These two would be great selections with Cincinnati’s first two picks."We’re just nine days away from the 2019 NFL Draft.With a new regime in charge
Boomer Esiason Jersey White , the Bengals have a great chance to bolster their roster with a pair of top-50 selections, and NFL.com has named their ideal top two picks for all 32 teams. This projection goes in sort of a mock draft format, as guys like Devin White (4th to Raiders) and Ed Olver (9th to Bills) aren’t available at No. 11. So in essence, this is a proclamation of who would be the best fit for the Bengals based on who’s still on the board at No. 11 and 42.Even so, Cincinnati still ends up with a potential franchise-shifting prospect in Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins, followed by Kansas State Wildcats offensive lineman Dalton Risner. By now, you know all about Haskins, as he’s been frequently mocked to Cincinnati leading up the draft, even though many around Cincinnati believe there’s no chance a quarterback is taken at No. 11. There’s plenty of arguments for not taking one, such as there will be a deeper and better crop of quarterbacks in the next two drafts. But the Bengals want to win ASAP, and their roster is still good enough to prevent them from selecting in the top 10 in each of the next two drafts, so if they want to find a new franchise quarterback
Carlos Dunlap Jersey White , Haskins may be their best chance at one for a long time. As for Risner, he’s one of the best linemen in this draft, but concern over his position has him sliding to the end of Round 1 or even into Round 2. He played right tackle as good as anyone in college football this past season, where he’s been a starter for the past three seasons.All told, this would be a great two-man haul for the Bengals with their first two picks. Among all draftable offensive tackle prospects, Risner ranked No. 1 in Pro Football Focus pass blocking efficiency and run blocking grade. But there’s concern his average length and athletic ability will prevent him from playing tackle at a high level in the pros.Some believe he’ll become a guard in the NFL, and he actually started at center as a redshirt freshman. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares him to Bears lineman Cody Whitehair, one of the league’s best guards. The Bengals actually love versatile lineman, which would probably make Risner a very attractive option in Round 2. After all, left guard Clint Boling has just one year left on his deal, the jury is still out on center Billy Price, and even if Risner struggles at tackle
Anthony Munoz Jersey , he’d still very likely be an upgrade over right tackle Bobby Hart. Officially, Zac Taylor has been the Bengals head coach for nearly two weeks. Unofficially, it’s been a month since they decided he was their guy to replace Marvin Lewis.And Taylor is exactly as close to hiring a defensive coordinator as he was when he was just another assistant who knew Sean McVay.Fletcher Page of the has taken a deep look at the Bengals’ search for a defensive coordinator, which is a more important job considering Taylor has never been a head coach and could use the kind of ballast McVay enjoyed in Wade Phillips.To run down the guys who haven’t taken the job so far takes a minute, so you should probably sit down. And take a deep breath. And grab something to eat.Vance Joseph interviewed for the head coaching job, but when he didn’t get that, signed up quickly with Arizona. Jack Del Rio reportedly wanted the job, but Taylor didn’t view him as a fit, and Dom Capers talked with the Bengals but that never went anywhere either. Taylor wanted to land Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but Allen turned him down to stay in New Orleans.Then the search moved to phase two, and it appeared Todd Grantham was the front-runner for the job, but got a raise at Florida and stayed there instead. The Bengals wanted to interview Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn
Michael Johnson Jersey , but the Saints are blocking that as is their right.That leaves a group including former Falcons coordinator Marquand Manuel and Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant. Pleasant interviewed this week and worked with Taylor for two years in Los Angeles, but he has no coordinator experience, and just two years in charge of a position. Manuel was fired after two years as coordinator in Atlanta.The bigger concern for the Bengals might be the concerns cited by guys who said no thanks. Specifically, Grantham was reportedly worried about their aging front seven, which would have made for a tough transition to a 3-4. And if a guy doesn’t think he can work with what’s on hand, it compromises his future earning potential.Staffs elsewhere around the league are basically finalized, which is what can happen when league rules prohibit teams from formalizing deals with coaches involved in the playoffs. That puts Taylor significantly behind, especially in the search for what is probably the most important position to his success or failure as a head coach.
