2013 NFL Draft: What The Bengals Need

Today is the first day of the three-day long 2013 NFL Draft in New York City.  The Cincinnati Bengals will have the 21st overall pick in the first round.

The Bengals would love to get a running back. BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the starting RB last season, he didn’t impress very many people, in-fact some fans said they would rather have Cedric Benson at RB than Green-Ellis. The Bengals’ back-up RB is Bernard Scott who is coming off an ACL injury. So obviously, they need a good running back.

Eddie Lacy would be a great fit. Lacy helped Alabama capture their second consecutive National Championship last season. Lacy rushed for 1322 yards off of 204 carries last year, he also scored 17 touchdowns. Alabama was the 16th best rushing team in the nation last year.

If Lacy is drafted before the 21st pick, you might find the Bengals going after a good defensive player like Jonathan Cyprien from Florida International. Cyprien is a very athletic and very aggressive player. He can play strong safety and free safety. The Bengals face a lot of good quarterbacks through out the season, as does every NFL team, so a guy that can help limit the passing game would be nice to have as well.

If the Bengals get a player that’s not a running back in the first round, they would probably get one in the second round.

After Lacy, Giovani Bernard from North Carolina would be the next best pick. Bernard rushed for 1228 yards last season, and punched in 12 touchdowns. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry. Bernard is also a good receiving running back, he caught 47 passes, good for 490 yards and five touchdowns.

If Bernard is taken before the Bengals have the chance to get him, a realistic pick would be the running back from UCLA, Johnathon Franklin. Franklin ran for 1724 yards last year, yes 1724, that’s very impressive. He also scored 13 touchdowns.

The last couple of years, the Bengals have done very well in the draft, hopefully this year will be no different.