Our annual 2011 NFL Mock Draft, with picks made by each of SB Nation’s NFL team bloggers, is in full swing. The latest pick in to the podium: the Cincinnati Bengals, at No. 4 overall.
2011 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 4
With the fourth overall pick in the 2011 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select A.J. Green, wide receiver, Georgia.
Josh Kirkendall of CincyJungle.com explains the choice, and our own Dan Kadar reacts to it, after the jump. Make sure you’re grading this pick for the Bengals, and checking out Cincy Jungle for all of your Bengals needs.
Josh Kirkendall explains: The Cincinnati Bengals will have two wide receivers signed after the 2011 season (Jordan Shipley and Shay Hodge). Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell are playing their final season under their rookie contracts, while Chad Ochocinco isn’t expected to be on the team’s opening day roster this season. It makes sense for the Bengals to rebuild the position with this year’s best wide receiver prospect, even though the team will be forced to look for their starting quarterback through the draft or free agency this off-season.
Dan Kadar reacts: It’s hard to say a there’s a lot of value to be found at just the fourth overall pick, but that is the case here. Since last off-season, Green has been the No. 1 overall player eligible for the 2011 NFL Draft. That has not changed once. That won’t change.
Still, it’s a little hard to get behind this pick when Auburn quarterback Cam Newton remains available. The draft process pushes quarterbacks to the top, justified or not. While the Bengals may have only two wide receivers signed after next season, they’re even more calamitous at quarterback. Picking behind Buffalo in round two could make it difficult to find a quarterback who can step in relatively quickly and make an impact. [A.J. Green Scouting Report]
With that, the Arizona Cardinals - and our friends at Revenge of the Birds - are now on the clock.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects
| OVR | Name | Pos. | College | Report |
| 3 | Da'Quan Bowers | DE | Clemson | scouting report |
| 4 | Nick Fairley | DT | Auburn | scouting report |
| 5 | Julio Jones | WR | Alabama | scouting report |
| 6 | Marcell Dareus | DT | Alabama | scouting report |
| 7 | Prince Amukamara | CB | Nebraska | scouting report |
2011 SB Nation NFL Writers' Mock Draft - RESULTS
| Rd. | No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College | Link |
| 1 | 1 | Carolina Panthers | Blaine Gabbert | QB | Missouri | story |
| 2 | Denver Broncos | Von Miller | OLB | Texas A&M | story | |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | Patrick Peterson | CB | LSU | story | |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | A.J. Green | WR | Georgia | ||
| 5 | Arizona Cardinals | |||||
| 6 | Cleveland Browns | |||||
| 7 | San Francisco 49ers | |||||
| 8 | Tennessee Titans | |||||
| 9 | Dallas Cowboys | |||||
| 10 | Washington Redskins | |||||
| 11 | Houston Texans | |||||
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | |||||
| 13 | Detroit Lions | |||||
| 14 | St. Louis Rams | |||||
| 15 | Miami Dolphins | |||||
| 16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||
| 17 | New England Patriots | |||||
| 18 | San Diego Chargers | |||||
| 19 | New York Giants | |||||
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||
| 21 | Kansas City Chiefs | |||||
| 22 | Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | |||||
| 24 | New Orleans Saints | |||||
| 25 | Seattle Seahawks | |||||
| 26 | Baltimore Ravens | |||||
| 27 | Atlanta Falcons | |||||
| 28 | New England Patriots | |||||
| 29 | Chicago Bears | |||||
| 30 | New York Jets | |||||
| 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
| 32 | Green Bay Packers |
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