Draft Expert Article

[Kirkendall]

From Bengals.com...

Defensive in draft?

12/30/2003 - 12-30-03, 7:15 p.m.

BY GEOFF HOBSON

Draft gurus are looking at their early first-round projections and predict the Bengals can land one of the NFL Draft’s top defensive players with the 17th pick on the weekend of April 24-25.

“There’s a good bet they can came out of it with the second best cornerback or maybe the top linebacker,” says Jerry Jones, editor of the draft guide The Drugstore List. “Every quarterback, tackle, running back and wide receiver that goes in front of them has to have them cheering.”

Some of the names bubbling at No. 17 are USC cornerback Will Poole, and South Carolina cornerback Dunta Robinson, as well as Miami linebackers D.J. Williams and Jon Vilma.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com, who compares the 6-foot, 225-poound Vilma to Cowboys star middle linebacker Dat Nguyen, says Vilma and the 6-1, 245-pound Williams are top ten picks before the juniors declare.

“They can both run like the wind. They can run down plays and chase the ball,” Brandt said.

Jones is rooting for offensive players – juniors and seniors – to come flying off the board so the Bengals can get the defender he feels they have to target. By No. 17, two quarterbacks, two offensive tackles, two wide receivers, a tight end if he declares officially, and at least one running back should be gone.

“And then you’re going to have that run on defensive linemen at about that point,” Jones says. “Late in the top ten and then it usually keeps going. That seems to be a recent trend that teams think that’s what you need and that’s the only time you can get them. For this year’s class of linemen, it all depends which underclassmen come out.”

And the run on defensive linemen always seems to drop a skilled player nobody thought would be sitting at, say, No. 17. Brandt and Jones think there could be such a tremendous wide receiver waiting that the Bengals or any other team couldn’t pass on him.

Roy Williams of Texas should be gone, but what if Wisconsin’s Lee Evans and Oklahoma State’s Rashaun Woods aren’t? Jones is convinced running back Corey Dillon is gone, but doesn’t think the Bengals will leap at a Chris Perry of Michigan early.

“You need a backup, but you can get a backup in the first day or early in the second day,” Jones says. “They’ve got too many pressing needs on defense to do that. Look at where they got Rudi Johnson. In the fourth round. They’re out there.”

While the Bengals’ coaches stay home next week to self-scout their offense and defense and evaluate their personnel, the scouting department heads to California to work the practices for the East-West Shrine Game. Both staffs meet two weeks later in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl.

[chrishcovga]

Who needs Mel " the Hair " Kiper , when you've already got a biased draft guru Bengals fan right here.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I don't know how to take that last statement there chris, but who really cares. You know I already think the draft is a farce. I hope I'm laughing with you.