Mock Draft update

Here's the latest look at who a handful of sites that have been staying on top of things for months now have the Bengals drafting (so that if they take someone else you can justifiably scratch your head) ...

WalterFootball.com: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

Bengals fans will jump for joy if both the Falcons and Raiders eschew drafting a defensive tackle. That's because barring a trade, neither Glenn Dorsey nor Sedrick Ellis will go sixth, seventh or eighth - they don't fit in the 3-4 - so Cincinnati will have the opportunity to take the guy who doesn't go to Kansas City.

No way Ellis makes it past the Bengals, especially after they lost out in the Shaun Rogers and Dewayne Robertson sweepstakes. Cincinnati ranked 24th versus the run and managed just 22 sacks in 2007, and I think it's safe to say that adding a monstrous defensive tackle like Ellis to the front four would vastly improve both of those statistics.

Also, I wouldn't count out Rashard Mendenhall either. Rudi Johnson stinks, Chris Perry is a bust and Kenny Irons may not be ready to play in 2008 (Marvin Lewis was recently quoted as saying that he doesn't expect Irons to contribute next season). If Ellis isn't available, this selection could be Mendenhall or Keith Rivers.

NFL Draft Countdown: Ellis

Whether or not Ellis will fall this far remains to be seen but if he did this would be a slam-dunk for the Bengals. Marvin Lewis is said to like Derrick Harvey but Antwan Odom was signed to replace Justin Smith at defensive end. However, they do still need some help inside next to Domata Peko and Ellis would be a perfect fit. If Ellis is gone, which is very possible, the Bengals may turn their attention to Keith Rivers because Landon Johnson bolted and both Caleb Miller and Lemar Marshall are still unsigned. There has also been some speculation that Ryan Clady could come into play here as well since Willie Anderson is getting up there in years and Levi Jones has battled some injuries. If you are looking for a potential surprise keep an eye on Rashard Mendenhall. Rudi Johnson appears to be wearing down and Marvin Lewis may want to shift the focus of their offense to more of a power running game since their big play threat Chris Henry's already gone and Chad Johnson may be following him out the door sometime in the near future.

Draft King: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

Dorsey has been talked about as a top five prospect, if not even a consideration for Miami at #1. He is an impressive run-stopper who has shown that he can play through injury.

At the same time, there is a certain "buyer beware" element to a defensive lineman with back and leg injury histories, such as what happened in 2007 with Alan Branch falling all the way out of the first round. That, coupled with the teams at picks #6-8 having 3-4 defenses (not a good fit for Dorsey), leads him to slide to this spot in the latest mock draft.

For Cincinnati, adding a defensive tackle is a must. The Bengals missed out on trading for Shaun Rogers (who ended up with the rival Browns), but being in a position to draft Dorsey would help take the sting out of missing out on Rogers. If he can stay healthy, Dorsey has the potential to become an elite 4-3 DT in the NFL.

SI.Com's Peter King: Ellis

Best player remaining on the board. By far.

Football's Future: Ellis

Ellis is the type of talent that can anchor a defensive line. He is built like a tank and immovable off the line of scrimmage, but can also disrupt the action by getting penetration into the backfield.

NFL Draft Dog: Ellis

After Ellis dominated at the Senior Bowl, he is rising up the draft boards, the Bengals get an awesome defensive lineman who is a great value here. Ellis is the steal of the draft so far.

If you go back and look at the past Mock Draft update entries, you'll notice this is by far the most agreement there's been among these sites about who the Bengals will take. Seems like all of a sudden there are a lot of people who appear to be certain the Bengals will take Ellis.