2017 NFL mock draft: Cincinnati Bengals get game-changer in Leonard Fournette

On the surface, you might think the Cincinnati Bengals have a decent running game. They finished 13th in the NFL last season and theoretically lead rusher Jeremy Hill is in the prime of his career as a running back.

But if you look closer, he had nine games of less than 50 yards rushing and averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. The team also lost backup Rex Burkhead in free agency. Most point to a wide receiver and pass rusher as key needs for the Bengals, but running back is just as great of an issue. Jason Marcum of Cincy Jungle is up in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft to find a solution to that problem.

Marcum: If the Bengals just stay true to their board and take the best player available, there’s certainly a good chance Fournette is the top guy at that spot. The concern is that running back just isn’t a highly valued position anymore, and even an elite back isn’t necessarily worthy of a top-10 pick.

But Fournette is the exception, as he’s definitely someone who will give the Bengals an instant upgrade at a position with big question marks this year. That’s what you want to do when you’re drafting in the top 10, so taking Fournette here should be an easy call based on how the first eight picks have gone.

Pass rusher may be a bigger need, by taking a guy like Taco Charlton or Derek Barnett here is too much of a reach. You can argue offensive tackle is a big need here, but none of this year’s tackle prospects are worth a top-10 pick.

Fournette is a can’t-miss prospect that gives this offense another weapon, something it needs a lot of when the offensive line looks like it will be a weakness this year, and Andy Dalton, while great, isn’t elite. When your quarterback isn’t elite, you need a great supporting cast around him, and that includes a great running back.

Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard are just role players. Cincinnati needs a true game-changer at this position, and Fournette fits the bill.

Analysis: This is what you have to weigh with this choice. Do players like defensive end Derek Barnett or wide receiver Corey Davis and Mike Williams make as big of an impact on the team as Fournette? The easy answer is no. The Bengals should be able to find a second wide receiver to pair with A.J. Green some time later in the draft, and there could be a pass rusher like Derek Rivers of Youngstown State in the second round. There won’t be a runner of Fournette’s caliber at any other point in the draft, and to get him with the ninth pick is a smart choice.

Starting tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET we finish off the top 10 with Buffalo Rumblings and the Buffalo Bills. Will the slide of Jonathan Allen continue for our three picks?