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NFL mock draft: Don’t mess with Texas

By Brad Weiss

Jan 1, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 23, 2017; Florham Park, NY, USA; New York Jets safety Jamal Adams (33) runs a drill during their organized team activities at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2017; Florham Park, NY, USA; New York Jets safety Jamal Adams (33) runs a drill during their organized team activities at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jamal Adams

Safety, Lewisville, Texas

The Cincinnati Bengals head into the 2018 NFL Draft with a new head coach, as Marvin Lewis was fired after the Bengals failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Whoever is the coach will have to deal with a bunch of question marks on the roster, as the Bengals quarterback will be taken later in this draft. In order to turn this thing around, the Bengals need to get better on defense, and they took a young safety who turned a lot of heads in 2017.

Jamal Adams had to play only one season with the New York Jets before being released from that prison, and will head to Cincinnati to lead a defense that took a step backwards last season. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens finished ahead of them in the division, and the Cleveland Browns look to be right on their heels. Strengthening their secondary is key, and Adams is the best young safety we have seen in a long time.

With Andy Dalton gone, A.J. McCarron will take over under center, and he certainly has a lot of weapons to play with. A.J. Green and John Ross had great seasons in 2017, and Joe Mixon proved that he can be a three-down back. The Bengals are close, and adding a player of Adams caliber in the secondary is going to cause problems for the likes of Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger inside the division.

Cincinnati has some good, young talent in place, and they should be able to compete in a very close AFC North in 2018. Adams makes them better against the pass, and in his second season, 2017 draft pick Carl Lawson should become a playmaker rushing the passer. All these ingredients leads the Bengals back to legitimacy in 2018.

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