

Generally free agent CBs are pricey. If we keep Pickman and Newman I don't want to spend much more on veterans there.

The way I see it

Bush>Leonard
Elam>Crocker
Harvin>Tate
Fluker>Roland
Carradine>Geathers
Mathieu>Clements
Kelce>Quinn
Blair>Skuta
Howard>Vincent Rey

We improve a lot of spots. No way we get worse.

Lawson has been horrible this year and Maualuga is average at best, if we don't improve our D while everyone else is improving how do you figure we're going to not lose anything??? As far as Howard goes he's coming an ACL injury and hes; on the other side of 30...u bring him back or a draft a stud LB...to me it's a no brainer.You can leave Burfict where he is just draft A Ogletree then no biggie.

Ogletree MIKE Burfict WILL Sean Porter or Van Noy at SAM = nasty for yrs to come

As far as bell goes I don't think we need another slow RB we already have that now.better options than him who will still be available at that time.

The only outstanding DT we have is Atkins. Can you imagine what Melton and him would be like together...NASTY.

As far as Ivory goes he's not getting any playing time anymore and he's buried on their depth chart I don't think their gonna lose any sleep over losing him.

As far as Danario Alexander goes I'd give up a late round tender for him anyways so that's no problem.

Keenan Lewis is only making a little over 1 million and he's far from being a top tier CB so I don't think he'd get any crazy money. We have the money since we will probably let some DB's go.

Roland should be gone as it looks like you agree with that(no explanation needed).

I've got a good feeling Geathers will not be back, he's good against the run and I think somebody will overpay him like the Browns did Rucker.

No thanks on Honey Badger....nuff said there.

[BobJones4980]

Originally Posted by pulses

Lawson has been horrible this year and Maualuga is average at best, if we don't improve our D while everyone else is improving how do you figure we're going to not lose anything??? As far as Howard goes he's coming an ACL injury and hes; on the other side of 30...u bring him back or a draft a stud LB...to me it's a no brainer.You can leave Burfict where he is just draft A Ogletree then no biggie.

Ogletree MIKE Burfict WILL Sean Porter or Van Noy at SAM = nasty for yrs to come

As far as bell goes I don't think we need another slow RB we already have that now.better options than him who will still be available at that time.

The only outstanding DT we have is Atkins. Can you imagine what Melton and him would be like together...NASTY.

As far as Ivory goes he's not getting any playing time anymore and he's buried on their depth chart I don't think their gonna lose any sleep over losing him.

As far as Danario Alexander goes I'd give up a late round tender for him anyways so that's no problem.

Keenan Lewis is only making a little over 1 million and he's far from being a top tier CB so I don't think he'd get any crazy money. We have the money since we will probably let some DB's go.

Roland should be gone as it looks like you agree with that(no explanation needed).

I've got a good feeling Geathers will not be back, he's good against the run and I think somebody will overpay him like the Browns did Rucker.

No thanks on Honey Badger....nuff said there.

You gotta cool it on the Honey Badger hating that you do in every thread you can. Its the 6th round and that is the place you take risk on guys like that, guys with talent but fall because of other issues, honestly if it was any earlier Id be right there with you but this is the area of the draft you take these risk and considering these really late draft picks tend to be a crap shoot its worth the risk if he interviews well at the combine.

Just look at our 6th rounders since 2005, is there anyone there you really feel improved this team? Maybe you can make an argument for Scott and Trent, but Scott has been average at best and often injured while Trent isnt even on the team anymore, like I said the 6th round is the place to take a risk on a guy rated higher before a stupid decision and hoping he works out.

[Going_Green]

I want you to run our offseason please.

[pulses]

Originally Posted by NATI BENGALS

We have Whit, Dalton, AJ, and BJGE as leaders on our offense. Harvin has never been suspended and is extremely competitive. I don't think he would be a problem. We are a top 10 D and Maualuga and Lawson are both starters for us. Howard was our best LB before he got hurt. I don't think we get worse bringing them back.

I did draft a HB, meaning we replace Scott and Leonard with Bush and Bell. I have not had a problem with the idea of moving Burfict to middle. But the fact is he is playing a position he never played before and he has a ridiculous number of tackles. We might want to think about keeping him there and letting him grow.

Melton will be the top DT on the market. I don't want to spend that much for a DT when our group is already outstanding.

I like Ivory and Alexander. But I doubt either of their teams want to let them get away. I could see both being given draft pick tenders.

Generally free agent CBs are pricey. If we keep Pickman and Newman I don't want to spend much more on veterans there.

The way I see it

Bush>Leonard
Elam>Crocker
Harvin>Tate
Fluker>Roland
Carradine>Geathers
Mathieu>Clements
Kelce>Quinn
Blair>Skuta
Howard>Vincent Rey

We improve a lot of spots. No way we get worse.

Originally Posted by BobJones4980

You gotta cool it on the Honey Badger hating that you do in every thread you can. Its the 6th round and that is the place you take risk on guys like that, guys with talent but fall because of other issues, honestly if it was any earlier Id be right there with you but this is the area of the draft you take these risk and considering these really late draft picks tend to be a crap shoot its worth the risk if he interviews well at the combine.

Just look at our 6th rounders since 2005, is there anyone there you really feel improved this team? Maybe you can make an argument for Scott and Trent, but Scott has been average at best and often injured while Trent isnt even on the team anymore, like I said the 6th round is the place to take a risk on a guy rated higher before a stupid decision and hoping he works out.

6th rounders make someones team every year in the NFL, our drafting has just started to get better the last couple of years. I just think it's a much better idea for us and the organization to draft the best possible player for our team every round and not just look at it as a crapshoot.And stay away from real troublemakers.Burfict was minor stuff.

[Bengal4ever68]

Like the Reggie Bush pickup. We need a playmaker back with speed. I think we keep Green Ellis, but i think he'll be the #2 back splitting carries with Bush.

[Jasonew6]

Reggie Bush wants to be an every down back. He probably will also want more money that we will be willing to pay. Percy Harvin is not enough of an upgrade over Hawkins to be worth the added headaches he brings (in more ways than 1).

Not sure Elam is the guy we need at SS. Reggie is already a risk taking play maker. I think we need our other safety to be a reliable guy who will be where he needs to be and make the tackle. Our defense got a lot better when Crocker returned. I think we need a younger version of him.

I agree with you, Fluker probably won't be there.

The Bengals are NOT going to use a draft pick on Mathieu. He got arrested for drugs after getting kicked off the team for drugs. They seem to have finally learned their lesson.

[NATI BENGALS]

Originally Posted by Jasonew6

Reggie Bush wants to be an every down back. He probably will also want more money that we will be willing to pay. Percy Harvin is not enough of an upgrade over Hawkins to be worth the added headaches he brings (in more ways than 1).

Not sure Elam is the guy we need at SS. Reggie is already a risk taking play maker. I think we need our other safety to be a reliable guy who will be where he needs to be and make the tackle. Our defense got a lot better when Crocker returned. I think we need a younger version of him.

I agree with you, Fluker probably won't be there.

The Bengals are NOT going to use a draft pick on Mathieu. He got arrested for drugs after getting kicked off the team for drugs. They seem to have finally learned their lesson.

Free agent HBs have not been breaking the bank lately. I think if we paid him a little bit more than what Michael Bush and BJGE got he could be ours. He will go for the money and the potential to win.

Percy Harvin is 10 times better than Hawkins and pairing him with AJ would give us the best WR duo in the NFL. And I think the 4 extra inches he has will make him a lot easier to hit than Hawkins. With AJ, Harvin, Sanu/Jones, Gresham, Bush/BJGE we would be lining up one of the scariest offenses in the league.

Elam is the type of instinctive player we need and his intense approach paired with his experience leading Florida's D could be just what you are talking about. I'm not looking for a reliable mediocre player to replace the reliable mediocre Crocker. I want somebody to take our secondary group to elite status where it should be. I think the two safeties from Florida would play well together and feed off of each other. Pairing them with Hall, Pickman, and Swag and I think we could have something special.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...vp-this-season

Fluker has been far from flawless this year. And he does play RT which isn't exactly a premium position. I thought Brandon Washington (A OL with a build similar to Fluker) was a lock as a 2nd or 3rd round pick last year, he went in the 6th. Underclassmen OL who are not LTs can slide on draft day.

We signed a guy who was going to prison (Brandon Joiner)... And took a shot on Burfict. Plus Pickman is still around. We are not afraid to take a chance on talent. And the former Heisman finalist is talented. After seeing what Janoris Jenkins has done I think they will give some thought into spending a late pick on Mathieu.

[BobJones4980]

Originally Posted by NATI BENGALS

Free agent HBs have not been breaking the bank lately. I think if we paid him a little bit more than what Michael Bush and BJGE got he could be ours. He will go for the money and the potential to win.

Percy Harvin is 10 times better than Hawkins and pairing him with AJ would give us the best WR duo in the NFL. And I think the 4 extra inches he has will make him a lot easier to hit than Hawkins. With AJ, Harvin, Sanu/Jones, Gresham, Bush/BJGE we would be lining up one of the scariest offenses in the league.

Elam is the type of instinctive player we need and his intense approach paired with his experience leading Florida's D could be just what you are talking about. I'm not looking for a reliable mediocre player to replace the reliable mediocre Crocker. I want somebody to take our secondary group to elite status where it should be. I think the two safeties from Florida would play well together and feed off of each other. Pairing them with Hall, Pickman, and Swag and I think we could have something special.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...vp-this-season

Fluker has been far from flawless this year. And he does play RT which isn't exactly a premium position. I thought Brandon Washington (A OL with a build similar to Fluker) was a lock as a 2nd or 3rd round pick last year, he went in the 6th. Underclassmen OL who are not LTs can slide on draft day.

We signed a guy who was going to prison (Brandon Joiner)... And took a shot on Burfict. Plus Pickman is still around. We are not afraid to take a chance on talent. And the former Heisman finalist is talented. After seeing what Janoris Jenkins has done I think they will give some thought into spending a late pick on Mathieu.

I like Percy Harvin and he is miles ahead of Hawkins, honestly the Hawkins love is getting ridiculous at this point, I remember yesterday a throw Andy threw perfectly but Hawkins was just to short to get it, if Harvin is out there he makes the catch and with his speed makes a play. Hawkins size is a huge disadvantage for us and makes Andy have to throw it perfectly to even give him a chance.

I like Harvin but I will say the migraines and inuries scare me and his attitude seems to be somewhat of a diva in Minnesota, Id say a 3rd rounder is about what Id give not a 2nd with all those problems. Not to mention this draft seems to be really deep at WR and we could probably get a very talented guy in round 2.

[NATI BENGALS]

Originally Posted by BobJones4980

I like Percy Harvin and he is miles ahead of Hawkins, honestly the Hawkins love is getting ridiculous at this point, I remember yesterday a throw Andy threw perfectly but Hawkins was just to short to get it, if Harvin is out there he makes the catch and with his speed makes a play. Hawkins size is a huge disadvantage for us and makes Andy have to throw it perfectly to even give him a chance.

I like Harvin but I will say the migraines and inuries scare me and his attitude seems to be somewhat of a diva in Minnesota, Id say a 3rd rounder is about what Id give not a 2nd with all those problems. Not to mention this draft seems to be really deep at WR and we could probably get a very talented guy in round 2.

Before this year he had only missed three games. And the migraines are supposedly a thing of the past. One of his biggest problems is he is extremely competitive. Something that can get young guys in trouble when they speak their mind to hard headed coaches (Leslie Frazier), but it is also something that can become less of problem as guys mature.

He had 1500+ total yards and 7+ TDs his first three years in the league and he was on pace for his best year yet this season before he got injured. If it weren't for Adrian Peterson he is easily the best player on that team.

I think a 2nd is cheap for a 4.3 40 guy who is a proven electric playmaker in the NFL who will only be 25.

It's far from a guarantee that any of the guys in this draft will even be better than him. But if we could get him for a 3rd even better.

[BobJones4980]

Originally Posted by NATI BENGALS

Before this year he had only missed three games. And the migraines are supposedly a thing of the past. One of his biggest problems is he is extremely competitive. Something that can get young guys in trouble when they speak their mind to hard headed coaches (Leslie Frazier), but it is also something that can become less of problem as guys mature.

He had 1500+ total yards and 7+ TDs his first three years in the league and he was on pace for his best year yet this season before he got injured. If it weren't for Adrian Peterson he is easily the best player on that team.

I think a 2nd is cheap for a 4.3 40 guy who is a proven electric playmaker in the NFL who will only be 25.

It's far from a guarantee that any of the guys in this draft will even be better than him. But if we could get him for a 3rd even better.

Besides the injury concerns and the character issues of late you still have to remember he only has 1 year left on his contract and will probably want quite a bit in his next contract, if we gotta give up draft picks and big money for the guy I really wouldn't want that pick to be higher than a 3, but thats just my opinion.

[ishouldbegm]

i wish more behind we get behind the idea of drafting michael dyer the guy is probably one of the top 3 runningbacks in the draft

[NATI BENGALS]

Originally Posted by ishouldbegm

i wish more behind we get behind the idea of drafting michael dyer the guy is probably one of the top 3 runningbacks in the draft

I like Dyer a lot. And wouldnt have a problem if we drafted him. I just didn't think to put him in this one because I wanted my two homer UC picks late, already added two HBs, and think Mathieu is worth a gamble late as well. I wouldn't have a problem if we had 3 new HBs behind BJGE going into next year either. I do think Peerman and Herron have some value on STs but they are far from irreplaceable.

[NATI BENGALS]

Originally Posted by BobJones4980

Besides the injury concerns and the character issues of late you still have to remember he only has 1 year left on his contract and will probably want quite a bit in his next contract, if we gotta give up draft picks and big money for the guy I really wouldn't want that pick to be higher than a 3, but thats just my opinion.

If you are going to give up an early pick for somebody the guy definitely better be worth some money.

With something like 40mil projected in cap space for next year I think we could get creative and front load some deals to lock up guys for multiple years and have team friendly contracts later in their duration that would come in handy when our guys playing on rookie contracts are due for raises.

MJ, Andre, Bush, and Percy would be on the expensive side but I think 40mil should be able to take care of them and enable us to retain our other free agents.

Make a splash while we still have the opportunity with Dalton, AJ, Atkins, Dunlap, and Gresham working for their rookie contracts is how I see it.

I haven't really got to crunching my fictional numbers, but I still think it works.