Bengals mock draft: 3 rounds helps win-now attitude in Cincy

The offseason hasn’t been universally praised for the Cincinnati Bengals, but most can’t argue that the team hasn’t been aggressive.

The Bengals went out and upgraded the defense at safety with Bryan Cook. And with the signing of edge rusher Boye Mafe, if nothing else, they deepened the rotation after multiple free-agency losses (Trey Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample).

Duke Tobin and Co. also re-signed Dalton Risner for the offensive line, signed another safety with Kyle Dugger, got Joe Flacco back and added a corner with Ja’Sir Taylor.

Now, it’s time to take that aggressive attitude into a three-round mock draft using the simulator from Pro Football Network.

Round 1, No. 10: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami (FL)

The Bengals stick to their board here and go with Rueben Bain. We turned down some middling trade offers while doing so. It was Bain or cornerback Mansoor Delane.

It feels like the Bengals could very well go corner at No. 10, but Bain has some great upside and better pass-rush means less time in coverage for those corners and safeties. PFN’s writeup says a lot about him, quickly: “While power is Bain's primary mode, he has a deep pass-rush bag and smooth upper-lower synergy, superb strength, IQ, and pursuit range in run defense, and surprising flexibility as a finisher.”

The Bengals are going to love that Bain can kick inside and across formations. He’s a great addition to the rotation alongside Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart, two other first-round products still potentially on the upswing. That might cause some money issues down the road, but the Bengals want to win right now and need to take as many swings as possible on pass-rush.

Round 2, No. 41: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

Here’s the cornerback. Some places have Avieon Terrell valued much higher. He’s Pro Football Focus’ 23rd overall prospect: “Terrell's lack of length may limit him to zone-heavy schemes, but his elite football IQ and playmaking instincts give him starting potential across multiple systems.”

Hard to say where the Bengals have him ranked. But what isn’t hard to say is the lack of a starting slot corner right now. Terrell can start there as a rookie after past swings with names like Josh Newton haven’t worked. This pick would also prevent them from messing around with Dax Hill’s position yet again, letting him be a boundary corner opposite DJ Turner.

Round 3, No. 72: Gracen Halton, DL, Oklahoma

No secret the Bengals want to add more pass-rush and could still use another interior guy. Gracen Halton is Pro Football Focus’ 70th ranked player who is “undersized” but has a good ability to create pressure.

Bengals fans love their “undersized” interior pass-rushers thanks to a guy named Geno Atkins.

That’s putting too much pressure on Halton right away. But he’d be a nice fit in the rotation. Kris Jenkins hasn’t developed nearly as quickly as they need and things got so bad with McKinnley Jackson that he asked for a trade last season. Jonathan Allen arrived via free agency to help, so Halton would have a great mentor-type, alongside BJ Hill and others.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals mock draft: 3 rounds helps win-now attitude in Cincy