The Cincinnati Bengals 2012 Draft Guide

An interesting thing happened as we head to the NFL Draft for the Cincinnati Bengals. They started to sign free agents in areas of need. Recently, the Bengals signed guard Travelle Wharton, cornerback Jason Allen and running back for the New England Patriots BenJarvus Green-Ellis. By doing this, the Bengals have given themselves options when it comes to the draft. They won't have to get desperate and pick players in the first round who must be pressured to start. That being said, the Bengals still have needs in those areas. Remember the Bengals have two number one picks. They are the seventeenth and twenty first. Let's take a look at the top five needs and predict who the Bengals will pick.

THE NEEDS

1. Offensive Guard. There was way too much pressure on QB Andy Dalton coming from the middle. The Bengals are deficient here as guard Bobbie Williams is getting long in the tooth.

Top three guards in the draft. David DeCastro (Stanford); Gordy Glenn (Georgia); Kevin Zeitler (Wisconsin)

2. Cornerback. Corner Leon Hall went down last year with an Achilles injury. That exposed the lack of talent the Bengals had in the position regardless of all the number one picks playing the position. It's unknown how many years that Nate Clements has left. So the Bengals would be wise to pick a cornerback with one of their first round picks.

Top cornerbacks in the draft. Janoris Jenkins (North Alabama); Morris Claiborne (LSU); Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama)

3. Wide Receiver. Even with A.J. Green, the Bengals are deficient here. They need another outside threat to take the pressure off Green. So far, the Bengals have not tested the free agent market in this area.

Top wide receivers in the draft. Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State); Rueben Randle (LSU); Michael Floyd (Notre Dame).

4. Running Back. Green-Ellis knows how to get in the endzone, but the Bengals need a running back who can hit a homerun. It's likely the Bengals will go running back by committee in their West Coast offense.

Top three running backs in the draft. Trent Richardson (Alabama); Edwin Baker (Michigan State); Lamar Miller (Miami)

5. Defensive Tackle. Yes, Geno Atkins is a rising star. But the Bengals could always use a stud here to pressure the front of the pocket.

Top defensive tackles. Michael Brockers (LSU); Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State); Devon Still (Penn State)

WHO THE BENGALS WILL PICK.

The Benals have two first round draft picks, the seventeenth and the twenty first. A lot teams will skip the guard position. This will allow one guard whom the Bengals cannot resist. The Bengals with the seventeenth pick will select David DeCastro. Look the man is a stud. You can't avoid him at this number. He will be the first guard in team history picked in the first round.



The Bengals have a long history of taking players with questionable character traits. They love athleticism over everything else. Morris Claiborne will not be there at twenty one. The Bengals will do what they usually do and take a chance on Janoris Jenkins. Bengals fans get ready for a guy who is probably going to be an off field issue.