Earlier today Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com said the Bengals will consider drafting former Washington wide receiver John Ross. Pauline says the Bengals' medical staff has given the organization the 'green light' to draft Ross despite his injury history that includes multiple knee surgeries. Ross broke the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record with a time of 4.22 seconds. He visited Cincinnati last weekend.
Pauline says the Bengals' "front office believes the addition of Ross to an offense that presently boasts A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Tyler Eifert as well as recently re-signed Brandon LaFell could make them unstoppable on that side of the ball."
If the Bengals truly feel that way, then they should take Ross with the ninth pick. Most believe defensive end is their biggest need. This draft is deep in that department. I talked with Joe Goodberry about the depth at pass rusher and at wide receiver. You can listen to that here.
Ross will likely be on the board when the Bengals pick. If the front office believes he would make their offense "unstoppable," then this is a no-brainer.
Pauline also mentioned the Bengals' interest in former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. The additions of Ross and Mixon would turn an average offense into a potentially great one. And some will complain about the offensive line if the Bengals draft Ross and Mixon back-to-back. Those two additions would make Andy Dalton's job a lot easier because of their ability to turn short passes into large gains. They both have the ability to make defenders miss and that's an area the Bengals need to get a lot better in.
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