The Bengals DST picked up some nice young defenders in the draft, making cornerback Darqueze Dennard their first-round pick and defensive end Will Clarke their third-round pick. Both will provide depth at very important spots for the Bengals, especially since Leon Hall is coming off of Achilles surgery and Michael Johnson hit the trails via free agency.
Are the Bengals still considered a great DST? Losing pass rushers and seeing defensive backs get older aren't usually keys to a team's success. But the biggest loss of all might be defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer leaving to coach the Vikings. Paul Guenther takes over his responsibilities and he's a good coach but it remains to be seen if he can be as good without guys like Michael Johnson and James Harrison and with Geno Atkins coming back from a major knee injury.
The Bengals DST is still worth drafting late, but we might take them with a final-round pick only, not before then.