In their latest mock drafts, ESPN NFL Draft Expert Mel Kiper predicted the Cincinnati Bengals will take wide receiver Will Fuller of Notre Dame, and Todd McShay predicted a Corey Coleman selection for Cincinnati. Both would be joining the likes of AJ Green, Brandon LaFell, and now potentially Hakeem Nicks.
At Stripe Hype we have predicted a similar result, but as our staff writer Sean McMahon showed us, some advanced stats show that Will Fuller is not the best option for this Cincinnati team. Corey Coleman isn’t the most viable option either, as he played for Baylor’s spread offense, is not a good route runner, and isn’t very consistent; posting only 9 catches for 136 yards against ranked opponents last season.
It is highly unlikely that Laquon Treadwell will be available when Cincinnati is on the clock, and the second best receiver on a lot of draft boards is Josh Doctson, who also may be unavailable. If this is the case, the Bengals should look to add depth to the defensive side of the ball in the first round of the draft. Coleman would be an alright backup plan, but he isn’t the route runner and receiver that Doctson and Treadwell are, and wouldn’t be considered a first round pick in previous wide receiver draft classes.
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With that being said, it would be ideal for the Bengals to look for wide receiver help in the second round if Doctson or Treadwell are not available. Some guys to watch are Sterling Shepherd of Oklahoma, Michael Thomas of Ohio State, and even Braxton Miller of Ohio State would be a value pick at the end of the second round. If the Bengals choose to wait until even later in the draft to address the need, there are guys like Malcom Mitchell out of Georgia that can make an immediate impact as well.