NFL Draft Mock 5.0: Two-round mock, post-free agency

The possibility of a quarterback selection was contemplated at this pick. The Bengals did meet with Duke quarterback Daniel Jones at the 2019 NFL Combine, and Jones is the only quarterback left available who’s garnered first-round talk.

While it’s possible that the Bengals could draft a quarterback, and either trade Andy Dalton or release him with no dead cap penalty, Zac Taylor was a quarterbacks coach with Sean McVay. He should know better than to force the issue at the game’s most important position. At pick No. 11, that’s what drafting Daniel Jones would be.

Taylor’s desire to have “his guy” could complicate things, if Jones is in fact a preferred target, but Taylor seems to have grown well-acquainted with Dalton since arriving at Cincinnati, and he could commit to the veteran in 2019, with hopes of rekindling his earlier success. If that’s the case, then the Bengals can spend their first-round pick elsewhere. Offensive line naturally materializes as a pressing need, as does linebacker.

In this mock, the Bengals go with the latter position, and insert Michigan’s Devin Bush into their lineup as an immediate starter. Bush is a bit on the short side, but he’s the best coverage linebacker in this NFL Draft class, and he possesses all the necessary traits to perform at a high level. Taylor’s first pick needs to hit, and Bush does just that, in many different ways.