BTSC 2012 Community Mock Draft Pick No. 21 -- Cincinnati Bengals Select Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

The Steelers pick is getting closer and closer, but before then we've got to get through 1st round reappearances by a pair of division opponents. Thanks go to seton hall and the steelers for Part 2 of his Bengals analysis. Next up: Cleveland Browns (Part 2), with the extra 1st rounder they acquired from Atlanta in last year's trade for Julio Jones, and they'll again be represented by _ET_.

By the way, take note of the cool little minute-long draft profiles from SBN NFL that are embedded with these picks. It's been Michael Bean's personal project to make these videos happen, and let us know what you think of them! -barnerburner-

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The Cincinnati Bengals, as I said, have the luxury of two first round picks. That means you can fill a need with one pick and go BPA with another. In this scenario I filled the Bengals need at guard by selecting Cordy Glenn. While the Bengals still have needs at CB, RB, and S the players on the board simply don't match up with the Bengals needs. If you look at who is remaining you see a few players who stand out as clear BPA's (Best Players Available). Those are MIchael Brockers and Courtney Upshaw. Both Brockers and Upshaw are projected as top 10 to 15 picks in the draft and if one of them were here at 21 I believe the Bengals would want to take one despite being stocked on the defensive line.

As the Giants have shown, you can never have enough defensive linemen. The Bengals use a similar scheme to the Giants and despite the Bengals being stocked at defensive line, I believe in this scenario they would follow the Giants draft history and strengthen your strengths. Ultimately, it would just be impossible to pass up on the value, talent, and athleticism of Michael Brockers. Thus...

With the 21st pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Michael Brockers, Defensive Tackle, Louisiana State University.

Brockers, who is just a redshirt sophomore, flew up draft boards after an incredible sophomore season in which he had 54 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss while being routinely double teamed. He did a great job holding his ground and not backing off, which allowed LSU's talented linebackers to make a bunch of tackles. In the Bengals scheme, he will likely be used as a situational pass rusher until he develops more strength.

Regarding the value of this pick, I took a look at 5 mock drafts and he was drafted 11th, 14th, 16th, 11th, and 9th so it is clear that this is the BPA.

Some other options I considered here were Courtney Upshaw and Janoris Jenkins. The reason I did not choose Upshaw is because the Bengals would use him as a DE and I don't think that is where his best value is. With regards to Jenkins, it appears as if the Bengals have finally learned their lesson and are putting more emphasis on character, which is something Jenkins lacks.

BTSC 2012 Community Mock Draft Picks: