2014 NFL Mock Draft: With The Twenty-Fourth Overall Pick Of The 2014 BRB Mock Draft, The Cincinnati Bengals Select...

Back in the good old days when the Houston Texans won more than two games a season and even appeared in the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals were a familiar foe. So much has changed. In the blink of an eye. Or the blink of a season, as it were. You know...oh, right. Mock draft. The Bengals are up, and here's hlc1221 with the pick.

With the 24th pick in the 2014 BRB Mock Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Blake Bortles (QB--Central Florida).

The Bengals are a very stable team. They have no really serious needs, and the consistent playoff appearances will make the fans happy. But will they ever progress past this? Probably not. The Bengals have the luxury of just taking the best player available, someone can help them maintain their stable position.

Cornerback would be a possible pick. Darqueze Dennard would have been this pick, but he was snapped up earlier in the draft. I loved his physical style, his ability to stay close to the receiver as a press man corner and how he seemed to be a leader of the Spartans' defense.

But he is gone, and today at school I began analysing in my head the 3 other cornerbacks that I was considering: Bradley Roby, Kyle Fuller and Jason Verrett.

Bradley Roby is a boom or bust pick. Not only does he have some bad habits, he has a lot of bad tape. His recovery is terrible particularly, as he gets burned a lot.

Fuller looked like a better pick. He had no serious concerns and was a very good read and react player for Virginia Tech. He may have been the pick.

Verrett is my personal favourite. Maybe because I'm small as well. I loved his ability in the zone and how he matched up with men far bigger than him and came out on top very often. He could do well as a nickel corner or even outside on the bigger receivers.

So as I was deliberating, I turned to the mock draft. I looked through, first seeing how the Texans had been stupid. I had remembered Bortles as the pick, so I was shocked when his name did not appear at all. The former favourite for the No. 1 pick had fallen down here.

I love Blake Bortles. He is prototypically big, has a strong enough arm and has good athletic ability. This year, he lead the UCF Knights to a Fiesta Bowl win, largely thanks to his 3,581 yard, 25 touchdown year. He had a solid combine and has been gaining lots of steam in recent weeks, emerging as the top quarterback in the draft over Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Football.

The Bengals are not set at quarterback. The Red Rifle is solid, sure, but question marks have been raised over his big game ability and whether he can be an elite quarterback. He is a Joe Flacco without the ability to win big games.

And this leads us to Bortles. The quarterback has been compared to Ben Roethlisberger, and he would fit well throwing to A.J. Green and Co. Bortles could sit on the bench for a season before taking the starter's role, and he would give the Bengals more options going forward. He has boom or bust potential, but in this situation he could be a huge steal. Bortles would have time to develop and mature; instead of being the face of a struggling franchise, he could step into a strong organisation that's stable and has winners in the locker room. This ail reduce the potential of him busting, and it will mean that Bortles will be a good starting quarterback for years to come.

My reaction to this pick:

I feel as though my honor, and that of an entire quaint hamlet, has been attacked. Andy Dalton does not deserve this. Leave your outrage in the Comments below.

Assuming he hasn't given up on this entire exercise in a show of solidarity with my hometown, f22a4bandit and the San Diego Chargers will pick next. That selection is due to me by 7 p.m. CDT this evening.

Recapping the draft:

1. Houston Texans--Sammy Watkins (WR--Clemson)
2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington)--Jadeveon Clowney (DE--South Carolina)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars--Johnny Manziel (QB--Texas A&M)
4. Cleveland Browns--Teddy Bridgewater (QB--Louisville)
5. Oakland Raiders--Khalil Mack (LB--Buffalo)
6. Atlanta Falcons--Anthony Barr (LB--UCLA)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Eric Ebron (TE--UNC)
8. Minnesota Vikings--Greg Robinson (OT--Auburn)
9. Buffalo Bills--Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (S--Alabama)
10. Detroit Lions--Mike Evans (WR--Texas A&M)
11. Tennessee Titans--Justin Gilbert (CB--Oklahoma State)
12. New York Giants--Aaron Donald (DT--Pittsburgh)
13. St. Louis Rams--Jake Matthews (OT--Texas A&M)
14. Chicago Bears--Timmy Jernigan (DT--Florida State)
15. Denver Broncos (TRADE WITH STEELERS) --C.J. Mosley (LB--Alabama)
16. Dallas Cowboys--Morgan Moses (OT--Virginia)
17. Baltimore Ravens--Marqise Lee (WR--USC)
18. New York Jets--Calvin Pryor (S--Louisville)
19. Miami Dolphins--Zack Martin (OG/OT--Notre Dame)
20. Arizona Cardinals--Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE--Washington)
21. Green Bay Packers--Darqueze Dennard (CB--Michigan State)
22. Philadelphia Eagles--Odell Beckham, Jr. (WR--LSU)
23. Kansas City Chiefs--Brandin Cooks (WR--Oregon State)
24. Cincinnati Bengals--Blake Bortles (QB--UCF)

25. San Diego Chargers--f22a4bandit
26. Cleveland Browns--FreedomRide
27. New Orleans Saints--H&Hguy
28. Carolina Panthers--Nashmeister
29. New England Patriots--37bp
30. San Francisco 49ers--TexansDC
31. Pittsburgh Steelers (TRADE WITH BRONCOS) --Steel Blue Crew
32. Seattle Seahawks--UprootedTexan
33. Houston Texans--bhsman