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          Bengals' second draft pick could help solve most serious problem

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          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMar 5, 2020, 06:00 AM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          For at least the past four months, the most interesting thing about the Cincinnati Bengals has been what they’ll do with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on April 23.

          After watching potential top pick Joe Burrow, it’s natural for fans to salivate over the prospect of adding the Heisman-winning quarterback to a franchise desperately looking to improve its fortunes.

          Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has a different vision of ecstasy. Over the past 10 years, the Bengals have rarely used premium draft picks on defensive players.

          Although those in Cincinnati seem smitten with Burrow, the defense is a more serious issue that needs to be solved if the Bengals are going to be a playoff contender in the immediate future. Replenishing the roster with quality, young, defensive talent could help that situation.

          “I’ll be doing some backflips up there in the draft room to get somebody,” Anarumo said last week at the NFL scouting combine.

          Since the start of 2018, no team has allowed more yards per play than Cincinnati (6.1). The Bengals also surrendered 2.29 points per drive, the fourth-highest total during that span.

          Of Cincinnati’s 22 selections in the first or second round since 2010, seven have been on defense. The average draft position for those selections is 32.3 (there are only 32 selections in the first round).

          Four of them served as primary starters in 2019: defensive end Carlos Dunlap, safety Jessie Bates and cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and William Jackson. Of those four, Jackson (27) and Bates (23) are the only one under the age of 30. Even he will be under pressure to perform in 2020 after totaling two interceptions in three seasons.

          There is a chance that the Bengals, who have just more than $51 million in cap space, are more active in signing free agents. Anarumo said the defense needs to be rejuvenated.

          “It’s an emphasis for us to make sure we get younger,” Anarumo said.

          Whether by youth or improved execution, it’s vital that the defense is in better form if Cincinnati hopes to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Some of that responsibility certainly falls on Anarumo, who was a full-time coordinator in 2019 for the first time in his career.

          While communication and top-down alignment must improve from Anarumo, the personnel also needs to be more productive.

          The Bengals were 27th in pass-rush win rate in 2019, an ESPN metric powered by NFL Next Gen Stats. defensive tackle Geno Atkins and Dunlap will make two of the team's top three defensive salaries in 2021, and they will have to be more productive than they were in 2019 -- when both had fewer than 10 sacks -- if the defensive front is to improve.

          Whether it’s through free agency or the draft, adding depth on the interior of the defensive line and at linebacker could go a long way. In Indianapolis, Bengals executive director of player personnel Duke Tobin said there are no specific plans for the first pick of the second round.

          “I think at 33 we'll have a lot of choices at a different position, and we're going to have to probably choose the best player that's available there or possibly trade back,” Tobin said.

          If the Bengals decide to trade back in the second round, which is what Cincinnati has done the past three years, Anarumo won’t mind. At this point, he and the Bengals need all the help they can get.

          “If it’s the right guy,” Anarumo said, “I don’t care.”