BengalsZone Big Board '07

[HairOnFire]

Even though Curvey has had the far more productive college career than Okoye, Curvey most likely can't be what Okoye could be.

And there it is.

Everything else is just ranting. Okoye has the potential to be great, and that's exactly what a team is drafting.

Last, regardless of where Okoye is drafted...if he ends up busting I'm going to blame the coaching staff for messing up a near perfect prospect.

[HoosierCat]

Blazing 40 Time Olsen continues to burn up the board, moving into a tie with Darrelle Revis. No. 3 Leon Hall can't gain any traction. Lower down, the formerly upwardly Amobi(le) Okoye appears to have ignored the sage advice recounted by Arrowroot son of Arrowshirt during his quest for the kingship of Twodor: "Against the true king Sorhed's working/So play your cards close to your jerkin/Fortune strums a mournful tune/For those whose campaigns peak too soon." In other words, he's trending down toward the Bengals a bit. Houston and Beason continue to bubble up, but have a ways to go. The breakdown:

By Name:

TE Greg Olsen 15 (+1)

CB Darrelle Revis 15 (no change)

CB Leon Hall 13 (-1)

DT Amobi Okoye 8 (+1)

CB Chris Houston 7 (+2)

DE Adam Carriker 6 (+1)

LB Paul Posluszny 5 (no change)

DE Jarvis Moss 5 (no change)

LB Patrick Willis 5 (-2)

LB Jon Beason 3 (+1)

S Reggie Nelson 3 (+1)

LB Lawrence Timmons 3 (no change)

OT Levi Brown (+1)

DT Tank Tyler 2 (no change)

DE Quentin Moses 2 (no change)

By Position:

CB 36 (+2)

LB 19 (+1)

TE 15 (+1)

DE 14 (no change)

DT 11 (no change)

S 4 (no change)

OT 2 (+1)

[HairOnFire]

Kiper now has Leon Hall off the board at #18 and projects the Bengals take.....Jon Beason.

[Stripes]

Kiper now has Leon Hall off the board at #18 and projects the Bengals take.....Jon Beason.

I can name three linebackers I'd rather have in the first round.

[schweinhart]

Beason keeps bubbling but I'd rather see the Bengals pass on him and any other available LB in the 1st round. The only one I'd be halfway all right with would be Patrick Willis but they got to get better in the secondary 1st and foremost.

I saw old Helmet Head's list the other day on the ESPN and can't see the Bengals passing on a couple Gators if they fall past 18 in Jarvis Moss and Reggie Nelson.

If it's potential therir drafting, Moss has more than any other 1st round prospect in this draft with the possible exception of the FREAKBEAST Anderson.

[BengalPappaw]

Beason keeps bubbling but I'd rather see the Bengals pass on him and any other available LB in the 1st round. The only one I'd be halfway all right with would be Patrick Willis but they got to get better in the secondary 1st and foremost.

I saw old Helmet Head's list the other day on the ESPN and can't see the Bengals passing on a couple Gators if they fall past 18 in Jarvis Moss and Reggie Nelson.

If it's potential therir drafting, Moss has more than any other 1st round prospect in this draft with the possible exception of the FREAKBEAST Anderson.

I agree.

I'd be okay with Timmons, Willis or Moss. Moss has the most "potential".

But, I really like the things I see Timmons do on the field. With some good coaching I think he could be special.

Moss can also be special --

Lately, I believe there might be a chance that Anderson could slip to 18 -- OHHH -wouldn't that be nice!!!

[chrishcovga]

I know I know, I've been a long time, but hey it's what I do. Nice design on the Mock by the way, wonder where I've seen that before....

Ok so here's my wish list.

First Round..

(Defensive line - Omobi Okoye - there really isn't another d-lineman that intrigues me enough to put a first round grade on.

Defensive backs - Leon Hall, Chris Houston, are my corners for the first round. Guys like Revis,McCauley, and Ross appear to be more second round talent. And only McCauley shows the coverage skills that Jonathan Joseph showed last year.

---- The Safeties---- I really like Reggie Nelson and Brandon Merrieweather. I don't care about the Fight Merriweather was involved in against FAMU last year. He was defending a teammate, and everyone takes it too far. A trade down is still possible to land either one of these guys.

---Linebackers---- Everyone and they grandmama' loves Patrick Willis. He's a great athlete and a superb football player. Lawrence Timmons is a gifted athlete but they say he's a cover 2 linebacker, like a Derrick Brooks. Brooks is a great linebacker, if Timmons is the next great one, it shouldn't matter what defense a team plays. or should it..??? Beason is fine, but at the bottom of the first round or top of the second.

Ok so here's what I hope happens.

At ( 18 ) a Leon Hall, Omobi Okoye, or a Patrick Willis falls to us. If that doesn't happen, then we need to trade down to secure an additional pick for the second or third round. The Falcons have 2 second round picks. 39 and 44. and in my dream world, they trade both for our # 18.

Tampa Bay has 35 and 63, which could garner a later round pick to = to our # 18. But historically the Bucs don't move around a lot.

Ok so here's my wish list.

The Falcons take Laron Landry at 8, and trade with us to land Jamaal Anderson or Adam Carriker at 18.

In exchange we get the 39th pick and take...

Brandon Merriweather. - I love players from the U. especially their defensive players. Merriweather not only can play safety, but has the wheels and hips to play cornerback as well.

With the 44th pick, the Cincinnati Bengals select CB Marcus McCauley, Fresno St. He's got good size,speed and good coverage skills, and has better hands than Jonathan Joseph. Aaron Ross is a possibility here as well.

The 49th pick is either used to take Tank Tyler or Quinn Pitcock ot traded down to get a third rounder. Pitcock could easily fall to the 3rd round as there is little talk about him at all. Quentin Moses or Charles Johnson would be tempting as well because of the future of Justin Smith.

Ok so here's my wish list of things to happen.

If no Change in the status Quo.

18 - Reggie Nelson/ Leon Hall / Chris Houston

49 - Brandon Merriweather / David Harris / Eric Weddle

If there is a trade..

39 - Brandon Merriweather / Jon Beason

44 - Marcus McCauley / David Harris / Tank Tyler

49 - Quinn Pitcock / Justin Harrell.... If there is a trade with this pick

- a third rounder used to get

Ben Patrick Te, Delaware

. Hey that's why they call it a wish list right...

[HairOnFire]

If it's potential therir drafting, Moss has more than any other 1st round prospect in this draft with the possible exception of the FREAKBEAST Anderson.

Anybody else catch what Mike Mayoch said about the Freakbeast the other day? He claimed that he had spoken to front office reps from quite a few NFL teams who don't even have him ranked as a 1st day prospect while admitting several other teams see him as a top 10 pick.

The difference in opinion is based on opinions about how much weight Anderson can carry and be effective. According to Mayoch some teams see Anderson as a 285/290 lb. player with a rare size and speed package. Other teams see a puffed up player who had poor stamina playing at a higher weight and one who made very few plays when facing better competition. Those teams that feel Anderson is a more natural 265/270 pound DE feel he'd be a far more effective NFL player at that size, but there's the rub as a smaller version of Anderson suddenly loses all of it's freakishness.

Mayoch ended his rant by predicting Anderson would be drafted early in the 1st round by one of the teams that sees something special but repeated his claim that Anderson is increasingly viewed as a boom-or-bust type who isn't on the 1st day draft boards of several other teams.

[schweinhart]

It'd be hard for the Bengals to pass on the FREAKBEAST at 18. Granted, he only got a 2nd round evaluation from the NFL's draft committee and he racked up his share of sacks up against TE's when the Razorbacks used a 5 man D-line front but he's got the burst and the moves and there's too much of him there not to get stronger. Going from WR size to what he is now in just a couple years, there's no reason to think he won't be more able at close to 300 with the frame he's got and both 3-4 and 4-3 teams got to be eyeballing him hard. There's more upside potential with him than there is with Okoye, who Mayock had as a 2nd rounder at the start of Senior Bowl week. A freak like Anderson don't come around too often.

Timmons is definitely another freak but he got hurt by being not as big as he looked lined up next to Buster Davis. His best game is attacking off the edge but 4-3 teams might be harder pressed to look at him as a strongside player who could double in the nickel. I'd guess that a 3-4 team would be more willing to roll with him on the outside.

Good to see the Guru back in commission. I'd say the Bucs deal this year for another 1st rounder. They almost have to with the antiques they got on the field. The Pats probably will too with their active offseason so far and move up with their 2 1st rounders.

[HoosierCat]

Just as DT dominated the early going, the corner spot is hogging all the action as we move into the final few weeks before the draft. Leon Hall and Darrelle Revis are tied for the lead with 15 votes each, while Chris Houston breaks into third place, and double-digit votes, with 10. Blazing 40 Time Olsen falls to second with 13 nods. Not much movement in the lower ranks, but with "Bubbler" Jon Beason apparently running out of air, the Big Board would like to welcome this week's newest "bubbler" candidate, Tennessee defensive tackle Justin Harrell, who's been a second-round stalwart all year. Harrell appears to be benefiting from Alan Branch's fall from grace and is making his bid to replace him as the No. 2 DT behind Upwardly Amobile Okoye. The breakdown:

By Name:

CB Leon Hall 15 (+2)

CB Darrelle Revis 15 (no change)

TE Greg Olsen 13 (-2)

CB Chris Houston 10 (+3)

DE Adam Carriker 7 (+1)

DT Amobi Okoye 7 (-1)

LB Paul Posluszny 5 (no change)

LB Lawrence Timmons 4 (+1)

DE Jarvis Moss 4 (-1)

S Reggie Nelson 3 (no change)

LB Patrick Willis 3 (-2)

DT Justin Harrell 2 (+2)

DT Alan Branch 2 (+1)

DE Charles Johnson 2 (no change)

DE Quentin Moses 2 (no change)

LB Jon Beason 2 (-2)

By Position:

CB 40 (+4)

DE 16 (+2)

LB 14 (-5)

DT 13 (+2)

TE 13 (-2)

S 5 (+1)

OT 1 (-1)

OG 1 (+1)

[HoosierCat]

Notable addenda: there were a flurry of updates Monday evening through today. Mostly a lot of "cancel each other out" changes -- mock A switches from Hall to Revis, while mock B does the opposite -- but there was a big jump by Alan Branch, who shot up another 3 votes to 5...

[HoosierCat]

With just about three weeks to go, the Bengalszone Big Board remains unsettled, with no player emerging as the consensus pick. This updates wild card is DT Alan Branch. Once considered a sure-fire top 10 pick and the best DT on the board, Branch has had a lackluster selling season and has clearly been supplanted by Okoye as the top dog DT. Branch, meanwhile, is increasingly falling to the Bengals -- or in a few mocks actually falling into the 20s. On the corner front, Darrelle Revis is falling upward and could now be the first corner off the board. With Leon Hall also still going high, the beneficiary has been Chris Houston, who moves into second in this update. Here's the breakdown:

By Name:

CB Leon Hall 15 (no change)

CB Chris Houston 12 (+2)

TE Greg Olsen 11 (-2)

CB Darrelle Revis 10 (-5)

DT Alan Branch 9 (+7)

DE Adam Carriker 8 (+1)

DT Amobi Okoye 7 (no change)

LB Lawrence Timmons 6 (+2)

S Reggie Nelson 5 (+2)

LB Patrick Willis 4 (+1)

LB Paul Posluszny 4 (-1)

DE Charles Johnson 3 (+1)

DT Justin Harrell 2 (no change)

DE Quentin Moses 2 (no change)

DE Jarvis Moss 2 (-2)

By Position:

CB 37 (-3)

DT 18 (+5)

DE 16 (no change)

LB 15 (-1)

TE 11 (-2)

S 6 (+1)

OT 1 (no change)

OG 1 (no change)

[Stripes]

Looks like the mocksters are starting to get more confident Revis will be the first CB taken.

[HoosierCat]

Looks like the mocksters are starting to get more confident Revis will be the first CB taken.

That's the way it's been trending, but it could just as easily still be Hall. I'd be OK with either of them were they there at 18. Houston still strikes me as something of a reach; certainly he's more of a project a la Joseph.

Meanwhile, Branch keeps slipping. He picked up another vote today, putting him into double-digits. But I still have a hard time believing that drop is for real.

[HoosierCat]

As the draft comes closer, the mockosphere expands. This update reflects the addition of about 15 new mocks, bringing the database up to about 120 total being tracked. A record six prospects have now broken into double-digits. After dipping in the last update, favorite Darrelle Revis shot back to the top of the heap, but the New Blazing 40 Time is being closely pursued by Classic Blazing 40 Time Olsen. Alan Branch falls into a tie for third with Leon Hall, while Chris Houston basically hovers. Finishing out the top six is LB Lawrence Timmons.

Notable among the lower ranks is the arrival of CB Aaron Ross, who bursts onto the Big Board with 5 votes, and a special guest appearance by DE Jamaal Anderson, slumming a bit this week, I suppose.

Positionally, CB continues to run away with the picks, with LB now the second-most-selected position. The breakdown:

By Name:

CB Darrelle Revis 16 (+6)

TE Greg Olsen 15 (+4)

DT Alan Branch 12 (+3)

CB Leon Hall 12 (-3)

CB Chris Houston 11 (-1)

LB Lawrence Timmons 10 (+4)

DT Amobi Okoye 8 (+1)

DE Adam Carriker 8 (no change)

LB Paul Posluszny 6 (+2)

CB Aaron Ross 5 (+5)

LB Jon Beason 3 (+2)

S Reggie Nelson 3 (-2)

DE Jamaal Anderson 2 (+2)

LB Patrick Willis 2 (-2)

By Position:

CB 44 (+7)

LB 21 (+6)

DT 21 (+3)

TE 15 (+4)

DE 13 (-3)

S 4 (-2)

OT 1 (no change)

[HoosierCat]

For a lot of the mockosphere, final updates are rolling in as mockers lock down their draft boards, with perhaps a final update to come just before the draft. A consensus is finally forming around CB Darrelle Revis, who takes a giant leap forward in this update. Alan Branch and Leon Hall tie for second, while Blazing 40 Time Olsen falls up or down, depending on the mock you're reading.

Round 2 is still all over the place. The leading candidates are DT Tank Tyler (5) and CB Josh Wilson (4), ahead of several guys, including LB David Harris, DT Brandon Mebane, and CB Tanard Jackson, in a 3-vote scrum.

Here's the breakdown in the first (the Big Board is upping its cutoff point to 5 votes as we get into the final days before the draft):

By Name:

CB Darrelle Revis 28 (+12)

DT Alan Branch 14 (+2)

CB Leon Hall 14 (+2)

TE Greg Olsen 9 (-6)

DE Adam Carriker 8 (no change)

LB Lawrence Timmons 8 (-2)

DT Amobi Okoye 7 (-1)

CB Chris Houston 7 (-4)

LB Paul Posluszny 6 (no change)

CB Aaron Ross 5 (no change)

S Reggie Nelson 5 (+2)

By Position:

CB 54 (+10)

DT 22 (+1)

LB 16 (-5)

DE 13 (no change)

TE 9 (-6)

S 6 (+2)

[HoosierCat]

Quick first round update today:

CB Darrelle Revis 31 (+3)

DT Alan Branch 17 (+3)

CB Leon Hall 10 (-4)

TE Greg Olsen 9 (no change)

LB Paul Posluszny 7 (+1)

DT Amobi Okoye 7 (no change)

CB Chris Houston 7 (no change)

LB Lawrence Timmons 7 (-1)

CB Aaron Ross 6 (+1)

S Reggie Nelson 6 (+1)

DE Adam Carriker 6 (-2)

[Stripes]

The rich get richer on the big board. The more Revis predictions I see, the less convinced I become he'll be a Bengal.

[HoosierCat]

I think that if Revis is there at 18 he'll be the pick -- unless Okoye or Nelson are still on board; Okoye they'd take, I think, and Nelson would at least give them pause. Now, will Revis be there? I'd say the odds are no better than 50/50. At least one corner will come off the board before 18, and it will either be him or Hall. Both could be gone. If they are, it will be interesting to see if the Bengals move to a different position (LB, most likely) or stick with CB and reach a bit for Houston or Ross.

[HoosierCat]

Not much change over the weekend, except that Timmons falls below the 5-vote threshold, while Leon Hall gains back a little lost ground.

CB Darrelle Revis 33 (+2)

DT Alan Branch 17 (no change)

CB Leon Hall 13 (+3)

TE Greg Olsen 8 (-1)

S Reggie Nelson 7 (+1)

DE Adam Carriker 7 (+1)

LB Paul Posluszny 7 (no change)

CB Chris Houston 7 (no change)

DT Amobi Okoye 6 (-1)

CB Aaron Ross 5 (-1)

[HoosierCat]

Little late boomlet for good 'ol Blazing 40 Time today. Jamaal Anderson also inches back to the 5-vote level. Of interest among today's updates of more reputable mocks:

-- Ourlads updated its mock, insists Okoye will be there.

-- Dallas' respected sports columnist Rick Gosselin updated his mock, picks Branch.

-- Rob Rang (aka Mel Jr.) drops Carriker in his latest sportsline.com update for...Greg Olsen.

The standings:

CB Darrelle Revis 32 (-1)

DT Alan Branch 18 (+1)

CB Leon Hall 13 (no change)

TE Greg Olsen 11 (+3)

CB Chris Houston 8 (+1)

CB Aaron Ross 6 (+1)

DT Amobi Okoye 6 (no change)

DE Adam Carriker 6 (-1)

LB Paul Posluszny 6 (-1)

DE Jamaal Anderson 5 (+1)

S Reggie Nelson 5 (-2)

[HairOnFire]

-- Dallas' respected sports columnist Rick Gosselin updated his mock, picks Branch.

I've been waiting for that one. Gosselin admitted several years ago that the Cowboys actually allow him into their war room and permit him to see and take notes from their draft board. As a result I'll be interested in seeing the rest of his mock.

[HoosierCat]

Yeah, Gosselin is probably one of the better sources on the draft.

Not much change in today. Lot of updates but few moves. Olsen falls back down, little bump for Ross, thats about it.

CB Darrelle Revis 33 (+1)

DT Alan Branch 18 (no change)

CB Leon Hall 13 (no change)

TE Greg Olsen 9 (-2)

CB Aaron Ross 8 (+2)

LB Paul Posluszny 7 (+1)

CB Chris Houston 7 (-1)

DT Amobi Okoye 6 (no change)

DE Jamaal Anderson 5 (no change)

S Reggie Nelson 5 (no change)

DE Adam Carriker 5 (-1)

[schweinhart]

The rich get richer on the big board. The more Revis predictions I see, the less convinced I become he'll be a Bengal.

Sad but true. When I hear an analyst with scout connections like Mike Mayock move Revis to his #1 CB ahead of Houston and Hall this late in the game, it's because of what he's hearing. He did the same with Donte Whitner last year and was the only picker I saw who had Whitner going in the Top 10.

[Wraith]

The Great Blue North Report just chimed in with their last mock and had us taking Anthony Spencer DE/OLB out of Pudue with our 1st and Josh Wilson CB out of Maryland with our 2nd.

According to the prediction Jarvis Moss, Reggie Nelson, Michael Griffith, Lawrence Timmons, Paul Posluszny, Jon Beason, Aaron Ross, Chris Houston, and Justin Harrell were all available and I for one would take any of them (except possibly Houston) ahead of Anthony Spencer