2013 NFL Mock Draft: Cincinnati Bengals take Johnathan Cyprien

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A popular selection for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013 NFL Mock Drafts is a safety, and the Bengals will most likely key in on that need as early as possible in the draft. This class has great depth at the safety position, and the Bengals have a chance at knocking a major need out of the park this year. In the most recent FanSided.com 2013 NFL Mock Draft, Josh Sanchez had the Cincinnati Bengals taking Florida International’s standout safety Johnathan Cyprien.

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Before he rose up draft boards, Cyprien was known as one of the biggest sleepers in the draft. Now, he is viewed by many as the second best safety in the draft behind only Texas’s Kenny Vaccaro, but he was previously ranked below SEC stars Matt Elam and Eric Reid. Cyprien has drawn comparisons to former Baltimore Ravens and current Houston Texans free safety Ed Reed.

The FIU product is best left in a deep safety role at FS where he can roam the center of the field and be a nightmare for quarterbacks. Cyprien is the best safety in this draft in coverage, and he excels in zone and can make plays on the ball. When put into the back end of a secondary, Cyprien will simply be a monster and greatly improve a Bengals secondary that sorely needs his presence.

Well-worth a first-round selection, adding Cyprien to the squad is move that would make a lot of sense for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2013 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have to be the next Ed Reed to be a solid safety at the pro level.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.