Wraith's Something Different Mock Draft

[Wraith]

I was playing around with some mock draft scanarios and came up with this idea. This draft will contain no trades, the Bengals stay where they are in every round.

1st Round #17: Mark Barron, S, Alabama. I think Barron has shown his ability in coverage as well as his ability to defend the run. He is quick enough to cover the TE coming acrossthe middle which has been a weak point in our defense forever. As to Mike Brown never drafting a S in the first round, well, times change he had never drafted a first round TE before Gresham and had never hired a full time scout until this year so I am optimistic. This draft will be all about intelligence, leadership, football acumen, and character. Barron is a terrific team leader, is a football junkie and has a terrific motor you are not going to have problems motivating this kid to work on his game, in 2-3 years he will be a Pro-Bowl Safety in this league IMHO.

1st Round #21: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford. We have covered this a bit in another post on this site but I will do it in more depth here. Fleener is a 6'6" 243 lb TE from Stanford. He is a four year starter and was Stanford's leading receiver in 2011. At his Pro Day this kid ran a 40 in the mid 4.4's he is also a former star prep basketball player at Joliet Catholic in IL. Fleener has great hands and no issues going up and getting the ball. Fleener has played his best in the big games see the 2011 Orange Bowl where he caught 6 passes for 173 yards and three scores (TDs of 43, 38, and 58 yards). Member of the National Honor Society and an impecible character. Now....does he fit with the Bengals, yes and here is how. Gresham is another young stud TE combining the two guys will give the Bengals a variety of weapons and packages similar to New England with Gronkowski and Hernadez. Gresham can be the inline guy like Gronk, Fleener lines up all ofver the field, sometimes inline sometimes at the H-Back position, sometimes split wide this allows for a variety of packages both in the Run game and in the Passing game. Reverses with guys like Hawkins for example will have the benefit of a big body already split wide as a kind of personal protector ditto on screens to Shipley out of a bunch formation. With the rookie salary cap it is no longer as damming to load up at a single position.

2nd Rd #53: Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin. This is what NFL Draft Scout has to say about Zeitler. "A perfectionist, Zeitler expects more out of himself than anybody else could in class, the weight room and on the field. His anxious nitpicking is noticed and not always well-accepted by classmates, teachers and teammates. But it is opposing defenders who pay the price when the sum of his hard work pays off on the field." This guys is another football junkie who will put in the work to make himself better. I see Zeitler as a OG version of Andrew Whitworth and can come in and start at LG immediately. Guys like Zeitler will make everyone around them better and with two guys like that anchoring the Left Side of the line we are set for years.

3rd Rd. #85: Alphonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska. This guy was once pegged as a potential first round but a poor workout and injury concerns have pushed him down the draft board. I am seeing him as a consensus third rounder, the question is will he go high in the third or fall to us and it is anyone's guess. Only 5'10" but a stout 204 lbs Dennard likes to get physical with receivers, he doesn't shy away from contact and actually competes. Much like Leon Hall in this way, he will take on a #1 WRand not back down from the challenge. Like the rest of these players, Dennard has high character and football acumen. I player respected by his teammates and coaches for his intense preparation.

4th Rd. #116: Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State. Again sparkling football character. Hillman is a home run hitter, he is a red shirt sophomore so he only has two years of college football on his tires, lots of tread left. In those two years he has run for a combined 3300 yards and 36 TDs while averaging almost 6 yards per carry. He is only 5'8" and 200 lbs but have had some significant success running up the middle. Has been used effectively has a receiver and has good hands. Is an absolute terror coming off the edge with speed to burn.

5th Rd. #156: Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa. 6'3" with good speed and a knack for catching the ball in tight spaces. With jump and compete for the high ball, is a red zone weapon. In fact with Fleener, Gresham, Green, and McNutt we have the makings of a red zone team ala the Saints where the QB just has to throw the ball high and let his athletes jump and get it over the heads of the defenders. Gresham is 6'5" Fleener is 6'6" McNutt is 6'3" (a shade under) with long arms and a great leaping ability and of course AJ Green.

5th Rd. #166: Chris Owusu, WR, Stanford. I know all about Owusu's injury history lots of concussions and this pick is predicated on getting good pre-draft intel from the medical staff (not exactly the Bengals forte I'll grant you). Owusu is a great, I mean GREAT athlete and a really good person with alot of intelligence run a sub 4.4 40 at over 6' tall. Knows the angles, runs very good routes and could be an absolute steall at this position in the draft.

6th Rd. #191: Andrew Datko, OT, Florida State. He is all over the map from a projection perspective. Datko is listed as a 7th Rounder or a CFA by Pro Football Weekly, he is listed as a second rounder in other projections. Here's hoping he slips to us in the 6th. Datko is a major injury risk, he has missed most of his college career with a variety of injuries including all last year but he is a great character guy, tremendous worker by all accounts and has the talent to be a stud LT at 6'6" and 314 lbs. Datko has good movement skills and a great work ethic. The injuries take the bloom off the rose a little but at this spot in the draft it would be a low risk/high reward type of pick.

Obviously in this draft I concentrated on guys that are high character, good work ethic, high football intelligence, great leadership guys. TE isn't the most glaring need on this team and tking guys early force us to take guys like Hillman in need positions later, but I think this is a good group and certainly from an offensive position will dramaticly improve the Bengals explosiveness and flexibility. I love what Dennard and Barron bring from a DB prespective and have essentually ignored the defensive front seven.

[derekshank]

Mark Barron is not a 1st round talent. If he gets drafted in the 1st round, it's because the safety class in this draft is so weak... and that's a terrible reason.

Fleener at 21? Nah. You don't need to use two 1st round picks to get an elite TE combo. I'd much prefer taking a guy like Orson Charles in the 3rd or Ladarius Green in the 4th.

Zeitler is a good pick... but waiting until the 3rd round to address CB? Hate it.

I'd take McNutt in the 5th round - and the Bengals are reportedly interested. But I'm guessing it'll have to be the 4th round.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Mark Barron is not a 1st round talent. If he gets drafted in the 1st round, it's because the safety class in this draft is so weak... and that's a terrible reason.

Fleener at 21? Nah. You don't need to use two 1st round picks to get an elite TE combo. I'd much prefer taking a guy like Orson Charles in the 3rd or Ladarius Green in the 4th.

Zeitler is a good pick... but waiting until the 3rd round to address CB? Hate it.

I'd take McNutt in the 5th round - and the Bengals are reportedly interested. But I'm guessing it'll have to be the 4th round.

I'm willing to bet money it'll be a CB in one of the 1st round picks. It HAS to be.

[Wraith]

I totally disagree with the position of Barron not being a first round talent. Barron is ranked as the #18 prospect by Pro Football Weekly overall he is commonly in the top 20 and has been getting run as a top 10-15 selection. If you look at his junior tape when he had some more freedom to make plays in the passing game you can see that he has really good range and good instincts. During his senior year Barron was held at the line of scrimmage more because of the increased pressure by competition on the run game. I believe Barron's top attribute is in his desire to improve his craft, in that he is like Polamalu who was seen as a run oriented safety coming out of college and studied his craft becomeing a very dangerous pass defender as well. Barron's leadership ability is rare and that needs to be taken into account when making the overall evaluation and it is something that is needed in the Bengals defensive backfield.

[HoosierCat]

I'm willing to bet money it'll be a CB in one of the 1st round picks. It HAS to be.

It's certainly a strong possibility, but I don't think "it has to be." It's a very deep draft for corner, so they could wait. That said, I think the draft would have to fall in a really unexpected way (say Richardson was still there at 17 and DeCastro at 21) for them not to take a corner in the first.

Re wraith's mock: great fun. I would not be upset by this at all. I don't see them taking Barron though. I think they are way too high on Mays. Maybe yesterday's puff piece on the .com on him was a smokescreen, but by all reports the coaching staff has coveted him for years. Barring injury, I think Mays and Nelson as starting safeties is chiseled in stone.

[derekshank]

I totally disagree with the position of Barron not being a first round talent. Barron is ranked as the #18 prospect by Pro Football Weekly overall he is commonly in the top 20 and has been getting run as a top 10-15 selection. If you look at his junior tape when he had some more freedom to make plays in the passing game you can see that he has really good range and good instincts. During his senior year Barron was held at the line of scrimmage more because of the increased pressure by competition on the run game. I believe Barron's top attribute is in his desire to improve his craft, in that he is like Polamalu who was seen as a run oriented safety coming out of college and studied his craft becomeing a very dangerous pass defender as well. Barron's leadership ability is rare and that needs to be taken into account when making the overall evaluation and it is something that is needed in the Bengals defensive backfield.

Just because he is projected to go in the 1st round does not mean he is a 1st round talent.

Look at Ryan Tannehill. There are only two 1st round QBs in this draft... but many are suggesting he go as high as #4 to the Browns or #8 to the Dolphins. That doesn't mean he's a top 10 player. It just means he plays a position that a lot of teams need badly, and there isn't much talent available in the later rounds.

Same thing with Barron. I imagine he will go in the top 20 picks, because there are plenty of teams that need a safety... but it's a very shallow class. If he gets drafted in the 1st round, it'll be a reach. He lacks elite speed, doesn't change direction well, is poor in coverage, bites on play action too often, takes poor angles, and misses open field tackles. He's an in-the-box safety and will take a lot of time to transition to the pass happy NFL. (not to mention the hernia surgery and off-the-field issues).

Taylor Mays is a very similar prospect... but is a better overall athlete. I don't want Barron in the 1st round. I'll stick with Mays and take a better

[Wraith]

I totally disagree with the position of Barron not being a first round talent. Barron is ranked as the #18 prospect by Pro Football Weekly overall he is commonly in the top 20 and has been getting run as a top 10-15 selection. If you look at his junior tape when he had some more freedom to make plays in the passing game you can see that he has really good range and good instincts. During his senior year Barron was held at the line of scrimmage more because of the increased pressure by competition on the run game. I believe Barron's top attribute is in his desire to improve his craft, in that he is like Polamalu who was seen as a run oriented safety coming out of college and studied his craft becomeing a very dangerous pass defender as well. Barron's leadership ability is rare and that needs to be taken into account when making the overall evaluation and it is something that is needed in the Bengals defensive backfield.

Just because he is projected to go in the 1st round does not mean he is a 1st round talent.

Look at Ryan Tannehill. There are only two 1st round QBs in this draft... but many are suggesting he go as high as #4 to the Browns or #8 to the Dolphins. That doesn't mean he's a top 10 player. It just means he plays a position that a lot of teams need badly, and there isn't much talent available in the later rounds.

Same thing with Barron. I imagine he will go in the top 20 picks, because there are plenty of teams that need a safety... but it's a very shallow class. If he gets drafted in the 1st round, it'll be a reach. He lacks elite speed, doesn't change direction well, is poor in coverage, bites on play action too often, takes poor angles, and misses open field tackles. He's an in-the-box safety and will take a lot of time to transition to the pass happy NFL. (not to mention the hernia surgery and off-the-field issues).

Taylor Mays is a very similar prospect... but is a better overall athlete. I don't want Barron in the 1st round. I'll stick with Mays and take a better

I disagree with the change of direction issue and several of your other points but my primary issue is you are totally discounting Barron as a leader and completely discounting his intelligence and instincts. Your points might be valid regarding Mays if football was a completely athletic endeavor, it is not...Barron is light years ahead of Mays regarding leadership, work habits, football intelligence. Mays' problem in SF was he was used to getting by with just his athletic ability and using that as a crutch to compensate for a lack of work habits. This doesn't work in the pros because everyone has freakish athletic ability and you have to work hard, this is something that Carrier is working with with Mays, not something you have to worry about with Barron and yes I doubt Bengals.com reports of over night progress with Mays and I will bet Marvin does as well.

[derekshank]

I disagree with the change of direction issue and several of your other points

Barron was also surrounded by one of the most talented rosters in college football history. Just because you didn't notice it on the field doesn't mean it's not there. Barron has bad hips. Plain and simple.

Barron is light years ahead of Mays regarding leadership, work habits, football intelligence.

How do you know that? Answer... you don't.

Also, Barron is the one with off-the-field red flags... not Mays.