My Dream Bengals Draft Day 1

[BlackJesus]

The Dream Scenario ......

Round 1

Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan

Height: 6-3,

Weight: 339

Reps: 36

40-yard dash: 5.10

Round 2

Leonard Pope , TE, Georgia

Height: 6-7

Weight: 250

40-yard dash: 4.62

Vertical jump: 37 in

Round 3

Mark Anderson, DE, Alabama

Height: 6-3

Weight: 254

40-yard dash: 4.61

Vertical jump: 42 in

3-cone drill: 6.95

........

[Kochman]

Nice BJ what would you do if the draft fell like that?

[TJJackson]

...and are you drafting the teacher with the woody in r4?

[NJ29]

To me, that is nowhere near an ideal draft for the Bengals.

Gabe Watson is a waste of space. He sits in the middle, gets no penetration on passing downs, and because he stands straight up at the snap, he gets pushed into the backfield on the goal line. In short, he sucks.

Leonard Pope is a great TE, but the only time we use a tight end is on the goal line as a blocker. We have other areas where we NEED help, like DE, CB and S. Pope would be a great addition, but our equivelant of aa receiving tight end is the combo of Tab Perry, Chris Henry, Kevin Walter and Kelley Washington.

Mark Anderson, okay, that's a good one. But a nice 3rd round pick don't make a draft.

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it seems that you are more attracted to names and 'potentional' than production in both free agency and the draft.

[DuffMan]

I'll take a stab (This is assuming the Bengals make a splash in FA by signing a DT (Adams, Pickett) and a starting S (Jackson, Milloy, Demps)....BIG assumption I know):

Round 1

Jimmy Williams CB/S Virginia Tech:

I hope Mel Kiper actually gets something right and this guy really falls to us. Addresses two needs in CB and S and could make a contribution at either position. Whitner or Cromartie are also possibilities.

Round 2

Anthony Fasano TE Notre Dame:

The most complete TE available who excels at being an all-around player. Probably the most dominant blocker at TE in the draft, which makes him that much more appealing to the Bengals. Other options include Dominique Byrd or Merceded Lewis, but Fasano fits what the Bengals are looking for on offense.

Round 3

Stanley McClover DE/OLB Auburn:

At 6-3 255 might be a little slight for starting DE right now, but could contribute as a situational pass rusher this season. With all the DEs that have been having good combines this kid might drop because he plays faster than he times. Other options are Mark Anderson, Darly Tapp, and Chris Gocong at DE and/or OLB.

The rest of the draft I'd be looking for depth at OL, DB, WR, and DL.

[Kochman]

...and are you drafting the teacher with the woody in r4?

Yea he wants him to fill the holes on the D.

[NJ29]

I'll take a stab (This is assuming the Bengals make a splash in FA by signing a DT (Adams, Pickett) and a starting S (Jackson, Milloy, Demps)....BIG assumption I know):

Round 1

Jimmy Williams CB/S Virginia Tech:

I hope Mel Kiper actually gets something right and this guy really falls to us. Addresses two needs in CB and S and could make a contribution at either position. Whitner or Cromartie are also possibilities.

Round 2

Anthony Fasano TE Notre Dame:

The most complete TE available who excels at being an all-around player. Probably the most dominant blocker at TE in the draft, which makes him that much more appealing to the Bengals. Other options include Dominique Byrd or Merceded Lewis, but Fasano fits what the Bengals are looking for on offense.

Round 3

Stanley McClover DE/OLB Auburn:

At 6-3 255 might be a little slight for starting DE right now, but could contribute as a situational pass rusher this season. With all the DEs that have been having good combines this kid might drop because he plays faster than he times. Other options are Mark Anderson, Darly Tapp, and Chris Gocong at DE and/or OLB.

The rest of the draft I'd be looking for depth at OL, DB, WR, and DL.

DuffMan, that is a GREAT draft. I'm not sure Jimmy will be there, but we would almost be forced to take him if he was.

[BTG]

I'd like to address the statement that the Bengals don't need a tight end. That's rubbish, in my humble opinion. Imagine how much better the offense would be with a legit threat roaming the middle of the field. A good tight end would stretch the field vertically and keep the safeties honest which would free up Chad, TJ, and Chris Henry (if he's not in jail) on the outside. It would take the offense to the next level.

Heck, imagine for a minute having Leonard Pope in the offense. He's what, 6'7" and a three quarters and runs a 4.6-something 40? So we're talking about a guy that big who runs faster than most linebackers, right? In otherwords, a linebacker wouldn't be able to cover him one on one, so they'd need a safety to do it. But wait, most of the safeties in the league are about 6 foot tall, right? Do you see where I'm going with this?

Anyway, if they don't sign a safety before the draft, I'd like to see them go with Whitner in the first. He'd be the perfect compliment to Madieu. However, if he's gone (or if they sign a safety), they should look for a DT, preferable Brodrick Bunkley. If Bunkley will be gone or they sign a DT, they should take Pope. That's a fantastic pick at that spot in the draft.

In the second, they could take one of the many safeties who should be left (ie: Ko Simpson, Daniel Bullocks, Jason Allen, Darnell Bing). Again, if they already signed a safety or landed Whitner, they should look for a DT here. Claude Wroten would look good, as would Rodrique Wright. Assuming DT and S have been taken care of, a tight end like Marcedes Lewis or Anthony Fasano would be a logical pick. But, if they already took Pope, they should look for a corner or defensive end. Regarding corners, I really like Richard Marshall, Kelly Jennings, & Jonathan Joseph and they should all be available here. As far as defensive ends go, I like Ray Edwards (Purdue), or Manny Lawson (NCST) at this spot.

Still with me?

For the third round, assuming they've signed both a DT and a S, & then drafted Pope and one of the corners, I'd like to see them look for a defensive end. Stanley McClover (Auburn) should still be available at this spot along with Parys Haralson (Tenn) and Eric Henderson (GT). If they took a DE in the second, I'd like to see them look at Darrell Hunter (Miami of Ohio), Will Blackmon (BC), and Tim Jennings (UGA). All three of them should still be on the board and all three of them have very good speed (Jennings ran something like a 4.35 at the combine) and all the DB skills you could ask for. If properly coached, any one of them could really turn into a fine player within two or three years. If they don't have a TE yet, they could go with Joe Klopfenstein (Colorado) or Tony Scheffler (Western Michigan).

So, here are the drafts I'd like to see.

F/A SIGNED: DT/S

1. Leonard Pope - TE - UGA

2. Richard Marshall - CB - Fresno State

3. Stanley McClover - DE - Auburn

F/A SIGNED: DT

1. Donte Whitner - S - OSU

2. Marcedes Lewis - TE - UCLA

3. Darrell Hunter - CB - Miami (OH)

F/A SIGNED: S

1. Brodrick Bunkley - DT - Florida State

2. Marcedes Lewis - TE - UCLA

3. Darrell Hunter - CB - Miami (OH)

F/A SIGNED: NONE

1. Donte Whitner - S - OSU

2. Claude Wroten - DT - LSU

3. Joe Klopfenstein - TE - Colorado

[Whur CHad At?]

Rather see Ko Simpson than Whitner...

[BTG]

Rather see Ko Simpson than Whitner...

I like Simpson, but not in the first round. He misses too many tackles and will need some serious coaching to be a good safety in the league.

[Whur CHad At?]

Rather see Ko Simpson than Whitner...

I like Simpson, but not in the first round. He misses too many tackles and will need some serious coaching to be a good safety in the league.

I dissagree, Simpson can come right in and start. He had over 100 tackles last year, so he really doesn't miss that many. He is like a dead-on resemblence of Ed Reed when he was in College. He will be a very good player.

[2ndyearBengal]

BTG.. right on. I'm with you all the way.

[Stripes]

...and are you drafting the teacher with the woody in r4?

Yea he wants him to fill the holes on the D.

BTG writes...

I'd like to address the statement that the Bengals don't need a tight end. That's rubbish, in my humble opinion. Imagine how much better the offense would be with a legit threat roaming the middle of the field. A good tight end would stretch the field vertically and keep the safeties honest which would free up Chad, TJ, and Chris Henry (if he's not in jail) on the outside. It would take the offense to the next level.

Heck, imagine for a minute having Leonard Pope in the offense. He's what, 6'7" and a three quarters and runs a 4.6-something 40? So we're talking about a guy that big who runs faster than most linebackers, right? In otherwords, a linebacker wouldn't be able to cover him one on one, so they'd need a safety to do it. But wait, most of the safeties in the league are about 6 foot tall, right? Do you see where I'm going with this?

Great post BTG... Some thoughts on the tight end situation...

I agree with everything you mentioned. The only uncertainty is with Pope, who's blocking skills have been brought into question... Granted, Pope is a strong man and his blocking could always be improved. We will probably have Reggie Kelly, who in my opinion is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league... Still, we don't want to start tipping off any plays.

All in all, worrying about something like tipping plays seems a bit foolish when considering the benefits that could be had with a player of Pope's physical attributes... If we land him in round one (assuming better prospects on defense are off the board and he is gone by the 55th pick) I'd be a happy camper.

[Kazkal]

Reggie kelly isen't a TE though he's the 6th linemen might as well line up levi @ TE