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Trey Flowers Makes Most Sense For Cincinnati Bengals In 2015 NFL Draft

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Trey Flowers Arkansas

Kevin Jairaj – USA TODAY Sports

The loss of Michael Johnson proved to be more than the Cincinnati Bengals expected this year as their impressive 43 sacks in 2013 went to an abysmal 20 in 2014. With Marvin Lewis apparently staying with the Bengals, his mantra has always been defense and the lack of a consistent pass rush, along with inconsistent quarterback play, rendered them ineffective in the playoffs as they could not properly affect Andrew Luck when they needed to most.

Lewis has long been a proponent of making average players good and good players great in terms of defenders. Trey Flowers may not project as a first-rounder just yet, but should he last until the second round, he is exactly the player Lewis would love and appreciate.

Flowers played four years at Arkansas, and this past season he was the catalyst to a complete turnaround for the Razorbacks, helping them win their first bowl game under Bret Bielema. He has been a complete terror on the defensive line and has consistently been in the backfield multiple times over the past three seasons for Arkansas. His 15.5 tackles for loss led the team and ranked in the top 10 in the SEC.

Flowers is the quintessential definition of a collegiate athlete, as he stayed in school to better himself athletically and academically. Having someone of his caliber and character will help bring much-needed competition and stability to the Bengals’ defensive line. As mentioned previously, the Bengals struggled to get pressure on the quarterback, and the only player to make any sort of impact on the line was Carlos Dunlap who finished with eight sacks.

Flowers’ presence on the line will also assist fellow defensive end Wallace Gillberry. He had a combined 14 sacks the previous two years only to end up with one-and-a-half this past season, all of which happened in game one against the Baltimore Ravens.

The defense was the strength in 2013. The Bengals, minus the quarterback situation, have all the right pieces on offense, but they must get back what they had in 2013 for 2015 to truly make a push in the playoffs. Flowers may not be an immediate franchise player, but he’s the right piece for the Bengals.

Brandon Williams is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, @BfreshAlum4UA, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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