Paul Dehner Jr. | Cincinnati Enquirer

Albert Cesare, acesare@enquirer.com

Their team needs lead with offensive line and linebacker.

Here is the first of my four mock drafts this season.

Whether Arizona pulls the trigger or Oakland uses its draft capital to trade up, the feeling around the league is Murray will be at the top of this draft with his baseball concerns eliminated. Toss in his 5-foot-10, 207 height-weight combo and the future of the NFL's new offensive concepts the league exposed during the head-coach hiring process spills over into the draft.

This draft – and first round in particular - will be dominated by defensive linemen. Thus begins the run with the 49ers taking Bosa. Expectations are he can have the same impact his brother, Joey, did with the Los Angeles Chargers. Any residual health concerns about Bosa’s bilateral core injury suffered early in the season were erased in Indianapolis.

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3. New York Jets: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

Dominant interior presence the Jets need as they start over with new head coach Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

4. Oakland: Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan

Gary touted this past week at the Combine, “I’m the best player in this draft. Offensively. Defensively. Period.” He may be right. Scouts wonder about his production in the Michigan system for this spot in the draft, but he has every tool the Raiders would need to start the task of replacing Khalil Mack.

5. Tampa Bay: Devin White, LB, LSU

The lack of depth in this draft at linebacker and freakish performance at the Combine, have White ascending up draft boards. His 4.42 40-yard dash and 39.5-inch vertical leap combined with tape makes him the ideal new-school linebacker everyone desires. Nobody needs this type of player more than the Bengals. I'd be willing to bet he's near the top of their internal big board, but what occurred in Indianapolis might have put any hopes of landing him to rest.

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“When you have linebackers that can't cover, A, it's a liability, and you will get picked on repeatedly,” NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “It is tough to hide out there when you have a linebacker who can't cover … He's going to be able to run and cover and help match up against some of the better tight ends and even some of these backs how they're using the passing game. That's a huge asset.”

Michael Conroy, AP

6. New York Giants: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

This fit makes too much sense to think somebody with interest wouldn’t jump ahead of the Giants. New York, if they really want Haskins as the heir apparent to Eli Manning, they may need to trade up themselves.

7. Jacksonville: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss

An unreal Combine sends Metcalf up draft boards, specifically for a Jaguars team in desperate need for playmakers at receiver. His tape isn't as impressive as his raw athleticism, but the dream of sending Metcalf on deep balls and slants will be a centerpiece of their offense, especially if he matches up with Nick Foles.

8. Detroit: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

The Lions have no idea how this happened and any needs can fall by the wayside with Allen still around at No. 8. Quarterbacks in demand and the defensive line depth makes him a steal at this point.

9. Buffalo: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama

He measured with short arms at Indy, but that doesn’t take away from the success he enjoyed for the Tide this past season. He could be in the mix for the Bengals at No. 11 if he is still available there.

Williams quickly was able to rip off the names of prominent tackles with shorter arms than him in his first statement on the podium in Indianapolis.

“I think that’s a small portion of what it takes to be a tackle at the next level,” he said. “I think if you look at a lot of the really successful tackles over the past 10 years – Joe Thomas, Joe Staley, Jake Matthews, Jason Peters, La’ell Collins, Riley Reiff, Ryan Ramczyk – just a couple guys off the top of my head that have shorter arms than me – I don’t think that’s necessarily a huge deal.”

10. Denver: DeAndre Baker, CB, Georgia

Interesting spot here with the Bengals sitting next. Vic Fangio drafted and deployed Roquan Smith at linebacker last year in helping the Bears’ defense surge to the toast of the NFL. Devin White would fit as an exact replica if he makes it. The only issue is the Broncos have a significant need at cornerback. Watch the Broncos and if they fill this in free agency, because it could determine if White slides to Cincinnati at No. 11.

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

11. Cincinnati: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

Talk all you want about best player available, I would be shocked in this selection wasn’t an offensive lineman or linebacker. Those two needs are too glaring and there are too many prospects that could hit them just right at this point in the draft for it not to swing that way.

Here’s why Taylor is my choice among these options. Offensive line coach Jim Turner desires a big-body type on the line. He points to power, durability and even the logistical challenge of trying to get around a huge frame. The Bengals have Cordy Glenn at left tackle to fit that mold. Finding another behemoth on the other side would provide powerful bookends. Taylor notably has lost 50 pounds prior to his senior year in high school, but still weighed in at 312 at the Combine, calling it the lightest he’s been.

Most have him as one of the top two tackles in this draft. I could see Turner having Taylor jump back up to 320 and plugging him in as a starter on opening day.

PFF rated Taylor with the third-highest run-blocking grade among Power 5 tackles. That would fit nice in the play-action and power-run scheme with Joe Mixon under Zac Taylor.

“Just physical aggression," Taylor said of what he brings. "I play very nasty. I play aggressive, so I feel like I could bring that to the offensive line room. Just a great guy who loves to work.”

Albert Cesare / The Enquirer

Other considerations:

Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma. A perfect example of the big-body offensive tackle to fit the system. Ford came in at 6-4, 329 pounds with a tape full of road-grading nastiness at Oklahoma. You could easily see the Bengals falling in love with Ford’s size and power on the right side and picking him over Taylor to lead the way for Mixon yet again.

Devin Bush, LB, Michigan. In the Devin White mold. He can run, cover and illustrates fantastic instincts attacking the running game. He’s slightly undersized at 5-11, but he ran a 4.43 at the Combine, just at tick below White. He was also top five in multiple other categories. He’s an absolute specimen. He’d be a three-down starter in the opener for the Bengals right now. That’s a huge win.

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Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State. He may not fit the mold of the massive man it seems the Bengals want, but he’s still 6-5, 315 and regarded as the best pass protector in this draft and his quickness pops off tape. If the Bengals feel he can add run blocking prowess to his sterling skill set, he could end up the guy.

Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State. What will his incredible Combine do for him on draft boards. Well, running a 4.41 at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. That doesn’t even register as human and is a modern Combine record for the position. With Carlos Dunlap crossing 30, Michael Johnson gone and Carl Lawson coming off an ACL tear, the edge position is not out of the question for an infusion if the talent level is there.

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa. This feels like a stretch to go tight end in the first round of a draft deep at the position. So, I don’t think the Bengals would do this, but want to mention him strictly because of his talent and ability to be both a force as a blocker and athletic in the pass game.

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Cincinnati Bengals 2019 mock draft