Bengals ‘fail’ to trade up but win in NFL mock draft anyway

The Cincinnati Bengals might be a trade-back candidate from No. 10 in the NFL draft, but it’s nearly impossible to see the front office coughing up the assets needed to trade up.

That’s an angle that comes to fruition in a new mock draft, too.

CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles recently penned a mock in which the Bengals attempted to move up, but then sit at No. 10 and grab LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane:

“After failing to (mock) trade up, the Bengals gladly scoop up Mansoor Delane at No. 10. An elite coverage cornerback, Delane and DJ Turner II would form a strong tandem, something Cincinnati has not had in a while. The Bengals will hope the LSU-to-Cincinnati pipeline -- which includes Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow -- continues to pay dividends.”

Talk about a win anyway.

Delane is one of the best outright prospects in the class. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein likes him as an instant starter, even in a cornerback-heavy class, and wrote this: “Delane’s emergence over the past two years might be indicative of what’s to come, as he’s shown lockdown potential.”

The Bengals need help at corner, too. Dax Hill and DJ Turner look like long-term options as boundary guys. But they need better depth on the boundary and a slot starter. Delane would be a part of the puzzle.

In this mock draft, Rueben Bain came off the board seventh and Caleb Downs went eighth. Those guys were probably who the Bengals were after, but the price to move up even a few spots in the first 10 picks is just too steep.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals ‘fail’ to trade up but win in NFL mock draft anyway