Your Bengals Draft Wish List - Name 10

[berserkerone88]

Originally Posted by bfine32

Really no need to slam Barner. Like I said I was a fan of the kid, he's just fallen off lately. You wanna talk about keying on a player: This past weekend Cal played 9 in the box against Oregon.
As to Bernard; looks like a versitile back (don't know how he came into the discussion); however, looks like he could work on QB protection.

Most RB out of college do.

[dcm226]

DeAndre Hopkins
Jarvis Jones
Khaseem Greene
Mike Taylor
DeMarcus Milliner
Stepfan Taylor
T.J. McDonald
Barrett Jones
C.J. Mosley
Michael Dyer

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Lutzenkirchen/Stoneburner
Stepfan Taylor
Barrett Jones
Michael Mauti
Bjoern Werner
Rambo

All I got for now. Would love to have Warmack over Jones, as he's a better player, but Jones' versatility, and the fact that he's also an AWESOME player, wins out.

[berserkerone88]

Originally Posted by Truck_1_0_1_

Lutzenkirchen/Stoneburner
Stepfan Taylor
Barrett Jones
Michael Mauti
Bjoern Werner
Rambo

All I got for now. Would love to have Warmack over Jones, as he's a better player, but Jones' versatility, and the fact that he's also an AWESOME player, wins out.

Hurt his knee again today

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Originally Posted by berserkerone88

Hurt his knee again today

Damnation...

Draftscout had him rising up the rankings for the fourth time this year, this week

[Kevbo37]

Manti Te'o
Chase Thomas
John Simon
Bjoern Werner
T.J. McDonald
Travis Kelce
Mike Glennon
Giovani Bernard
Terrance Williams
Micah Hyde

Obviously Te'o would be anyone's top pick, and while he likely won't be there when they draft, I believe this thread is about dreaming, and who wouldn't love to see Te'o in orange and black! In my opinion, the only downside of this playoff push is it's distancing ourselves from Te'o. Can you imagine the ying and yang linebacker core of Te'o and Burfict!

Chase Thomas and John Simon are heady, tough, defensive leaders. If you miss out on Te'o they're a great consolation prize.

Simon proved during the Wisconsin game that he has a non-stop motor and when he turns it on he can wreck havoc in the backfield. His size and a frame of 6'2" 260 pounds would allow him to add or drop weight if need be, along with his athleticism would allow him to line up at multiple spots on the defensive line, as well as drop to linebacker in special blitz packages. Urban Meyer praised him more than any other Buckeye he coached this year, and Simon was like having an extra defensive coach on the field for Ohio State.

Chase Thomas has got a tremendous combination of size and athleticism as well at 6'4" 248 pounds. He was an instinctual leader of the Stanford Cardinal hard-nosed defense the last few seasons, and is always around the ball and making plays. He would be a starter in Cincinnati from day one.

Michael Johnson is going to be a free agent this off season, and I'll admit I'm more than a little nervous we'll lose him, especially now that he's finally having that break-out season we expected all along. If he does leave, Cincinnati will need to find an immediate replacement most likely through the draft. The Bengals lucked out taking Johnson in the third round and he's developed into a steal. Bjoern Werner would not drop that far (he's likely a top-25 pick) but the big German would provide immediate size, attitude, not to mention a spark to this Bengals defense.

The Bengals need safety help and just because Taylor Mays has been a little bit disappointing, doesn't mean the team should count out the idea of drafting another big athletic USC safety, because remember Troy Polamalu was a Trojan too. I think T.J. McDonald's pro career will more closely resemble his than Mays.

Jermaine Gresham and Orson Charles are a nice two tight-ends, but with the emergence of the position in the league could you make a solid argument against having three good ones? Travis Kelce is big! - 6'6" 270 pounds, and really fast and athletic. He was the Bearcats biggest threat in the receiving game this year and his stock is currently soaring.

Everyone who is good in this league has a good quarterback, and everyone who is good is a hit and injury away from being mediocre to bad. Just look at how the squeelers have performed the last few weeks without Big Ben. The Bengals are good and have a good quarterback in Andy Dalton, but if Dalton goes down how confident are we really in Bruce Gradkowski? Don't get me wrong I love Bruce as a guy, he seems like a locker room leader and great teammate. I just wouldn't mind an upgrade. Who would you rather have taking snaps if Dalton goes down - Gradkowski or Mike Glennon? Keep in mind Glennon is 6'6" 232 pounds and threw for 3,648 yards and 30 touchdowns this year in the ACC, a year after throwing for 3,054 yards and 31 touchdowns! Let's not forget Glennon was the guy N.C. State considered good enough to push Russell Wilson out of town a year early. Of course there's always a chance that after playing under Tom O'Brien (like Matt Ryan) Glennon's draft stock will take a sudden Ryan like ascension due to a lack of wow-factor QBs at the top of this year's class and the Bengals aren't taking a back-up early. If he's drafted as a backup, he'll be a nice insurance policy throughout his rookie contract before signing elsewhere in Matt Schaub fashion, but mark my words Glennon will be a starting quarterback in the NFL somewhere, someday.

Benjarvis Green-Ellis gets a bum wrap because he's not that versatile, and thanks to Bernard Scott's injuries, he hasn't had a solid change of pace guy to lean on. The solution to that problem is to draft a guy who can do it all! Before his horrific league injury, I would of put Marcus Lattimore number one on any list like this. So now who should the Bengals go for? Bernard! No, not Bernard Scott, but Giovani Bernard. The North Carolina back is really the next man up as far as NFL potential for draftable players with Lattimore now out of the mix. He's not huge, but like Maurice Jones Drew he has a wonderful low-center of gravity and a frame that would allow him to be an every down back, which gives him a solid advantage over other guys projected in this year's draft like Kenjon Barner and Andre Ellington. He's also super fast and a dangerous kick returner.

In my opinion Terrence Williams just might be the best receiver in this entire draft class. (Marquise Lee is only a sophomore). He isn't as hyped as guys like Justin Hunter and Keenan Allen, but he's far more productive. Certainly some of his stats are bloated because he plays in a spread offense that likes to throw the ball. But stat lines this year of 17 receptions, 317 yards, 2 touchdowns, and seven other games in which he crossed the century mark, plus a season total of 89 receptions, 1693 yards, and 12 touchdowns (and that's with one more game to go plus the bowl game) is not just a product of a spread offense, it's just plan domination and exploitation of defensive backs. Williams lining up on the field opposite of Green would be scary! Seriously who you gonna double?

Micah Hyde might be the most underrated defensive back in this years draft class. At 6'1" 190 pounds, you name it, size, character, athleticism, instincts. He's got it all. Yes he's played on a bad Hawkeye team the last couple years, but he's a three-year starter (he got a a lot of playing time as a freshman too) and those Iowa defenses he was on early in his career were some of the Big Ten's best! Hyde is a tackling machine and has seven career interceptions. He also has the ability to play multiple positions in the defensive backfield giving whatever team that drafts him roster flexibility.

Those are ten guys I'd love to see donning the stripes in the future.

[Jasonew6]

Originally Posted by Kevbo37

Manti Te'o


Obviously Te'o would be anyone's top pick,

Um, Jarvis Jones?

[Kevbo37]

Um, Jarvis Jones?

Don't get me wrong - Jarvis Jones is just plain awesome, and perhaps I was speaking in a bit of hyperbole when I said "anyone's".

Whether you love or hate Notre Dame, however, you have to admit Te'o is one hell of a football player. He has every tool you'd desire in a linebacker. Take all of his athletic freakism away and you're still left with a damn good leader who posses damn good character (and it's still more than what Dan Skuta brings to the table, to offense Dan.)

Jarvis Jones has crazy playmaking ability and if he was on the Bengals I'd be the first to pop the bubbly in celebration.

His near career ending injury at USC scares me, however. That's a huge reason why I'd take Te'o over Jones. The Bengals have had great luck when it comes to drafting Dawgs (Geathers, Atkins, Charles, Boiling, etc.), but also bad luck at the linebacker position - Odell Thurman and David Pollack. Don't get me wrong I would take no past history into account, I don't believe in luck anyway, just being humorous.

Still Jones' injury at USC does little in suggesting he won't have a pro-career riddled with injuries and the combine will go a long way in proving his health. But when a doctor at a major university like USC and a major program like Trojan football tells Jones he'll never play another down of football again in his life, prompting a transfer to Georgia, it just doesn't feel worth the gamble, especially if there is a player of equal, or more, or slightly less (depending on whose opinion you're asking) out there like Te'o.

Jones' comeback story has been remarkable, especially when you take into account the level he's played at this season in the best college football conference in the country! But have you seen the guy's arms? They're not that big for an SEC linebacker... Is that an issue you ask? After all we need our linebackers to dominate, not win a Mr. Universe contest. At first glance no, but when you factor in that Jones' arms are smaller than they were when he was a freshman at USC, because due to his career threatening injury, he's had to change the way he trains and works-out resulting in smaller biceps, that just mushrooms my concerns about his potential for long-term productivity and future health.

Still if Jarvis Jones is wearing stripes on his helmet this time next year, you won't hear me complaining... just crossing my fingers.

[djam]

Jarvis Jones OLB
Kenny Vaccaro SS
Damontre Moore DE
Chase Daniels OLB
DeMarcus Milliner CB
Giovani Bernard RB
Tavon Austin ST/WR/RB
Tony Jefferson FS
Star Lotulelei DT
DeAndre Hopkins WR