The NFL regular season is over and unfortunately the Bengals and I are both watching the playoffs from the couch. This season was definitely disappointing, but there is one benefit from a 7-9 record – a top-10 draft pick. Enter a world of mock drafts and Mel Kiper projections to get me through the next few months.

--The draft order was released New Year’s Eve and while the three through five picks are subject to a coin flip, the Bengals are assured the ninth selection in the draft. With a defense that allowed nearly 350 yards per game and ranked in the bottom half of the league against the run and the pass, the pick has to be used to bring in an impact defender. The Bengals have used their last two first round picks to bolster the secondary so this time the front seven has to be addressed.

--LSU’s Glenn Dorsey would step in and plug the middle and Virginia’s Chris Long would provide the edge rush the defense desperately needs, but unless the teams picking ahead of the Bengals all pull a Minnesota Vikings and fail to get their picks in on time, neither player is going to be left.

--Thankfully, a number of other teams ahead of the Bengals will likely go offense with their first pick. Jake Long and Darren McFadden will undoubtedly go early, and Kansas City, Atlanta and Baltimore could all use a quarterback. If some combination of Matt Ryan, Brian Brohm and Andre Woodson falls into place, the Bengals will have their choice of solid defensive options.

--As an Ohio State alum, I am keeping my fingers crossed that middle linebacker James Laurinitis is still available when the Bengals are on the clock. An athletic playmaker at the linebacker position is just what the fans need to help them forget about Odell Thurman and David Pollack. Chuck Bresnahan and Ricky Hunley will be the first to tell you that it’s hard to field a stout defense with a makeshift line-backing core.

--The one team standing in the way of my dream scenario is the New England Patriots, who are the proud owners of the seventh overall pick thanks to some brilliant strategy by the 49ers. Teddy Bruschi, Junior Seau and Mike Vrabel are all solid players but all three are in their 30s. Laurinitis would add youth to the mix, and he has the versatility that Bill Belichick looks for in a player. My hope is that Belichick opts for his usual draft day strategy and trades down for multiple picks, leaving the OSU star on the board.

-- If Lauranitis isn’t available, there are plenty of other options. USC’s Sedrick Ellis is the best option at defensive tackle next to Dorsey and OSU’s Vernon Gholston has all the makings of an excellent pass rusher. At the linebacker slot, the Trojan’s Keith Rivers isn’t a bad number two option.

In the coming months, the combine and workouts will make the draft order a little clearer, but the Bengals would be foolish not to address the defensive side of the ball in the first round. The rest of the draft is up for debate, but I would like to see a legitimate threat at the tight end position. USC’s Fred Davis would look pretty nice in orange, gashing the middle of opposing defenses and moving the chains.