XPetey's 7 Round Mock

[XPetey]

Round 1: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

Round 2: Jerod Mayo, ILB, Tennessee

Round 3: Matt Forte, RB, Tulane

Round 3C: Dexter Jackson, WR, Appalachian State

Round 4: DeMario Pressley, DT, NC State

Round 5: Eric Young, OG, Tennessee

Round 6: Larry Grant, OLB, Ohio State

Round 6C: Orlando Scandrick, CB, Boise State

Round 7C: Bryan Mattison, DE, Iowa

Round 7C: Marcus Monk, WR, Arkansas

Alright all, this mock assumes that the Bengals receive 4 compensatory picks.

I think all the bases are more than covered here, but I also feel like it's a very "Marvin Lewis" draft. Early on the team addresses it's biggest need in Ellis. He'll come in and be the anchor of our defense. In the second I really think there are too many potentially great LBs for Fitzgerald and Zimmer not to have their way with choosing one to mold into a big thumper for us. Mayo projects inside or to the weakside, so he's got flexibility.

In the 3rd round the team takes two offensive players who could be potential playmakers down the line. Some might think it's too early for Jackson, but the guy's the complete package and I think we'll see him come off the board earlier than most people think. Forte has the potential to be an every down back in a couple of years, and he provides a between the tackles runner should Rudi go down again.

DeMarrio Pressley has a good pedigree. He played with John McCargo, Manny Lawson, and most notably Mario Williams. NC State knows D-linemen, and Pressley is a great mid round pick up to be a rotational DT.

Larry Grant is my least favorite pick in this draft (And I'm a Buckeye...so that's saying someothing). I'm not sure that with Blackstock and Johnson already coming in in FA, as well as the return of Dhani Jones, that Grant needs to come in. The Bengals have a wealth of LBs (and with Mayo they can go 2 deep at every position), so I'm not surewhere grant fits in.

Scandrick is the potential steal of the draft. With his speed he'll come right in and play special teams, but he's got the potential to play nickel for the Bengals in the long run. He can make an impact right away just like Ethan Kilmer did, but he's more of a football player than Kilmer.

The 7th round always seems to be where the Bengals take their projects. Mattison is a DE/DT hybrid that could provide some depth in the coming years. He'll never be a star, but he's the type of guy you like because if he comes in the drop off in talent is not going to kill you.

Monk, to me, seems like a steal if he's there in the 7th. He's big and is a terror in the redzone. If Chris Henry can't keep himself straight the Bengals will need someone who Carson can throw a jump ball to. I struggled with this last pick, but in the end I decided to go WR because I had addressed every other need, but the team is somewhat thin in depth at receiver.

Thoughts?

[HoosierCat]

In the 3rd round the team takes two offensive players who could be potential playmakers down the line. Some might think it's too early for Jackson, but the guy's the complete package and I think we'll see him come off the board earlier than most people think.

Jackson's stock has been rising for some time, and some projections now have him going as high as the second round. If he's there at the tail end of the 3rd, he'd be a steal. Good KR too.

Overall I don't see anything in your selections that jumps out at me as horribly wrong. It's as good a guess as any at this point.

[DesperateDerelict]

If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets.

I don't think more than one or two of these players will be available at these picks. This draft would definitely be an A+.