5 players Bengals should draft in the first round

3. Micah Parsons

The Bengals defense is well-stocked with talent along the defensive line, but they could really benefit from adding a potential game-changer at linebacker. Parsons is unquestionably the top player at his position in this year’s class.

Similar to the call to make with Pitts, the Bengals need to ask themselves whether any linebacker deserves to be selected in the top five. Parsons’ ability to impact all phases of defense at the next level is what causes many scouts to answer that question in the affirmative.

His collegiate film shows him to be the rare collegiate linebacker prospect who should be able to come in and be an effective blitzer right away. He’s not a finished product as a pass-rusher, but he already has the ability to win one-on-one battles with quality NFL lineman.

The simple way to describe Parsons is just to call him an electric playmaker. He’s going to get into the opposing backfield and make things happen at the pro level. He would be a big boost for the Bengals defense, but the lack of value placed on linebackers in the modern NFL drops him down the team’s board a bit.