The Cincinnati Bengals have made two straight (albeit brief) playoff appearances thanks in large part to arguably the league's most underrated defense; the team ranked No. 7 in the NFL in total defense in 2011, and No. 6 again last year. There are still ways to upgrade that defense, however, and it could start with a youth movement at the safety position.
2013 NFL mock draft: Kenny Vaccaro to Cincinnati Bengals
Upgrading the safety position could make a good Bengals defense great.
Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE
| Team | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Class |
| 21. Cincinnati Bengals | Kenny Vaccaro | S | 6'1" | 215 | SR |
Josh Kirkendall: "After employing veterans (Chris Crocker) and transferring aging cornerbacks to safety (Nate Clements), the Bengals need to re-invest in a position that they've neglected for some time, upgrading a defense that ranked inside the top-seven last season. With no help through free agency and a roster full of special teams talent, the Bengals look continue building a sustaining defense with the cornerstone safety that they're looking for." |  | ||||
Here’s our own Dan Kadar to break down the pick:
Because there has been no activity on Andre Smith, trying to figure out what the Bengals might do in the first round is a challenge. If the Bengals need a right tackle, this could be a spot for Alabama’s D.J. Fluker. But if they don’t go after an offensive lineman in the first round, safety is a good way to go. Forget veteran or convert players being safeties. If the Bengals don’t draft a starting safety this year, they may be forced to start Taylor Mays. Yikes. Vaccaro is the best safety in the draft this year, and is the kind of player that should be able to start as a rookie. He may not be available with this pick, but if he is, the Bengals would be smart to pull the trigger.
That wraps up the first full week of picks in our 2013 NFL mock draft; we'll be back at it on Monday morning with the Rams and Turf Show Times on the clock. See you then!
| # | Player | Pos. | College | Ht. | Wt. |
| 11 | Bjoern Werner * | DE | Florida State | 6'3" | 266 |
| 19 | Tyler Eifert | TE | Notre Dame | 6'6" | 250 |
| 20 | D.J. Fluker * | OT | Alabama | 6'5" | 339 |
| 21 | DeAndre Hopkins * | WR | Clemson | 6'1" | 214 |
| 22 | Damontre Moore | OLB | Texas A&M | 6'5" | 250 |
| No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luke Joeckel | OT | Texas A&M |
| 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Geno Smith | QB | West Virginia |
| 3 | Oakland Raiders | Sharrif Floyd | DT | Florida |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | Eric Fisher | OT | Central Michigan |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | Ezekiel Ansah | DE | BYU |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns | Dion Jordan | OLB | Oregon |
| 7 | Arizona Cardinals | Barkevious Mingo | OLB | LSU |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | Jarvis Jones | OLB | Georgia |
| 9 | New York Jets | Chance Warmack | OG | Alabama |
| 10 | Tennessee Titans | Dee Milliner | CB | Alabama |
| 11 | San Diego Chargers | Star Lotulelei | DT | Utah |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | Desmond Trufant | CB | Washington |
| 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Xavier Rhodes | CB | Florida State |
| 14 | Carolina Panthers | Lane Johnson | OT | Oklahoma |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints | Alec Ogletree | LB | Georgia |
| 16 | St. Louis Rams | Tavon Austin | WR | West Virginia |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cordarrelle Patterson | WR | Tennessee |
| 18 | Dallas Cowboys | Jonathan Cooper | OG | North Carolina |
| 19 | New York Giants | Sheldon Richardson | DT | Missouri |
| 20 | Chicago Bears | Arthur Brown | LB | Kansas State |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | Kenny Vaccaro | S | Texas |
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