The Cincinnati Bengals have been an almost boring team during mock draft season.
But that’s a good problem for fans to have — there are so few immediate needs on a contending roster that the mixture of those areas of need and draft positioning seem to make the possible picks obvious.
But ESPN’s Todd McShay goes away from the predictable in his new mock draft, grabbing Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks:
“The top two tight ends are off the board, which means we’re looking at the other side of the ball for the Bengals. The secondary already lost Jessie Bates III, and Eli Apple is still unsigned. Chidobe Awuzie has only one year left on his deal. So padding the defense with an explosive and physical press corner would be a win for Cincinnati this late in Round 1. Banks only had one interception last season, but he broke up 10 passes and showed off his physical traits at the combine by finishing in the top three at the position in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump.”
Banks has immense upside and might be the most athletic cornerback in the draft, so it’s a great value. Shoring up the boundary corner slot across from Cam Taylor-Britt as Awuzie insurance is a smart move, too.
A move like this might hint that Irv Smith Jr. is the guy at tight end and one of Jonah Williams or La’el Collins will be there at right tackle. But few can argue against the importance of cornerbacks in today’s NFL and grabbing a potential No. 1 near the end of the first round would be a big win.
