Cincinnati Bengals 2014 Draft Preview

Okay, let me get this out of the way. The Bengals should not and will not draft Lousiville QB Teddy Bridgewater with the twenty fourth pick. His stock seems to be dropping and he could be there for the Bengals. But picking him would mean he's better than your quarterback right now who is Pro Bowler (2011) Andy Dalton. Drafting quarterbacks can be a hit or miss. Remember Ryan Leaf? I didn't think so. There's no consensus that Bridgewater is a sure thing. The Bengals should skip him. If he's there in the third round, maybe. The Bengals have a good back up in Jason Campell, a former first round draft pick.

The Bengals Needs.

1. Cornerback.

With cornerback Leon Hall coming back from an Achilles injury and Terence Newman and Adam "Pacman" Jones getting older, the Bengals are a little thin here. Granted former first round pick Dre Kirkpatrick was injured his first year so we have not seen much from him. That being said, Kirkpatrick had a great game against the Baltimore Ravens last year on Dec. 29. He had nine tackles and 2 interceptions with one for a pick six.

Top corners in the draft. Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State, Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State. Marcus Roberson, Florida.

2. Offensive Line. The Bengals lost left tackle Anthony Collins to free agency. It's important to note that the left tackle protects Dalton's blind side. Will the Bengals move Andrew Whitworth back to left tackle after moving him to guard? The Bengals also cut starting center Kyle Cook. I think the Bengals will address the tackle situation before center unless a top rated center drops to them in the second round.

Top offensive tackles. Jake Matthews, Texas A & M. Greg Robinson, Auburn. Zack Martin, Notre Dame.

Top centers. Travis Swanson, Arkansas. Weston Richburg, Colorado State. Bryan Stork, Florida State.

3. Outside Linebacker. The Bengals got the deal of the decade when they signed undrafted Vontaze Burfict. He made the Pro Bowl last year. But he's more of an inside linebacker and the Bengals need more from the outside linebackers.

Top outside linebackers. Anthony Barr, UCLA. Ryan Shazier, Ohio State. Khalil Mack, Buffalo.

Prediction for the Bengals 2014 First Pick.

Defense wins championships. Ask the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals will pick a cornerback since the best ones are usually picked in the high rounds. I believe Darqueze Dennard falls down to the Bengals.

Here's the scouting report for Dennard.