NFL Mock Draft: 5 Notre Dame prospects Al Golden can pick for the Cincinnati Bengals

Al Golden may very well be the cure to what has been ailing the Cincinnati Bengals defensively. In the wake of him leaving Zac Taylor's staff to become Marcus Freeman's defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Lou Anarumo's side of the ball suffered enough to the point where he was let go after last season. He rebounded by landing the Indianapolis Colts gig, but look who is coming back to town?

All signs point to the Notre Dame defensive coordinator turning in his golden dome for some tiger stripes. The Bengals were not particularly thorough when it came to replacing Anarumo. The only other candidate they supposedly interviewed was Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who might still be up to land the Jacksonville Jaguars job after this past week's disaster.

And just like that, the Bengals have lost both of their former star defensive coordinators from the Super Bowl run three years ago to AFC South jobs. Brian Callahan took over the Tennessee Titans, while Anarumo is about to take over the Colts defense. Cincinnati scapegoating Anarumo still feels wrong, but if Golden works out, nobody is going to think twice about the move. There is upside here.

Cincinnati is bringing Golden back into the fold because the Bengals think he is the secret sauce.

Without further ado, here are five Notre Dame players Golden could convince Cincinnati to draft.

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Rylie Mills

Had Rylie Mills been healthy for the College Football Playoff run, his presence might have made a difference in the trenches for Notre Dame. Then again, Notre Dame did make it all the way to the national championship before losing to Ohio State by 11 points. Defense was what carried this Notre Dame team to new heights. Winning in the trenches is paramount to success in the NFL as well.

While Mills may have been a Notre Dame star, he is coming off an injury is only projected to be a mdi-to-late day-three pick. Since the Bengals are not ones to move up and down the draft board, it remains to be seen if they will even draft Mills. I think any of these guys on this list have a shot at going to the Bengals, but those slated to be coming off the board in day three are not as likely.

Cincinnati does need help at all levels of its defense, so I would not be surprised if Mills goes there.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Kiser

Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser projects to be a late day-three NFL Draft pick. He has been in college for a very long time, so that may play a part in that. However, linebacker is the position group that Golden knows best as a coordinator. It may not be as critical to a team's overall success as much as the defensive line, but it is hard to beat anyone of note if you cannot consistently stop the run.

As is the case with defensive lineman Ryile Mills, Kiser would have to be a late-round pick for Cincinnati. Since the Bengals rarely move up and down the draft board, Golden better hope that Kiser is supposedly coming off the board around when Cincinnati is picking next. Overall, I think Golden is going to help Cincinnati land a Notre Dame player or two defensively, but I like others more than Kiser.

That being said, if Golden does end up drafting a linebacker out of Notre Dame, it will have to be Kiser.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Mitchell Evans

If there is any non-defensive player coming out of Notre Dame that I could see the Bengals drafting, it would have to be tight end. This is a position group the Bengals not only draft well, but this is also the position group that Golden played at Penn State way back in the day. Notre Dame usually offers great tight ends coming out each year. Although he is clearly a mid-round pick, it could be Mitchell Evans.

The Bengals would have to take Evans somewhere in the third-to-fifth round in order to properly draft him. Again, I think the Bengals' biggest needs are on the defensive side of the ball. However, getting Joe Burrow a new weapon or two in the draft could be a great idea, especially if Cincinnati lets his draft classmate Tee Higgins walk in NFL free agency. Evans is not a wide receiver, but is sure-handed.

For whatever reason, Evans just feels like the type of player the Bengals would have drafted anyway.

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison

As is the case with Rylie Mills being injured down the stretch, could Notre Dame's most talented defensive player in cornerback Benjamin Morrison have made a difference? Well, he could have prevented Will Howard from having a field day in the passing game in the national title bout. While Cincinnati could draft Morrison in the first round, it might be a bit of a reach where they are picking.

Morrison is every bit a top-50 player, probably a top-40 player in all honesty. He could be coming off the board as early as the late teens, but he may not even be taken in the first round. To me, the idea of the Bengals taking Morrison has everything to do with his draft stock falling to them in the second round. If he is still on the board when the Bengals are picking again, I could see Cincinnati taking him.

Morrison is Notre Dame's best NFL Draft prospect this offseason, so I think he will have many suitors.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts

The Notre Dame player I feel the most confident about Cincinnati picking would have to be their superstar safety Xavier Watts. He may be a very experienced college player, but his knack for making something happen defensively has to intrigue so many teams. To me, he feels like a lock to go in day two of the draft, akin to Tyrann Mathieu coming out of LSU, albeit without any character concerns...

Cincinnati sorely misses Jessie Bates III in the back-end of its defense. Watts plays a bit differently than Bates does in his illustrious career out of Wake Forest with Cincinnati and the Atlanta Falcons. However, Watts is the type of player who makes plays when the game is on the line. To me, he feels perfect for Cincinnati. My only question is if the Bengals would have to take him in the second round.

Athleticism and age may knock him down a peg or two on draft boards, but Watts can really play!