David Wellman from Stripe Hype and Fan-Sided Blogs weighs in on who the Bengals should be looking at in the upcoming 2009 NFL Draft.

As one might expect of a team that finished last season 4-11-1, the Cincinnati Bengals are in need of upgrades pretty much across the board. The only exception is quarterback, where a healthy Carson Palmer is by all reports set to return next fall. Here’s a unit-by-unit look.

Offense: The Bengals’ weakest unit is the offensive line. Left tackle Levi Jones hasn’t been completely healthy since early in the 2006 season, right tackle Stacy Andrews tore his ACL in the second-to-last game of 2008 and is a free agent in March, and center Eric Ghiacuic, who consistently struggled against top-tier defensive linemen, isn’t expected to return. The Bengals do have tackle Anthony Collins, a highly regarded junior they stole in the fourth round of the ‘08 draft, as well as tackle Andrew Whitworth, a second-round pick in 2006 who has been playing at left guard, so there are some tackle options in-house. Nonetheless, OT is a very strong possibility in the first, where the Bengals have the 6th overall selection. At center, Ghaicuic’s backup is converted guard Dan Santucci, a seventh-round pick in 2007, so a center in the second or third round is a strong possibility as well.

A number of mock drafts have projected a running back or wide receiver to the Bengals in the first round, but at this point it’s impossible to tell what those positions will look like come draft day. Cincinnati is very high on RB Cedric Benson and has made re-signing him this offseason a priority. Likewise, the Bengals also want to re-sign WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh and are said to be interested in moving fellow wideout Chad Johnson. Houshmandzadeh is a candidate for the franchise tag if a long-term deal can’t be worked out. Depending on how things play out, running back and/or wide receiver could be addressed as high as the first round, though most Bengals fan would view this as a grave miscalculation. With the Bengals’ abysmal offensive line unable to either run-block or protect the QB, any upgrades at RB or WR would be superfluous. A reincarnated Jim Brown couldn’t make much headway behind the line as currently constituted, and even the best wideout can’t help much when the QB gets gets planted every play.

The Bengals do not look to be in the market for a tight end after having signed Ben Utecht away from the Colts and drafting Villanova project Matt Sherry in the sixth round last year. However, the Bengals are very much in need of a fullback. Starter Jeremi Johnson, a fourth-round pick back in 2003, struggled with weight issues throughout his career, and last August showed up at training camp grossly overweight. He was initially put on the physically unable to perform list, but then proceeded to hurt his knee during camp and was placed on injured reserve. He was subsequently released during the season. Johnson’s absence played a significant role in both the poor run game as well as the poor pass protection, as Cincinnati was forced to rely on converted TE Daniel Coats. If the Bengals don’t sign a free agent FB, that becomes an option as early as the fourth round.

Defense: If fixing the offensive line is job 1 for the Bengals this offseason, fixing the pass rush is job 1a. The Bengals had just 17 sacks last season, tied with the Browns for second-fewest in the league. The team has invested heavily in the defense in the draft over the past four years with four straight first round selections dedicated to that side of the ball. The attention finally began to pay off in 2008, when the Bengals’ defense finished 12th overall. A disruptive defensive tackle like B.J. Raji, whom the team’s coaching staff saw up close at the Senior Bowl or defensive end such as Brian Orapko are both legitimate options in the first round. DT may be the slightly more attractive of the two. The Bengals coveted Sedrick Ellis last year but were outmaneuvered by New Orleans and forced to settle for Pat Sims (who had a solid rookie campaign) in the third. And the team already has about $60 million invested in two current defensive ends, Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers, plus former third-round pick Frostee Rucker in reserve.

Last year, the Bengals took USC linebacker Keith Rivers in the first round and installed him as the starter on the weak side. Rivers was having a very good rookie year until getting knocked out with a busted jaw. Cincinnati will almost certainly look to bolster the linebacking corps further, perhaps as early as the first round. Rey Maualuga would be an upgrade over Dhani Jones in the middle, as Aaron Curry would be over former CFL DE Rashad Jeanty on the strong side. Both those current Bengals starters are serviceable on the field and good characters in the locker room, but they aren’t keeping any offensive coordinators around the league up at night.

Cornerback is a slim possibility in the first. The Bengals took first-round corners Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. Joseph has been dogged by injuries and hands of stone — just five picks on 48 passes defensed — while Hall is fine against Nos. 2 and 3 receivers, but can be burned by elite wideouts. The team’s No. 3 corner is David Jones, a fifth-round pick by the Saints in 2007. The Bengals are likely set at safety, especially if free agent Chris Crocker returns.

Special teams: Special teams could be very much in the mix come draft day. Incumbent kicker Shayne Graham is a free agent in March, and so far there have been no talks between his agent and the Bengals. The team and Graham tried to reach an extension prior to the 2008 season but couldn’t come to an agreement. Cincinnati was forced to match a rich offer from Jacksonville for Graham several years ago when Shayne was a restricted free agent, so his price tag for another tour of duty may simply be too high for the budget-conscious Bengals.

Punter is also up for grabs. The Bengals extended their current punter Kyle Larson last offseason, despite an iffy 2007 outing, and Larson was among the worst in the league in 2008. Special teams coach Darrin Simmons has already said that competition will be brought in at the position, and many Bengals fans would be overjoyed to see the team use a day 2 pick on a local product, University of Cincinnati standout Kevin Huber.

Remember this isn’t based off of the current NFL standings for the top of the draft, it’s power rankings of the NFL’s worst teams. Teams will not be ranked by record.

The Lions just keep proving they want to go 0-16 don’t they? And on Thanksgiving we get treated to a possible meeting between the 11-0 Titans and the 0-11 Lions.

Man I can’t wait to eat turkey and watch that game…….NOT. Please let Detroit get some talent before then.

A few more thoughts before we get on to the rankings:

1) St. Louis, please field a NFL team the next time you want to step on the field.
2) Kansas City is improving faster than any team below. The Chiefs are competitive week in and week out.
3) Oakland’s offense is still missing in action.

On to the rankings:

#		Team	Record	Comments
1		Detroit Lions	0-9	I guess nobody could expect Daunte Culpepper to come in off the street and save the Lions season. It was a nice thought though. Lions fans start thinking about who you want to take #1 overall.
2		St. Louis Rams	2-7	Wait, how are they above Cincy and KC (or below depending on how you look at it) even though they have a better record? Maybe because they gave up 40 points in the first half and lost by 44 to the Jets, who aren’t exactly a powerhouse. Wow.
3		Kansas City Chiefs	1-8	For the second straight week the Chiefs blew a game that they really deserved to win. The good news is that Tyler Thigpen is developing nicely, at least for a 1-8 team.
4		Cincinnati Bengals	1-8	The Bengals actually won their last game, and their off this week so they at least keep their winning ways alive for another week. They are really too talented offensively to be scoring like they are, and it’s the main reason they are 1-8.
5		Oakland Raiders	2-7	Once again they weren’t really in the game this week. Ever since beating the Jets they have fallen to Atlanta in a blowout and the Pantehrs. Their offense has been absolutely terrible and now here comes red hot Miami.

On the Cusp: Seattle Seahawks (2-7), San Francisco 49ers (2-6; they play on MNF),

I also broke another rule of mine when I put the defending Super Bowl champions at #7. Usually I put the defending world champs #1 in my initial power rankings but after reviewing the NFL’s crazy offseason I decided that Michael Strahan’s retirement, as well as everyone else getting better will probably be too much for New York to repeat.

And since I just said that, they probably will repeat.

Anyways, I’ve now composed my second edition of power rankings. Check it out:

WANT TO ASK DANIEL A QUESTION? SEND IT INTO HIS ALL FOOTBALL MAILBAG

#	+/-		Team	Comment
1	–		Indianapolis Colts	Peyton Manning is the NFL’s best player, and I know this because I’ve even ranked him such. I just feel like Marvin Harrison will be back, and paired with Reggie Wayne they will return as one of the NFL’s top receiving duos. My early pick to win the Super Bowl.
2	–		New England Patriots	Alright trivia time. Is it worse to have a player who threw a record breaking 50 touchdowns as the NFL’s second best QB or having a team that went 18-1 and lost in the Super Bowl as the second best team in the league?
3	–		Dallas Cowboys	Terry Glenn’s contract situation is starting to cause a very uncomfortable stir in Big D. Just remember Cowboys fans, Dallas went 13-3 without Glenn in the regular season last year.
4	–		San Diego Chargers	In case anyone noticed the Chargers were the only NFL team with three players in my top 20 rankings.
5	+2		New York Giants	Michael Strahan’s retirement hurts the defensive line somewhat but as the veteran said in his final speech, it’s time for the other guys to show what they can do.
6	–		Jacksonville Jaguars	The Jaguars are just absolutely loaded with talent. It will be fun to see if Fred Taylor can have another great season at his age. I believe watching Maurice Jones Drew run the ball has refueled some of his fire.
7	-2		Pittsburgh Steelers	This is a team that has won the Super Bowl and knows how to handle adversity. Remember last season when Cleveland proved to be some unexpected competition in the AFC North? Pittsburgh won the division anyways.
8	+4		Green Bay Packers	The Packers could be anywhere from 8-14 on this list in my opinion but how much will Brett Favre’s retirement really hurt them? I have no idea but does anyone really know?
9	–		Philadelphia Eagles	Philadelphia has been very consistent for the last five years or so. Last season was a disappointment but they have too much talent to miss the playoffs again. Expect the Eagles to be as strong as ever in 2008.
10	+3		Cleveland Browns	The Browns have cracked my top ten. Wow. If you had told me this after the draft last year I would’ve told you it would be a few years. Let’s see if they can keep it up and become a consistent top NFL franchise.
11	-1		Seattle Seahawks	Does anyone else feel that by losing Shaun Alexander to free agency the Seahawks actually improved? It means they will rely less on Alexander, and Julius Jones should be at least a little of an upgrade.
12	+2		Tennessee Titans	I love their defense, but Vince Young has really got to start developing into more of a passer. He still relies on his legs entirely too much in a league where one hit can put you out for a year in the snap of your fingers.
13	-5		New Orleans Saints	I admit that New Orleans was probably ranked too high in my initial power rankings, but I love their offense and I see a big bounce back year coming for the Saints this year.
14	-3		Washington Redskins	All four NFC East teams are ranked in my top 14. Jason Campbell continues to develop and Clinton Portis is among the NFL’s best 10 running backs. The defense has a lot of talent. This team is going to help make the NFC East as competitve as ever.
15	+4		Minnesota Vikings	Adrian Peterson has already become one of the best running backs in the league. The offense needs to continue to grow under Tavaris Jackson.
16	–		Arizona Cardinals	Arizona is in the top half of my power rankings, and that means I probably just lost a lot of readers. Every year a team comes from nowhere to win a NFL dvision. The Cardinals are slowly building something in Arizona and I am picking them to win the NFC West.
17	+1		Houston Texans	Want to know how tough the AFC South is? Their four teams are all ranked in the top 17. Houston is very tough, and I expect them to challenge for a playoff spot again.
18	-3		Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Before Tampa Bay can really compete for a playoff spot they have to figure out who their QB is. That along with Carnell Williams returning healthy from his ACL injury would make the Buccaneers an instant NFC contender.
19	-2		Denver Broncos	Everyone in the AFC West, including Denver, is trying to find a way to catch up to San Diego in the divsion. Jay Cutler has a lot of work to do to prove he can be successful in this league.
20	–		Cincinnati Bengals	Carson Pamer is ranked #8 in Pete Prisco’s Top 50 list (Sportsline.com). He’s a great QB but #8? I love Palmer but I don’t think he’s quite that good. If Cincy can find any defense then they will be playing for a chance to win the AFC North late in the season.
21	–		Chicago Bears	It’s a make or break year for the Bears.  The Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton experiement will either finally fail completely causing Chicago to draft a QB in 2009, or the Bears will work themselves back into the mix in the NFC.
22	+1		Buffalo Bills	I really think Buffalo is an up and coming team in the AFC but the conference is loaded with talent already, meaning there isn’t much room for a young team like the Bills. In a few years we might be talking about how great a duo Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch are. Both looked great in year one (for rookies) to me.
23	+1		Carolina Panthers	Carolina is better than people think they are. Remember this same offense, led by Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith, played for the Super Bowl just a few years back. There’s no reason to believe they can’t find that magic again. It’s unlikely but not impossible.
24	-2		Detroit Lions	Jon Kitna will wear out his welcome in the Motor City quickly if he continues to come up short of his 10 win guarantee.
25	+5		Kansas City Chiefs	I think I had Kansas City a little too low in my initial rankings. I’m no Brodie Croyle fan, but Larry Johnson is still one a premiere running back. KC should contend for a playoff spot.
26	-1		St. Louis Rams	Last year was just embarrasing for a team I thought could be very successful in 2007. Instead I watched them start poorly and struggle the entire year. I don’t expect that to happen again, and neither do Rams fans.
27	–		Baltimore Ravens	I’ve read reports that Troy Smith is looking nice in Baltimore right now, and will probably start on opening day. If he plays well then the Ravens might be in a position like Cleveland is now with Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Joe Flacco or Troy Smith? I’m sure this is a problem the Ravens hope develops.
28	-2		San Francisco 49ers	This is probably Alex Smith’s last chance to impress anyone on the West Coast. He is very inconsistent and is really hurting the reputation of future NFL players like Tim Tebow, since both ran Urban Meyer’s college system.
29	–		New York Jets	The Jets had a very disappointing year after making the playoffs in 2006. Eric Mangini impressed during his first season but another bad year might mean a very hot season in the Big Apple.
30	-2		Oakland Raiders	I like the direction that Oakland is going. If both JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden develop into stars then the Raiders will be back in hurry. It’s just a big IF.
31	–		Miami Dolphins	Early reports make it look like Josh McCown will probably be starting for Miami on opening day. If the Jason Taylor situation works out then the Dolphins D-line will be as strong as ever.
32	–		Atlanta Falcons	Matt Ryan is going to need lots of time to develop in Atlanta but before they can truly be competitve they need to surround their young QB with many weapons.

1) All we need is your vote below! Just vote and check back the next day for the next team. The plan is to change the team drafting every day about noon (CT)!

2) Tell your friends! We want lots of votes so that this is a true fan mock draft.

3) AND…..I had to make a few changes to your draft order. First you can’t have two NFC teams 31 and 32 (you guys selected the Saints and Cowboys), so I took the highest AFC team (Colts) and put them #31. I also realized that your 12 playoff teams were 9 NFC teams and 3 AFC teams, so I had to correct this also. I removed the bottom three NFC teams in the final 12 spots and replaced them with the top 3 AFC teams not in the final 12 spots (which are suppose to be represented by playoff teams).

4) Remember the Panthers have already traded their pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.

5) If you have any questions, PLEASE feel free to email me at dantheman4250@aol.com

#		Pick	Pos	School
1		Michael Crabtree	WR	Texas Tech
2		Michael Oher	OT	Ole Miss
3		James Laurinatis	LB	Ohio St
4		Matthew Stafford	QB	Georgia
5		VOTE NOW!!!!!
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