- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,275
- Reaction score
- 59
Monday marked one month until the start of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on April 23. Pro Days are underway and teams are filling up their pre-draft visits before the main event.
Of course, mock drafts continue to be all the rage, with the latest coming from ESPN's Field Yates. This time, it's a two-round mock, so we have two picks to discuss for the Cincinnati Bengals.
First, it's the cornerback that has seemingly taken over as the favorite for the Bengals in mock drafts, LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
"Cincinnati has addressed the defense in free agency, but a hole at cornerback opposite of DJ Turner remains unanswered. Delane has strong man-coverage technique and ball skills to go along with good size at 6 feet, 187 pounds. He finished up his college career with a season at LSU after three years at Virginia Tech.
Delane's season in Baton Rouge solidified his first-round status, as opposing QBs completed only 27.7% of their passes when he was the targeted defender (the third-lowest rate in the FBS). Cincinnati allowed a completion percentage of 65.2% last season (19th in the league)."
Dax Hill could be the guy opposite Turner, but if the Bengals can find a potential shutdown corner like Delane, they are going to strongly consider it, especially if the top edge-rushers and safety Caleb Downs are all off the board. They should consider him even if some of those players, particularly Downs, given the Bryan Cook signing, are still on the board.
The Bengals need that No. 1 cornerback that can help lock onto receivers in the AFC North, such as DK Metcalf and Zay Flowers. They sure would hope Delane can be that guy; he flashed that skill many times while at LSU and Virginia Tech, as referenced by Yates.
In the second round, Yates has the Bengals finally dipping into the linebacker pool this offseason, as they have tried to add to the position with little luck. In this case, the Bengals select Anthony Hill, Jr. of Texas.
"Cincinnati's linebacker corps really needs help; Hill has as much splash play production as any linebacker in the class. He racked up 17.0 sacks and seven forced fumbles in three seasons, with natural movement skills defending the pass as well."
This would mark the second straight year the Bengals select a linebacker in the second round, following the selection of Demetrius Knight last year (and Barrett Carter in the fourth round). Neither fared well as a rookie. Knight went right into the starting lineup and both he and Carter ended up playing about 73 percent of the offensive snaps.
The Bengals have tried adding to the position but so far have come away empty-handed. However, Hill could end up being a really nice addition. NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein believes he has Pro Bowl potential and likens him to Bobby Wagner. Hill has the ability to move all over the field, cover sideline to sideline and be aggressive in the run game. He would need that going against Derrick Henry twice a year.
Defense has been the focal point of a lot of mock drafts this cycle for the Bengals. Yates doubles down on that in this mock. That is a very realistic possibility when the actual draft comes in a month.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals fix past mistakes in 2-round NFL mock draft
Continue reading...
Of course, mock drafts continue to be all the rage, with the latest coming from ESPN's Field Yates. This time, it's a two-round mock, so we have two picks to discuss for the Cincinnati Bengals.
First, it's the cornerback that has seemingly taken over as the favorite for the Bengals in mock drafts, LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
"Cincinnati has addressed the defense in free agency, but a hole at cornerback opposite of DJ Turner remains unanswered. Delane has strong man-coverage technique and ball skills to go along with good size at 6 feet, 187 pounds. He finished up his college career with a season at LSU after three years at Virginia Tech.
Delane's season in Baton Rouge solidified his first-round status, as opposing QBs completed only 27.7% of their passes when he was the targeted defender (the third-lowest rate in the FBS). Cincinnati allowed a completion percentage of 65.2% last season (19th in the league)."
Dax Hill could be the guy opposite Turner, but if the Bengals can find a potential shutdown corner like Delane, they are going to strongly consider it, especially if the top edge-rushers and safety Caleb Downs are all off the board. They should consider him even if some of those players, particularly Downs, given the Bryan Cook signing, are still on the board.
The Bengals need that No. 1 cornerback that can help lock onto receivers in the AFC North, such as DK Metcalf and Zay Flowers. They sure would hope Delane can be that guy; he flashed that skill many times while at LSU and Virginia Tech, as referenced by Yates.
In the second round, Yates has the Bengals finally dipping into the linebacker pool this offseason, as they have tried to add to the position with little luck. In this case, the Bengals select Anthony Hill, Jr. of Texas.
"Cincinnati's linebacker corps really needs help; Hill has as much splash play production as any linebacker in the class. He racked up 17.0 sacks and seven forced fumbles in three seasons, with natural movement skills defending the pass as well."
This would mark the second straight year the Bengals select a linebacker in the second round, following the selection of Demetrius Knight last year (and Barrett Carter in the fourth round). Neither fared well as a rookie. Knight went right into the starting lineup and both he and Carter ended up playing about 73 percent of the offensive snaps.
The Bengals have tried adding to the position but so far have come away empty-handed. However, Hill could end up being a really nice addition. NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein believes he has Pro Bowl potential and likens him to Bobby Wagner. Hill has the ability to move all over the field, cover sideline to sideline and be aggressive in the run game. He would need that going against Derrick Henry twice a year.
Defense has been the focal point of a lot of mock drafts this cycle for the Bengals. Yates doubles down on that in this mock. That is a very realistic possibility when the actual draft comes in a month.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals fix past mistakes in 2-round NFL mock draft
Continue reading...
