clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

2012 NFL Mock Draft: The Cincinnati Bengals Select...

Getty Images

With the twenty-first pick of the 2012 CSC Community Mock Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals (chosen by coldpizza) select...

Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

After landing Georgia Tech WR Stephen Hill with the seventeenth overall selection, the Bengals look to shore up their secondary with their second first rounder. As it turns out, all four of the CB prospects I was considering at seventeen are still available and Gilmore is, in my humble opinion, the best of that lot. At 6'0½" 190 lbs, Gilmore is commonly considered to be the second best pure cover corner in this draft, behind LSU's Morris Claiborne.

With Leon Hall coming off a ruptured Achilles tendon and not expected to be 100% by opening week, it's imperative that Cincinnati brings in someone that can contribute right away. Gilmore offers exceptional straight line speed and is fluid in and out of his cuts. He also excels in run support, a trait that should serve the team well, with Ray Rice, Rashard Mendenhall and newcomer Trent Richardson now in the division.

Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick, North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins and Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard were also considered. In the end, however, Gilmore was the lone CB prospect that failed to raise a red flag of some sort, be it due to his personal character or his readiness to make an impact at the professional level. With a playmaking Stephen on offense and a ballhawking Stephon on defense, look for the Bengals to make waves once again in the über competitive AFC North.

Below are the complete results from our community mock draft.

Catch up with all of the mock draft selections in our 2012 CSC Community Mock Draft Section.

Pick Team Selection Team Representative Approval Rating
1 Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck - Stanford Legatron Morstead 77%
2 Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III - Baylor VAsaintsfan 78%
3 Minnesota Vikings OT Matt Kalil - USC Hans Petersen 69%
4 Cleveland Browns RB Trent Richardson - Alabama Fan since the Aints 81%
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB Morris Claiborne - LSU Alex Swift 50%
6 St. Louis Rams WR Justin Blackmon - Oklahoma St. GRIZZ 73%
7 Jacksonville Jaguars WR Michael Floyd - Notre Dame AcquiredPanic 51%
8 Miami Dolphins WR Kendall Wright - Baylor were gonna need a bigger boat 16%
9 Carolina Panthers DT Michael Brockers - LSU DatFan 43%
10 Buffalo Bills OT Riley Reiff - Iowa theprogrammerman 51%
11 Kansas City Chiefs G David DeCastro - Stanford Jimbo03 69%
12 Seattle Seahawks DE Melvin Ingram - South Carolina BASAINT 57%
13 Arizona Cardinals DT Dontari Poe - Memphis jeremysherwin 44%
14 Dallas Cowboys S Mark Barron - Alabama Saint for Life 59%
15 Philadelphia Eagles DE Quinton Coples - North Carolina caominh 26%
16 NY Jets LB Courtney Upshaw - Alabama GRIZZ 65%
17 Cincinnati Bengals WR Stephen Hill - Georgia Tech coldpizza
18 San Diego Chargers DE/OLB Nick Perry - USC Alex Swift
19 Chicago Bears TE Coby Fleener - Stanford Jay Cutler
20 Tennessee Titans LB Luke Kuelchy - Boston College shipgoalie05
21 Cincinnati Bengals CB Stephon Gilmore - South Carolina coldpizza