Bengals Only 7 Round Mock

[NJ29]

1. Darrelle Revis - CB - Pittsburgh

A big, strong, fast, physical corner. A guy who can come up and help in run support, unlike Tory. He and JJ would pair up as two of the best young corners in the league, who can also tackle, teaming up with Madieu and Dexter to make a secondary that would be very difficult to throw on.

2. Steve Smith - WR - USC

Okay, I know, I'm not on the bandwagon of taking receivers either. I don't think that it's a huge need, but I do think that we'll take another one at some point in the draft. Without any great defensive talents on the board, Smith makes the most sense of any offensive option. (Not a damn tight end, please.) He runs great routes, goes over the middle well, and is a good character and solid leader. He would fit in perfectly right away.

4. Earl Everett - OLB - Florida

Has been tested on the highest level of college competition, and makes plays when it counts. Too many past draft picks have been counted on because of athletic ability rather than playing ability. Good, versatile pass rusher from the outside who showed the ability to cover tight ends and backs well.

5. Matt Toeaina - DT - Oregon

Classic overacheiver who is intense, tough, strong and competitive, who would come in and contribute with a workman-like attitude, just as Peko did.

6. Eric Wicks - SS - West Virginia

I remeber watching WVU games last year to watch Jahmile Addae, the safety that I was pimpin' last year, who went undrafted. When I watched, Wicks was making plays all over the place. I watched a lot of games, and Wicks was a force in many of them. He played all three safety positions at WVU, bringing versatility to the table that Marvin loves. Can also contribute on special teams.

7. Chad Nkang - LB - Elon

Could slip due to concerns about size, lack of experience against top flight competition, ability to shed blocks, and instincts. Where he would be great is as a special teams ace, where his speed and range would help replace the departed Marcus Wilkins.

[schweinhart]

Looks good.

Wicks is in with a pretty wicked safety class this year but he looks more versatile than Addae did. I still like Kevin Payne better who's much quicker and readier for coverage than Addae was playing in the WVU stack.

Nkang is going to be interesting. Small for a LB, he'd be big for a safety and the low 4.4's he put up does match his game speed so I wouldn't be too surprised if he's viewed more favorably by 4-3 teams as both a viable WSLB and a SS. If he only gets viewed as a WSLB, he could definitely drop because of his size.

The Day 2 DTs are also going to be interesting. Toeaina is a tough grappler type that's hard not to like but if it came down to the 5th, I'd hope the Bengals would eye Kelly Talavou from Utah pretty hard. He's a cross between Peko and Fanene, size and quickness wise.

Smith, Craig Davis or Jason Hill would be a major jolt to the offense with a 2nd rounder.

[NJ29]

Looks good.

Wicks is in with a pretty wicked safety class this year but he looks more versatile than Addae did. I still like Kevin Payne better who's much quicker and readier for coverage than Addae was playing in the WVU stack.

Nkang is going to be interesting. Small for a LB, he'd be big for a safety and the low 4.4's he put up does match his game speed so I wouldn't be too surprised if he's viewed more favorably by 4-3 teams as both a viable WSLB and a SS. If he only gets viewed as a WSLB, he could definitely drop because of his size.

The Day 2 DTs are also going to be interesting. Toeaina is a tough grappler type that's hard not to like but if it came down to the 5th, I'd hope the Bengals would eye Kelly Talavou from Utah pretty hard. He's a cross between Peko and Fanene, size and quickness wise.

Smith, Craig Davis or Jason Hill would be a major jolt to the offense with a 2nd rounder.

I like Craig Davis a lot too, I just love how polished and tough Smith is, and can see him fitting in immediately. Only problem with not taking smith if we do take a receiver is that he might not be there when we pick in the second, but I had him falling to us because a couple of the other big time receivers like Jarrett and Ginn could fall and fill one of the late first round slots that he might have.

[schweinhart]

Jarrett still remains the most intriguing WR to me in this draft. A couple years from now, I would expect the talk about him has less to do with Mike Williams than it does to do with Jerry Rice. Between his cutting ability, body control and unreal hands, Jarrett's going to rack it up for some lucky team.