Who should the Bengals draft in the first round?

[Benihana]

Assuming Dez Bryant is off the board. Who should they take? Who will they take? Comment below.

[WVRed]

Gresham. They need a TE and a red zone target and I think this is the year they do it.

Go for Gilyard in the second round if he is there.

[Mario-Rijo]

I'd like to see an impact player preferably on defense and preferably the safety position, but not sure Taylor Mays qualifies. I'll tell ya what I'd do, trade a player and our pick and our 3rd rounder to move up to get Berry out of Tennessee (I might even consider dealing a future pick as well). Unfortunately I'm sure that is major wishful thinking but a guy can dream. Short of that I probably go with the best impact player available at that spot and I'm guessing that it might be a defensive lineman. Could be Earl Thomas out of Texas is the right guy at that spot.

In the 2nd I am intrigued by the WR out of Georgia Tech (Demaryius Thomas) he could be the steal of the draft now that he got hurt and won't be able show the gamebreaking speed some think he has. But admittedly I haven't hardly looked at anything draft related yet, haven't got the itch yet.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by Mario-Rijo

I'd like to see an impact player preferably on defense and preferably the safety position, but not sure Taylor Mays qualifies. I'll tell ya what I'd do, trade a player and our pick and our 3rd rounder to move up to get Berry out of Tennessee (I might even consider dealing a future pick as well). Unfortunately I'm sure that is major wishful thinking but a guy can dream. Short of that I probably go with the best impact player available at that spot and I'm guessing that it might be a defensive lineman. Could be Earl Thomas out of Texas is the right guy at that spot.

In the 2nd I am intrigued by the WR out of Georgia Tech (Demaryius Thomas) he could be the steal of the draft now that he got hurt and won't be able show the gamebreaking speed some think he has. But admittedly I haven't hardly looked at anything draft related yet, haven't got the itch yet.

I'd love to get Eric Berry, but I can't see that happening. No way does Mikeyboy pay a safety Top 5 money.

If they do trade up, I'd like to see them trade up to 10 or 11 and get Dez Bryant. More likely, however, they should probably trade down 10 or 15 spots, pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd rounder in the process, and draft whoever is left between Gresham, Tate, Benn, and Gilyard.

I'd also love to see them trade their 2nd round pick for Marshall or Boldin, but again, I can't see it happening.

[RiverRat13]

Takes two to trade down, which happens less and less every year.

My vote is for Gresham. If they don't sign a decent, younger WR in free agency then I'd hope they take a WR in the 2nd. Carson needs weapons.

[Eric_the_Red]

I vote for other - the best player available regardless of position.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by WVRed

Gresham. They need a TE and a red zone target and I think this is the year they do it.

Go for Gilyard in the second round if he is there.

What makes Gresham any different than Chase Coffman who we took last year who can catch just fine but can't block to save his life and its why he wasn't on the field all season long?

[camisadelgolf]

Coffman wasn't on the field because he never healed from the injury he had when the Bengals drafted him.

[WMR]

You'll all find out soon enough.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by camisadelgolf

Coffman wasn't on the field because he never healed from the injury he had when the Bengals drafted him.

And if Hard Knocks was any indication, he didn't look like he was the brightest light on the porch if ya know what I'm saying.

FWIW, Gresham comes in much more highly touted than Coffman. Still not sure if he's the answer though. By all accounts Golden Tate had a hell of a combine, if that counts for anything. Can't say I'd be sad if Tate or Benn ends up in stripes.

[LoganBuck]

Originally Posted by Benihana

And if Hard Knocks was any indication, he didn't look like he was the brightest light on the porch if ya know what I'm saying.

There is a reason that only a handful of rookies earn meaningful playing time in their first season. Coffman looked like a kid thrown into the deep end. All we can say is that he didn't play last year, and did a bunch of pushups in the meeting room. If the HBO cameras had followed Michael Johnson through those meetings, he may have been doing pushups as well.

[RiverRat13]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

What makes Gresham any different than Chase Coffman who we took last year who can catch just fine but can't block to save his life and its why he wasn't on the field all season long?

I'm no Big 12 expert, but didn't Coffman play exclusively from the slot at Missouri while Gresham played more from a three-point stance at Oklahoma? Therefore while Gresham isn't a great blocker, he does have a background in a pro-style atmosphere while Coffman basically had to learn how to play tight end.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by LoganBuck

There is a reason that only a handful of rookies earn meaningful playing time in their first season. Coffman looked like a kid thrown into the deep end. All we can say is that he didn't play last year, and did a bunch of pushups in the meeting room. If the HBO cameras had followed Michael Johnson through those meetings, he may have been doing pushups as well.

I was more concerned with how he came off in interviews. Michael Johnson played some snaps, at a position of pretty good depth on the Bengals. Chase Coffman, as far as I could tell, never scratched the field- and that was AFTER the top two guys ahead of him on the depth chart suffered season ending injuries in training camp. In fact, the Bengals thought so little of the two journeymen they brought in to play ahead of Coffman (Foschi and Coats) that they non-tendered both of them last week. If you watched games last year, you could see how truly awful those two players were...yet Coffman still couldn't scratch the field. That's a HUGE red flag if you ask me.

[Redhook]

Originally Posted by Benihana

I was more concerned with how he came off in interviews. Michael Johnson played some snaps, at a position of pretty good depth on the Bengals. Chase Coffman, as far as I could tell, never scratched the field- and that was AFTER the top two guys ahead of him on the depth chart suffered season ending injuries in training camp. In fact, the Bengals thought so little of the two journeymen they brought in to play ahead of Coffman (Foschi and Coats) that they non-tendered both of them last week. If you watched games last year, you could see how truly awful those two players were...yet Coffman still couldn't scratch the field. That's a HUGE red flag if you ask me.

It is a red flag, but he was also not 100% all year. I'm not banking on him to be better this year, but I'm also not giving up on him. I watched him play a lot at Mizzou. He's an amazing receiver. I think he'll be decent this year, but I also want some more help at TE.

[Benihana]

Originally Posted by Redhook

It is a red flag, but he was also not 100% all year. I'm not banking on him to be better this year, but I'm also not giving up on him. I watched him play a lot at Mizzou. He's an amazing receiver. I think he'll be decent this year, but I also want some more help at TE.

Um, if you're not banking on him to be better this year, then how are you not giving up on him? The guy didn't play a single snap all season, despite literally zero competition. If he's not better this year, he should be out of the league.