2017 NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals 7-round mock
By John Buhler
The Cincinnati Bengals will have a whopping 11 picks to get better in the 2017 NFL Draft. Here is a mock draft of what Cincinnati could do this spring.
The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a miserable 6-9-1 campaign in 2016, one which saw them miss the AFC Playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season. Injuries and attrition were not kind to this team last year. So far free agency, hasn’t been a friend to Cincinnati either.
Fortunately, the Bengals will have 11 picks to improve their football club in the 2017 NFL Draft. They have their expected seven picks in this draft, as well as a compensatory pick in every round of day three of the draft (fourth through seventh).
Cincinnati has a ton of holes to fill on its depleting roster. He is a look at what the Bengals could do in this 2017 NFL mock draft.
First Round
Jonathan Allen
Defensive End, Alabama Crimson Tide
Concerns about the overall health of his shoulders may cause Alabama Crimson Tide defensive end Jonathan Allen to drop down some teams’ draft boards. However, if he is still available at NO. 9, the Bengals have to take this dominant collegiate pass rusher with their first round selection.
Allen was a total disruptor on the Alabama defense the last two years. He may not have the hype of Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Myles Garrett, but Allen was the best defensive player on the best defense in the SEC in Alabama the last two years.
His NFL shelf life may be rapidly decaying before it even begins, but Allen should be an elite pass rusher for the next few years in the league. Given that Cincinnati has rarely picked in the top 10 since the arrival of A.J. Green and Andy Dalton to the Queen City, when are the Bengals going to get the chance to grab a blue-chip prospect like Allen essentially on discount again?
Other teams like the Chicago Bears, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans will have to pass on Allen before he falls to the Bengals at No. 9. Cincinnati shouldn’t worry about a wide receiver at No. 9 if Allen is still on the board. He will make the Bengals’ defensive line dominant immediately.