2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 21

The 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft rolls on, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Josh Kirkendall, lead blogger at SB Nation's Cincinnati Bengals blog, Cincy Jungle, checks in to make the No. 21 overall selection in this year's mock. Take it away, sir!

With the No. 21 overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have selected Dez Bryant, wide receiver, Oklahoma State.

Josh Kirkendall says: See, you have to understand something. Every year that the NFL Draft drew near, there was a certain position that we knew the Bengals would address. After the 2005 and 2006 seasons, we knew that the Bengals would address their aging cornerback problem. And they did with Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. After the 2008 season, we knew that the Bengals would draft an offensive tackle. Andre Smith will be entering his second season in 2010. In 2004, it was a running back to supplant the departing Corey Dillon. Sadly, in a trade that would eventually have the Rams and Bengals swapping their first round picks, the Bengals watched St. Louis pick Steven Jackson while Cincinnati went with Chris Perry. Yea, we kind of missed on that one.

Either way, the Bengals have always needed to address a massive need for at least one position on the team’s roster. With Bobbie Williams and Reggie Kelly expected to return for the 2010 season, Antonio Bryant replacing the released Laveranues Coles and players like Tank Johnson and Roy Williams having already signed deals to return next season, the Bengals virtually have their 2010 starters in place. It’s very unlikely Cincinnati will draft a player that will immediately be considered as a starter for a squad that made the playoffs last season. Position competitions? Sure. Other than that, there’s no desperate need at any positions.

I know what you’re thinking. Why not address a position that the Bengals could realistically call a "need"? Why not a Tight End, like Jermaine Gresham? Simply put, the Bengals have rarely sought an impact tight end and even if they did, their offensive philosophy has historically incorporated tight ends that can block first, catch a hot read pass second. With the team having already Chase Coffman in 2009, with the likely intention to keep building him into a Pro Style Tight End, the Bengals aren’t likely to use their first round draft pick on a tight end this year.

Cincinnati’s recent glory days of a Madden-style passing offense has come and gone. In 2005, Chad Ochocinco was left one-on-one in coverage; a slam dunk on 15-yard square-in routes. T.J. Houshmandzadeh dominated the underneath routes and Chris Henry used his size and speed to outperform undersized secondaries. We lost Henry, Houshmandzadeh left for Seattle and Chad, contrary to what he’ll tell you, can’t do it alone. Since 2005, the Bengals were left with a depressing rushing offense, an aging offensive line and a severe lack of weapons in the passing game. In response, the team rebuilt their running back roster and put together a quality group of mauling offensive linemen that made Cincinnati’s rushing offense one of the best in the league.

Now, the team is faced with rebuilding the team’s passing offense. Laveranues Coles, a disappointing receiver that dropped a lot of passes and failed to give secondaries much concern, was released after one season. The Bengals debated between Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant, settling on Bryant with a four-year contract. Gladly, this gave the Bengals a respectable one-two punch in the passing offense, but nothing worth mentioning beyond that.

That’s why, with the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Dez Bryant, wide receiver out of Oklahoma State. Considered by many to be one of the best receivers in the draft, if not one of the top overall prospects, Bryant will give the Bengals a trio of wide receivers that could bring Cincinnati’s passing game back to the glory days, where any of the three wide receivers could threaten to score from any spot on the field. Dez Bryant makes a lot of sense; he could help the team immediately as the team’s third-wide receiver in three-wide formations – which they use frequently – and Bryant would likely become a long-term solution.

More impressively, the Bengals are selecting the best player available in the draft; a player that will immediately help the Bengals passing game after finishing 26th in the NFL last year.

Mocking Dan reacts: Pairing Bryant with Cincinnati's other receivers is a scary prospect. He would allow Ochocinco to transition into a No. 2 role, which is about as good as he is now. More importantly, a player like Bryant could help rejuvenate the career of Carson Palmer. He wouldn't have to worry as much about cow towing to Ochocinco.

Mocking the Draft's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Everson Griffen/DE/USC, 2 - Jermaine Gresham/TE/Oklahoma, 3 - Anthony Davis/OT/Rutgers, 4 - Sergio Kindle/OLB/Texas, 5 - Ryan Mathews/RB/Fresno State

Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of Cincinnati's pick of Dez Bryant? Please be sure to check out Cincy Jungle for all of your Bengals needs.