More and more mock drafts keep throwing LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at the Cincinnati Bengals.
That includes the biggest NFL draft insider of all.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper just issued a two-round mock draft and does just that for the Bengals at No. 10.
Kiper wrote the following about the pick: “Delane is technically sound, and he can make plays to get the defense off the field and put the ball in quarterback Joe Burrow’s hands. Over four college seasons — including three at Virginia Tech — Delane had 27 pass breakups and eight interceptions.”
Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs were off the board in this scenario.
In the second round, Kiper had the Bengals selecting Texas A&M pass-rusher Cashius Howell.
“He had 11.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss last season,” Kiper wrote. “That’s big-time production for a Cincinnati team that just lost Trey Hendrickson.”
Breaking down Mel Kiper’s mock draft for Bengals
This is a good one for the Bengals if they can’t find a trade-down partner.
Getting Styles or Downs would be better. But cornerback is a premium spot. They have boundary starters in Dax Hill and DJ Turner. Delane’s arrival might make them move Hill around again, which might backfire. But they need a slot starter badly and insurance if the stingy front offie botches contract talks with Turner and Hill.
Howell, thankfully, has far more proven production than Shemar Stewart did last year. He’s a nice rotational piece to develop after the losses of Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample.
The Bengals would still be hoping for breakouts from Stewart and Myles Murphy, plus a boost from Boye Mafe above what he did in Seattle last year. Risky, but this is a nice draft outcome if the board falls this way.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Mel Kiper’s 2-round mock draft might be Bengals’ best-case scenario
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