I have no clue who the Bengals are going to pick

[walzav29]

I know Marvin picks the best player available. A guy like Gabe Watson, Pope, or any other need could be taken in the 2nd round. If Marvin goes by the best player available, I wonder what he would do if CHad Jackson is there at 24. I say they need defense, but if it's the bpa then I'd wonder what the Godfather would do. It' going to be fun.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

If Chad Jackson is there at 24, I hope we take him. Dude is going to be the best WR in the draft this year, hands down.

[walzav29]

I guess you can't complain if they take him. It doesn't make sense to take a 2nd rnd talent with a 1st rnd pick.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

I guess you can't complain if they take him. It doesn't make sense to take a 2nd rnd talent with a 1st rnd pick.

Chad Jackson is not second round talent. He's the fastest receiver in the draft, with potentially the best hands in the draft. He runs crisp routes, and he'd look great in stripes.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I guess you can't complain if they take him. It doesn't make sense to take a 2nd rnd talent with a 1st rnd pick.

Chad Jackson is not second round talent. He's the fastest receiver in the draft, with potentially the best hands in the draft. He runs crisp routes, and he'd look great in stripes.

I don't think you pick a guy in the first round who basically has no chance of starting for the next 5 years. Even the Perry pick wasn't that dumb, since Rudi had only had 3/4 of a good year and had free agency looming.

In any event, I doubt *seriously* that, when picking at 24, there is anyone left on the board who is miles ahead of the next-best guy who will actually get on the field for your team.

If Marvin takes a WR with the first pick, I hereby rescind his "Jesus" card.

We need somebody who will help us *not* give up 30 points a game next year.

[cover2]

We don't need a WR in the first round. We need defense end of story. Lets try to shut teams down for change. We have plenty of Offense. Lets kick some ass for a change.... and we will need to kick ass with

Pittsburgh breathing down our throats. People seem to forget with a good defense your Offense get the ball

more.....simple as that. I just hope somewhere we find a guy who can replace Rudy....if we have to depend on Perry to do Rudys job???????????????????????

[ArmyBengal]

Ok, I'll play this game... No we don't need a WR and would be pissed if we took one in the 1st. However, "if" Marvin decided to pick Jackson "if" he were there at #24, he would definitely be the #3 if Henry isn't back. I don't see how you can say he won't start for the next 5 years. He would be what Henry was to us and would do very well. Once again, I don't want to see this happen...

WHODEY !!!

[DesperateDerelict]

BPA does NOT equal Best Football Player . . . it means the Best Player that fits into ML's schemes, and can help the Bengal's now AND in the future. It also means the best player that is measurably better than someone who can be obtained in the next round.

Although the Bengal's have show a great affinity for WR, I can't see them using more first round money on the position. I beleive the same argument can apply to QB and RB. With the depth at TE and LB this year, I don't believe we can get someone at pick #24 that will be THAT much better than those available in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

By process of elimination, I see us grabbing in the 1st round the best future-Bengal available among the OL, DL, and DB positions.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if we grabbed an offensive lineman - McNeil, Justice, Jean-Gilles, or Mangold. You are NOT likely to find that kind of caliber in the 2nd round, or next year with pick #32!

[kingwilly]

I agree about the talent level for the OL...at the combine, the fall-off was very appreciable from top guys to the next tier guys.

I think that concerns on D override any need for OL, in the first, though...Of the top DT's (from Bunkley, Watson, Wroten, Wright, etc) to the top DE's (Hali, Kiwi, Dumervil, Wimbley, Tapp) a disservice would be done by not addressing the biggest, most glaring thing that has held this team back...run D and outside pass pressure. To this end i see them going for a monster off the edge, ie Kiwi.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Ok, I'll play this game... No we don't need a WR and would be pissed if we took one in the 1st. However, "if" Marvin decided to pick Jackson "if" he were there at #24, he would definitely be the #3 if Henry isn't back. I don't see how you can say he won't start for the next 5 years. He would be what Henry was to us and would do very well. Once again, I don't want to see this happen...

WHODEY !!!

I see TJ and Chad being here for quite some time. I should be more specific, I'm not counting the #3 receiver as a "starter." In any event, it wouldn't kill them to draft some "idiot insurance" for Henry, just not with the first pick.

Of course, they could always draft Jackson and convert him to safety.

[DesperateDerelict]

I agree about the talent level for the OL...at the combine, the fall-off was very appreciable from top guys to the next tier guys.

I think that concerns on D override any need for OL, in the first, though...Of the top DT's (from Bunkley, Watson, Wroten, Wright, etc) to the top DE's (Hali, Kiwi, Dumervil, Wimbley, Tapp) a disservice would be done by not addressing the biggest, most glaring thing that has held this team back...run D and outside pass pressure. To this end i see them going for a monster off the edge, ie Kiwi.

King - Although I would be overjoyed with Kiwi, I don't believe they will pick him UNLESS they feel confident they can light a fire under his a$$. Historically, Marvin's preferred high motor guys over more highly touted athletes who take plays off.

Our defensive problems haven't been from giving up 4 - 5 yards a play, but from giving up 12 - 15 yards every 3rd play. I don't think Kiwi, Wright, or Watson will be very high on their draft board.

[BengalChamps]

We dont need a WR in R1 but you cant pass on this kind of talent. Best bet might be to trade down a spot or two while your on the clock. Let someone else have him and pay for the right to take him.

[Jet23]

If Chad Jackson is there at 24, I hope we take him. Dude is going to be the best WR in the draft this year, hands down.

What, are you Matt Millen? With the uncertainty of Carson, our only chance to stay in the hunt is to shut people down. They need a defensive impact player. Unless of course Vernon Davis slides. That guy is just a freak.

[WretchedOne]

Teams who talk about BPA are blowing smoke, there is really nothing to "BPA" except it makes Coaches and GMs sound cooler when the draft comes around. "We took the BPA, blah, blah, blah."

When it gets down to brass tax, every player drafted by whichever team fills a hole at a PON (position of need).

If you'd like a team who drafts based on BPA, look no further than the Detriot Lions...3 1st round WRs in 3 years?....That is what happenes when you strictly go on BPA.

Most teams go for the BPA and their teams PONs.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

If Chad Jackson is there at 24, I hope we take him. Dude is going to be the best WR in the draft this year, hands down.

What, are you Matt Millen? With the uncertainty of Carson, our only chance to stay in the hunt is to shut people down. They need a defensive impact player. Unless of course Vernon Davis slides. That guy is just a freak.

If our only chance to stay in the hunt is to shut people down, we are totally freaking screwed. Unless of course we draft only defensive first round picks in every round. Our defense is several drafts away from shutting people down. Our chance is to be the best offensive team in the league, and get up on people to slow them down.

Jackson keeps Johnson from being a problem if he does decide to hold out. Jackson is there if Johnson gets injured, or TJ gets reinjured.

You say Vernon Davis. Hate to say it, but Davis isn't HALF the player Jackson is. Besides, we USE our 3rd and 4th receivers. We DO NOT use our tight ends.

[Jet23]

If Chad Jackson is there at 24, I hope we take him. Dude is going to be the best WR in the draft this year, hands down.

What, are you Matt Millen? With the uncertainty of Carson, our only chance to stay in the hunt is to shut people down. They need a defensive impact player. Unless of course Vernon Davis slides. That guy is just a freak.

If our only chance to stay in the hunt is to shut people down, we are totally freaking screwed. Unless of course we draft only defensive first round picks in every round. Our defense is several drafts away from shutting people down. Our chance is to be the best offensive team in the league, and get up on people to slow them down.

Jackson keeps Johnson from being a problem if he does decide to hold out. Jackson is there if Johnson gets injured, or TJ gets reinjured.

You say Vernon Davis. Hate to say it, but Davis isn't HALF the player Jackson is. Besides, we USE our 3rd and 4th receivers. We DO NOT use our tight ends.

I don't agree that the defense is several players away. You are overlooking the fact that guys like Odell, Pollack, Ratliff, Williams, Geathers, Askew, Smith, L. Johnson will all be better with another year under their belt. Don't forget, everyone was playing under a new coordinator last year as well. You give me an impact caliber DT and a big hitting Safety and they could be a top 10 defense. I think there is a better chance of that than expecting them to outscore everyone with a Doug Johnson, that doesn't even know the offense, at the helm.

Back to the chicken and the egg arguement. The Bengals do not throw to the tight ends, because they do not have tight ends. If they did, the offense could be even more explosive. They are not running the flipping Red Gun for crying out loud. Throwing to the TE is a huge weapon that they are missing out on. The Bengals have traditionally had great postion players, but how big was Dan Ross, ML Harris or Rodney Holman? They always seemed to find some balls for these guys.

And if Jackson is twice the player that Davis is than by all means, draft him. The problem is, he is not.

[Stripes]

Davis may very well be the most talented skill position player in the draft. Jackson is questionable to even be a first round pick.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

We need an impact DT, an impact DE, an impact SS, a second impact DT, and a second impact DE. Oh, and according to some, a cover corner.

As for using the tight end, are you saying Schobel can't catch? He can't catch because he's shocked when the ball comes his way. Our tight ends block, period. As for Ross, Holman, and Harris, correct me if I'm wrong, but gee, didn't they play in a totally different scheme? I don't believe the offense then had anything to do with what our offense is like now under Brat.

[turningpoint]

The bigger question is can we f**king sign the guy to play for us?

that will be one question that will enter the light starting may 1st.

[ArmyBengal]

We need an impact DT, an impact DE, an impact SS, a second impact DT, and a second impact DE. Oh, and according to some, a cover corner.

As for using the tight end, are you saying Schobel can't catch? He can't catch because he's shocked when the ball comes his way. Our tight ends block, period. As for Ross, Holman, and Harris, correct me if I'm wrong, but gee, didn't they play in a totally different scheme? I don't believe the offense then had anything to do with what our offense is like now under Brat.

Yes, we need all the positions you speak of, but believe with maybe the DT and SS you mention we could become a VERY solid defensive unit. Dominant ?? NO, but solid enough to crack top 10. As for Schobel, I don't think he's worth sh*t. It may be a differnet scheme then when the big name TE's were here in Cincy, but the whole idea of an all downs TE is being missed out on all together. That being said, do we need a TE in the 1st ?? In my opinion, NO. There will be something there in the 2nd or 3rd for that matter. We shall see...

WHODEY !!!

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

If our only chance to stay in the hunt is to shut people down, we are totally freaking screwed. Unless of course we draft only defensive first round picks in every round. Our defense is several drafts away from shutting people down. Our chance is to be the best offensive team in the league, and get up on people to slow them down.

Jackson keeps Johnson from being a problem if he does decide to hold out. Jackson is there if Johnson gets injured, or TJ gets reinjured.

1) The first round isn't where you buy insurance, that's too expensive.

2) Teams don't win championships by winning shootouts. Even the Colts and Rams only got good when their defenses were better.

3) No offensive player we could draft would improve the team as much as an impact defensive starter. The reason is there are only so many balls to go around. Want to get a new WR or a TE? Those catches come from TJ and CJ. If you get a new SS, he's making tackles that Ofansdfsdhkjhkjfsd would have missed. The value of a new defensive starter compared to the guy he knocks off the field is huge.

In other words, take defense in the first round. When you're scoring 30 pts/game already, there's only so much better you can get. See "law of diminishing returns."

[kingwilly]

I gotta agree with DC. But this goes beack to Shweiney's "Draft to your strength" philosophy...and that is just one approach.

First round absolutely needs to be D, maybe even r2 as well. This team is not "several drafts" away....we are 3 players away...DE, DT, and SS...and a bit of luck in the health department (Madieu)...add a nice FA in there and things suddenly gel.

Starting the season without Palmer, no matter who the QB is will put us behind the 8-ball. Better to have the D bolstered in the event we DON"T score 30/game. A new, shiny, fast WR is not going to make the impact that a Bunkley/Kiwi/Hill would....put down the glue and get some air outside.

[HoTbOy]

With all the players being released today and Adams saying he wants to come to Cincy, I do believe that the Bengals will get a DL in FA and draft Bing or Simpson if anyone of them is still there...

[BengalPappaw]

Back to the original statement -- NO ONE knows who the Bengals are going to pick in the draft-- not even the Bengals.

That is one of the prices we pay for getting good -- we draft so late in the round that it will be a guess right up to the last HOUR -- maybe minute.

BUT -- thats what makes the draft fun -- we all have our opinions and desires plus no one can be too wrong at this time.

There are so many things that could happen on draft day that I still hold out hope that Vernon Davis will slide to the Bengals

I just love this time of year -- when we can look at these players and try to imagine how much they will help improve the Bengals

It also provided me some football entertainment until it gets warm enough to take my tired bones onto the golf course!