I''ve narrowed it down. To DT or OT

[HairOnFire]

A first round pick is far more consequential than a 2nd or 3rd round pick and the Bengals simply cannot gamble on the 6th pick overall, regardless of his talent.

So which prospect likely to be available at #6 isn't a gamble? The reason I'm asking is because you've pimped Oher, Maybin, Brown, and a few others that don't exactly strike me as sure things.

I was hoping for a major about-face at his Pro Day, but......

That's on you. Due to how early Alabama schedules it's Pro Day Smith's workout was barely two weeks after the combine, and that simply isn't enough time for a player to achieve a "major about-face" in conditioning. In fact, in that short amount of time a 7 pound weight loss is pretty impressive.

[HairOnFire]

A new article from Sports Illustrated that quite frankly won't change anyones mind.

IT WAS a simple misunderstanding, in Andre Smith's mind. Admittedly out of shape and overweight after his junior season, the All-America left tackle from Alabama and 2008 Outland Trophy winner had decided he wouldn't do drills with other draft prospects at the NFL combine last month in Indianapolis, instead banking on the Crimson Tide's pro day 2 ½ weeks later to impress scouts. He told as much to the media and to teams with which he interviewed on the Friday of the combine, and the next morning boarded a plane to Atlanta.

Once in Georgia, Smith, 22, headed to Ropeman's Fitness, the gym where he works out under renowned trainer Ty (Ropeman) Felder. As the 6'4", 325-pound Smith prepared for his final set of sit-ups, a gym employee asked him about being AWOL—the term that combine organizers used back in Indy when announcing his absence from Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. Smith hadn't realized he was expected to remain at the combine until his fellow offensive linemen were done with their workouts.

His departure immediately provoked questions about his judgment and maturity, especially in light of his suspension from the 2009 Sugar Bowl, reportedly for issues related to improper contact with an agent, and his decision not to work out in Indy. "My reaction was, 'Wow,'" Smith says. "Then it was, 'Hmmm.' I was a little surprised."

Over the next few weeks Smith trained seven days a week, including three times daily from Monday through Saturday. He split his time among Felder for conditioning, 13-year NFL offensive lineman Tony Jones for position drills and Olympic relay champion Chryste Gaines for speed work.

On March 11, pro day for 10 Alabama draft prospects, Smith pulled up to a side entrance at the football complex in Tuscaloosa in a black Cadillac Escalade ESV. He emerged wearing a sweat suit and a ready-to-go expression. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.

Inside the facility, more than 50 NFL coaches, scouts and execs looked on as Smith ran through a battery of drills. While he performed well in position and agility tests, he did only 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, broad-jumped 7'10" and had a vertical jump of 25 inches. His 40-yard-dash time was around 5.3. None of those numbers would have placed him among the top offensive tackles at the combine. Worse, though, he removed his shirt at his weigh-in and before running the 40. While that might not have been an issue for a sleek wideout, the look did not flatter Smith. "He never should have done that," says one scout. "The guy has an ugly body. There's no other way to say it."

That evening Smith described his workout as "outstanding." No one else would go that far. If the goal had been to change the tone of the conversation about his draft status, to repair the damage done by his walkout at the combine, Smith did not succeed, certainly not to the extent he'd wished. Now, as NFL decision-makers prepare for the April 25--26 draft, they must reconcile Smith's three years as a starter at a top college program, the last as reputedly the best lineman in the country, with what's transpired since then. Which images will sway them more: the game tapes of Smith dominating SEC opposition, or the footage of him running the 40 with his shirt off?

SMITH'S COLLEGIATE success is best reflected in his sack totals: Over three seasons he allowed only seven. And it's not as if he played against inferior competition. The SEC had five defensive ends drafted in the first two rounds in 2007 and '08: Derrick Harvey, Quentin Groves, Jamaal Anderson, Jarvis Moss and Turk McBride. In an October matchup against Tennessee's defense—anchored by end Robert Ayers, who could be a high-round pick in this year's draft—Alabama put up 366 yards of offense, including 178 rushing, in a 29--9 victory. Ayers did get a hit on Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson, but Smith says he pulled up on the play because he thought Ayers had jumped the snap. When no offside flag was thrown, he barked at Ayers and told him what was to come. Says Smith, "He had a target on him for the remainder of the game."

Said Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban of Smith after that performance, "It is unusual to see a guy that size who has that balance and body control. You never see him falling down, never see him off balance, and he's got a lot of power. You might see a powerful guy, but he's clumsy. And then you have all the guys who have great feet but no power. You don't get that rare combination of a guy who has all those things."

Several general managers scoffed at speculation that Smith could fall past the middle of the first round or out of it altogether. With Jason Smith of Baylor and Virginia's Eugene Monroe projected to be drafted in the top five, teams next in line that are looking for a tackle—including the Bengals (picking sixth), 49ers (10th) and Bills (11th)—will be plenty tempted by Alabama's Smith. "All I can say is that someone will get a steal if he does fall," says one coach whose team selects in the bottom half of the top 10. "I hope he's there when we're on the clock, because I know we'd take him."

There's an undistinguished history of teams redoing their draft boards after watching workout warriors in shorts. Never mind that such players sometimes fail to live up to expectations once the pads are on; or that players who didn't test well (Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, Jeff Saturday) starred once in uniform.

Smith could well fall into the latter category. He has a disarming smile and a quick wit off the field, but on it he's a mauler with functional strength, the long arms to keep pass rushers at bay and the agility to get to the second level and take on linebackers. Joe Pendry, a former NFL assistant who was Smith's position coach the past two seasons, raved about Smith on pro day, citing his work ethic, leadership and tenacity. Pendry told one scout that Smith may have more upside than Redskins Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels.

Even so, there is Smith's youth and inexperience to consider. He grew up in Birmingham, attended college an hour's drive away in Tuscaloosa and rarely traveled beyond those points except with the team. While dining on seafood gumbo, shrimp ceviche and surf-and-turf sushi rolls last week at Chuck's Fish, a popular restaurant on the outskirts of campus, he asked a California native if the state is really as cool as he had heard.

He has a naiveté about him that teams could find charming ... or alarming, considering the money he would command as a high first-round pick. Fame and fortune are known magnets for opportunists, and privately some teams wonder how long it will take Smith to learn life's lessons—and whether those lessons would be as painful for the team that picks him as they might be for him. Smith is universally regarded as a good kid, but he raised another red flag at his pro day when his guests included 30 family members, three trainers, a publicist and his agent.

"That's as much a problem as anything," says one G.M. picking in the top 10. "Nobody's questioning the guy's character; I haven't heard anybody say this guy is a jerk. But he's got to take charge, because once he gets drafted, these people aren't going to magically disappear. He needs to take hold of his life."

Smith comes from a strong family. He grew up in church on Sundays and had biblical proverbs instilled in him by his mother the rest of the week. He doesn't flinch at the shots being taken at him. He has never felt overmatched on the football field and doesn't expect that to change once he's drafted. "I want to be the best offensive lineman to ever play football, to ever strap them on," he says. "I feel like I can be the best. It's bold, but that's how I feel. I'm not being cocky or arrogant. It's just how I feel about myself."

The goal for him is to convince others to feel the same way.

[COB]

In Short----- LAZY=CHARACTER RISK

Are we hiring him to stack boxes in a warehouse or play football? Because if he's lazy then the defensive tackles and ends in the SEC don't ever want to see another lazy player. A 22 year old kid lost interest in football after he got effectively kicked off the team for trying to plan his future. So what?

Within the structure of a team, within the organized team activities that a major college football program set forth, Andre Smith excelled.

Like a lot of immature young men he needs structure. Alabama gave it to him and he responded very well. Whoever drafts him will give him that structure and I have no doubt he will respond very well again.

His statements about looking forward to the money don't bother me. They're all looking forward to the money. Andre Smith is just naive and immature. He apparently lacks the duplicity to put on a bulls**t face and say, "I'm not worried about money, the money will come. I just love football."

The most encouraging factor in his history is that he excelled under two very different coaching staffs. I get it that he could bust. But so could anyone, and I just don't see the real risk factors in him - drug use, criminal activity, gangster friends, or huge ego.

I also get it that you don't think we can afford ANY risk. But damn, this kid's upside is huge. If we hit, we've scored in a big way.

Off topic: Not to threadjack, but I just sent Chad a gift certificate for skiing lessons at Mont Tremblant in Quebec.

[HAPPYJAQ]

A first round pick is far more consequential than a 2nd or 3rd round pick and the Bengals simply cannot gamble on the 6th pick overall, regardless of his talent.

So which prospect likely to be available at #6 isn't a gamble? The reason I'm asking is because you've pimped Oher, Maybin, Brown, and a few others that don't exactly strike me as sure things.

I was hoping for a major about-face at his Pro Day, but......

That's on you. Due to how early Alabama schedules it's Pro Day Smith's workout was barely two weeks after the combine, and that simply isn't enough time for a player to achieve a "major about-face" in conditioning. In fact, in that short amount of time a 7 pound weight loss is pretty impressive.

I've pimped those guys because I know that, no matter who the pick is, he likely won't have the type of impact in year 1 that some of the others projected to be drafted in the Top 4 will. That said, it's easy to think that Maybin, Brown and even Oher have a higher upside that either. All things being equal, I would hope to think that the Bengals would place a higher value of a pash rusher that can impact games immediately than a rookie that not only be changing positions but adjusting to NFL game speed at the same time, in year 1. Outside of that, I think that either Whit or Collins would do a fine job at RT and if the decision is to move Whit, I think we've got an up-and-coming player ready to step in for him in Nate Livings. Even if Livings is not the answer, it's much easier to find a quality G later in the draft than a quality OT, which could free up the 1st pick to take the best player the team feels will make ithe greatest impact right away. I'm just unsure that the player is Andre Smith, especially if we're all in agreement that he's not an NFL LT.

I don't downgrade Smith as much of his lack of conditioning as some other parts of his Pro Day. Nobody expected him to run a 4.9 or look like Hercules topless, but again, it looked like he was unprepared. None of his numbers even rated with the Top 10 players at his position at the Combine. Basically, he's an average athlete with great feet and a pretty decent resume (depending on how you look at past Outland winners, but I'll save that for a different post). On the negative, he's a major question mark in regard to his conditioning and work ethic and even more concerning is the fact the jury is still out on how much he actually loves the game of football. I'd be interested in Andre Smith, but I don't see him as a Top 6 pick. To be fair, there are questions about many of the top picks this draft, but none to the point that they could go in a wide variance of slots in the draft, like Andre might. I've read anywhere from #2 overall to realistically the 2nd round on him and that's pretty alarming, considering all of his issues are all football related.

[HairOnFire]

I've pimped those guys because.....

I'm not trying to pull your beard about who you like or who you don't. But let's be real for a moment because each of the guys you've pimped at one point or another, along with a dozen others I didn't bother mentioning, all come with a certain amount of risk, from personality tweaks to concerns about how well they can make a position switch.

I'm just unsure that the player is Andre Smith, especially if we're all in agreement that he's not an NFL LT.

I've always looked at Smith as a ORT prospect, but there are plenty of NFL types that still consider Smith to be the very best OLT prospect in the draft. How the Bengals see him is anyones guess, but I can't seem to forget their biggest gaping hole on their roster is at ORT. So if needs trumps all Smith has to be considered at #6. Best, he belongs in the BPA discussion as well.

To be fair, there are questions about many of the top picks this draft, but none to the point that they could go in a wide variance of slots in the draft, like Andre might.

Not accurate. Plenty of prospects, including Oher, Maybin, Wells, Moreno, Maualuga, Brown, and Maclin have been projected to fall anywhere from #6 to the the late 20's. And there's the rub because projections aren't made using a hard and fast ranking of the prospects. Rather, people attempt to project which top prospects best fit the needs of teams, and a player projected to go in one slot might easily fall a dozen slots or more simply because he was passed over by a single team.

....even more concerning is the fact the jury is still out on how much he actually loves the game of football.

Do they have a test for that?

[derekshank]

To be fair, there are questions about many of the top picks this draft, but none to the point that they could go in a wide variance of slots in the draft, like Andre might.

Not accurate. Plenty of prospects, including Oher, Maybin, Wells, Moreno, Maualuga, Brown, and Maclin have been projected to fall anywhere from #6 to the the late 20's. And there's the rub because projections aren't made using a hard and fast ranking of the prospects. Rather, people attempt to project which top prospects best fit the needs of teams, and a player projected to go in one slot might easily fall a dozen slots or more simply because he was passed over by a single team.

Yep. Remember when The Dolphins passed on Aaron Rodgers at #2, and he then didn't get drafted until #24. A good 14 picks later than any mock draft that could be found.

[James_Brooks21]

Could someone please go on www.nfl.com and interpret this trade that Steve Wyche has proclaimed that we might make with Philly. I interpret it that we will trade Chad Johnson and they would get our sixth pick and we would move back to their 28th pick and get a later round selection in the trade. If that is not the dumbest all time trade scenario that I have ever heard in my life, hopefully I'm interpreting it wrong because if that's what he is saying he loses all cred with me for even thinking that's how that trade would go down. The Bengals will trade their best receiver to move 22 places back in the draft and pick up an extra pick in the late rounds. He did put may sound crazy before he started talking about the trade but he should have put I might have been high when I wrote this.

[TJJackson]

link please

[Whur CHad At?]

link please

not hard to type www.nfl.com

or is it?

[Kazkal]

Went to nfl.com didn't see anything about it

[Kazkal]

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d...mp;confirm=true

There also is a lot of trade talk heating up. Philadelphia supposedly wants to move into the top 15 -- it might have to move higher -- to get an offensive tackle. Cleveland has two quarterbacks (Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson) with trade value, which is a nice position to be in since so many teams need one. There's also the Julius Peppers-to-New England possibility, which shouldn't be dismissed since anything is possible this time of year.

21.Eagles

The Eagles might have to reach for Connecticut OT William Beatty, but I don't expect them to sit tight. They will either move up or trade down to take an offensive tackle. This pick also could be used to acquire a veteran wide receiver (Chad Johnson, Braylon Edwards) in a deal. If the Eagles somehow keep this pick, Moreno could give them a younger version of Brian Westbrook.

[Whur CHad At?]

Trade Chad for their Late 1st.

Draft:

1a.Michael Crabtree

1b.Alex Mack

2. Jamon Meredith

[Kazkal]

Or

1a.)Rey Maualuga

1b.)Alex Mack

2.)Connor Barwin or top Passrushing end available

3.)Fenuki Tupou

Improving Defense -

Improving Offense line -

Getting out of pass happy offense -

Let's go win some championships

[Whur CHad At?]

Or

1a.)Rey Maualuga

1b.)Alex Mack

2.)Connor Barwin or top Passrushing end available

3.)Fenuki Tupou

Improving Defense -Check

Improving Offense line -Check

Getting out of pass happy offense - Check

Let's go win some championships

I know I was kidding.

[TJJackson]

link please

not hard to type www.nfl.com

or is it?

No, what is hard (for you at least) is to understand that nfl.com is a very large website, and so I was asking for a link to the specific story in question

I'm not sure I can explain it any more simply for you. Perhaps your mommy can read the post and then, while holding your hand, use smaller words or draw pictures to help you?

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d...mp;confirm=true

Thanks....that's what I was looking for

and now that I have that......

Could someone please.....interpret this trade that Steve Wyche has proclaimed that we might make with Philly. I interpret it that we will trade Chad Johnson and they would get our sixth pick and we would move back to their 28th pick and get a later round selection in the trade. If that is not the dumbest all time trade scenario that I have ever heard in my life, hopefully I'm interpreting it wrong

Yes, you've interpreted it wrongly.

[Whur CHad At?]

Oh goodness that website is too big for the big bad tj jackson. Is it all the big words or what

[TJJackson]

Well, if you weren't stupid beyond words, you'd understand that:

1) a member asked for some help based on something they had read on another website

2) to best answer such a question, it was useful to actually read the material he was questioning

3) the asker of the question knew exactly where the info was, having already read it

4) I had not read it, and would therefore have to search for it

5) the onus is on the asker of the question to provide the basis. Not on the one answering.

Have your mama explain all this to you when the drugs begin to wear off

[Kazkal]

Oh goodness that website is too big for the big bad tj jackson. Is it all the big words or what

Well it's not like the article was on the front page,Had to do search search on the author and then sit there and search 5 or 6 different articles till I found it on his mock draft...So would have been easier for original person ust to link it since they already had it =P

[James_Brooks21]

Oh goodness that website is too big for the big bad tj jackson. Is it all the big words or what

Well it's not like the article was on the front page,Had to do search search on the author and then sit there and search 5 or 6 different articles till I found it on his mock draft...So would have been easier for original person ust to link it since they already had it =P

The article was on the front page and is still on the front page, I told you it was Steve Wyche who is right on the front page with the word a whole new mock. It's not a big deal though, I'm not trying to argue or anything at least you took the time to look at the article for me.

[Kazkal]

Oh goodness that website is too big for the big bad tj jackson. Is it all the big words or what

Well it's not like the article was on the front page,Had to do search search on the author and then sit there and search 5 or 6 different articles till I found it on his mock draft...So would have been easier for original person ust to link it since they already had it =P

The article was on the front page and is still on the front page, I told you it was Steve Wyche who is right on the front page with the word a whole new mock. It's not a big deal though, I'm not trying to argue or anything at least you took the time to look at the article for me.

James it's no biggy my comment wasn't aimed at you but whur making a big deal about TJ asking for it.