Bengalszone 5 Round Mock Draft

[BZBot]

The 2007 NFL Draft is coming up fast now. With it, the scramble by teams to sort out both their immediate and future needs with college prospects picks up. For the Bengals, they sure could use players like Darrelle Revis, Justin Durant, Jay Alford and Kevin Payne -- both now and for future years.

Source: http://www.bengalszone.com/article.php?sid=528

[Whur CHad At?]

I am not sold on Durant. I think the last thing we need right now is a project. We need someone with D1 expierence, but hey I guess I wouldnt be too terribly upset with the pick I guess.

[Stripes]

I like the Revis/Durant combo on the first day. They'd fill our two biggest needs (as I see it) immediately, and a guy like Payne in the 5th would be nice to groom as a KK replacement.

[Whur CHad At?]

I hope we draft Jon Beason honestly...I think the guy will be a freak of nature

[ArmyBengal]

Love the Revis pick in the first and think it might actually happen minus a trade up by some team targeting him. Give me Everett over Durant in the second as well... Do you really think Daymeion Hughes falls all the way to the 3rd ?? I don't but I get what you are saying... Anyway around, we should be sitting pretty to pick up some solid defensive help in the draft.

WHODEY !!!

[Kazkal]

I'd love all of them Hahaha Being the PAYNE!

I am not sold on Durant. I think the last thing we need right now is a project. We need someone with D1 expierence, but hey I guess I wouldnt be too terribly upset with the pick I guess.

are you sold on anyone besides willis?

Daymeion Hughes falls all the way to the 3rd

CB with LB speed...people have seen keiwan play and decided its not best route to go.

[kentjett]

Durant would play linebacker which is an easy position to convert from a DII school to the NFL, if you have the speed. He has the speed and evrything else that comes along with it. He reminds me of Demarcus Ware from Troy. He turned out to be pretty good.

[HoosierCat]

The biggest trouble with Durant is that he might actually be gone by the time we pick in he second. Murphy over at yahoo sports has him going to Detroit with the second pick in the second round, for example.

There are a couple write-ups on him and the Bengals interest down in the draft forum.

[schweinhart]

I'd personally rather see the Bengals take Quincy Black or Earl Everett over Justin Durant if all they're after is a weakside/nickel backer. And Black over Everett because IMO Everett hasn't shown the long speed he'll need for tracking TEs and WRs. As a zone dropper and reader, Everett is as fluid and reactive as they come.

I'm not convinced either that Black couldn't take MLB as well as Durant either but Black probably has farther to go to dispel notions that he may be nothing more than a big roving safety playing LB.

The Bengals are interested in Jon Beason and are among 7 teams he'll visit starting from pick #15 to 34. Also, Reggie Nelson has turned up on the Bengals radar along with 5 other teams who he'll visit from pick 16 to 39 if Nelson is indeed considered a 1st rounder by NFL teams.

The Bengals LB situation is so muddled right now it's hard to have any idea what they'll decide to do but it seems clear they've put a bullseye on Justin Durant.

I like Kevin Payne but I believe right now he's primarily a strong safety until he gets coached up for better deep coverage. I'd rather see the Bengals get a more interchangeable safety like Marvin White in the 4th but the DT situation got grimmer with the loss of Shaun Smith. Jay Alford has some upside but I was hoping Anthony Bryant would have fallen far enough down the waiver wire for the Bengals to claim him and resolve some of the DT anxiety going into '07.

The rest of the picks should target QB, WR, TE and RB IMO.

[BengalPappaw]

I like Revis in the 1st round, if Reggie Nelson is gone.

I'd prefer Tank Tyler in the second and take Durant in the fourth (if he slips it that far).

I agree with Schweiny, that Quincy Black is a good alternative.

[i can't pass any judgement on Durant, since I've not seen him play. He has great workout numbers and good stats at Hampton -- but I want players who can get off blocks better than he is reported to be able to do.]

[chrishcovga]

If the draft were to follow exactly how this one breaks down, then I'd prefer Cincy' take

1st. round - Chris Houston, Revis is fast yes, but Houston is a better man on man guy. Plus we have no pass rush, so a guy has to be able to cover.

2nd round - I like Tank Tyler. Good size, decent quickness, I see him as a long term partner with Peko.

4th round - Rufus Alexander. This guy is a good linebacker. He's a really good player, and he doesn't deserve to fall this far.

5th round - I'm torn between Jon Abbate and Steve Breaston. We could always use another linebacker,but with Breaston's size, speed, hands and return ability, he'll work his was to playing in a # 3 role. And we might just need that considering Chris Henry's ( Chris-Henry - problems) and Tab Perry's hip.

[BengalPappaw]

If the draft were to follow exactly how this one breaks down, then I'd prefer Cincy' take

1st. round - Chris Houston, Revis is fast yes, but Houston is a better man on man guy. Plus we have no pass rush, so a guy has to be able to cover.

Here we go again on the Chris Houston -- watch him play -- he can't or doesn't tackle. Doesn't support the run defense and gets blocked easily on running plays. I don't think we can afford a one-dimensional CB -- Yes, he is good at running stride for stride with good WRs. He has 3 interceptions -- all his last year. We need a playmaker -- not a shadow.

Watch him in the LSU game this year, Dwayne Bowe convinced me that Houston can't handle bigtime WRs.

[Whur CHad At?]

If the draft were to follow exactly how this one breaks down, then I'd prefer Cincy' take

1st. round - Chris Houston, Revis is fast yes, but Houston is a better man on man guy. Plus we have no pass rush, so a guy has to be able to cover.

Here we go again on the Chris Houston -- watch him play -- he can't or doesn't tackle. Doesn't support the run defense and gets blocked easily on running plays. I don't think we can afford a one-dimensional CB -- Yes, he is good at running stride for stride with good WRs. He has 3 interceptions -- all his last year. We need a playmaker -- not a shadow.

Watch him in the LSU game this year, Dwayne Bowe convinced me that Houston can't handle bigtime WRs.

thank you

[Stripes]

I like Chris Houston as a talent, and I don't expect him to be one dimensional as a pro if coached well. That said, I don't think he'd be a good fit as our #2 corner, or at least not as much so as Revis or Ross. I'm not overly high on Hall either, but there's no denying the numbers he has put up during workouts are impressive.

[7/11]

i would be shocked if h.b. blades was actually there in the 5th round.

[chrishcovga]

Eric Thomas was a subpar tackler too. But he could cover. You obviously didn't read the post well. We don't have a pass rush. The Bengals need cover guys, because we can't get to the quarterback in time. I guess you figure drafting Revis because you hope that he can return as many touchdowns as he gives up????

Plus there is this upside thing. Houston is getting better in his game. He's not a finished product like Revis is. There is no suprise to Revis. Houston's grade is going up, Revis is a " you get what you see " type of player.

We're supposed to be drafting for the future remember..??

[HoosierCat]

Eric Thomas was a subpar tackler too. But he could cover. You obviously didn't read the post well. We don't have a pass rush. The Bengals need cover guys, because we can't get to the quarterback in time. I guess you figure drafting Revis because you hope that he can return as many touchdowns as he gives up????

Look, let's just cut the Gordian Knot by not taking either and draft Blazing 40 Time Olsen instead.

Defense? We don't need no stinkin' defense when we put up 50 points a game!

[schweinhart]

I don't doubt Marv would mind Chris Houston at all. He'd probably remind him of a better version of a small fast corner that the Skins took in the 3rd round when he was DC and then brought to Cincy with him -- Rashad Bauman. The downside in my mind with Houston as a run defender is not as significant as is his tendency to get turned all the way around in coverage and of all the 1st round potential WRs Houston faced last year -- Dwayne Bowe, Robert Meacham, Dwayne Jarrett and Sidney Rice -- it was Rice who made him pay for it the most. Houston is strong, tough able to take on a blocker like Bowe. The problem he has is locating the ball versus the run and getting after the ball once he does locate. All of which is secondary IMO for him as a Bengals prospect because he would take over for O'Neal and not be relied on for the kind of run defense he would have to have on the other side. That and slot because he is the premier slot defender in this draft.

Revis is the better overall prospect IMO and not just because you can throw PR in as a kicker. W/o O'Neal, Revis' value on defense could eliminate him as a returner, especially if Chatman is healthy. The sole reason I had dropped Revis from #16 prior to the combine to the Cowboys was because he didn't run the 40 there and that is a Dwayne Jarrett red flag for me. Doing what he did at his Pro Day was enough for me to put him back as the #2 CB and had me reconsidering where I had Revis back during the earlt stage of the college football season -- as the #1 CB and a Top 10 pick. Only Ted Ginn falling to GB kept me from putting Revis back above the Bengals pick.

And speaking of former Bengals, Solly Wilcots picked the Steelers taking Revis at #15. If Revis does go before the Bengals, I do think they take Houston over Ross because they know for sure they got the nickel slot covered whether with Joseph or Houston and no more Keiwan Ratliff, especially if O'Neal gets dealt which I doubt.

The pass rush point is well taken, though, and the best reason to make a case for Houston but Revis can go on an island wide and should also give the Bengals an interchangeable wide/slot corner like Joseph. The more man coverage out of the secondary, the better the pass rush will be.

[schweinhart]

2nd round - I like Tank Tyler. Good size, decent quickness, I see him as a long term partner with Peko.

I like Tank too as a stuffer. I don't think he's going to have as much success penetrating and pass rushing in the NFL, though. Watching Ryan Kalil repeatedly whip him during Senior Bowl practices made Tyler look a lot like Gabe Watson.

4th round - Rufus Alexander. This guy is a good linebacker. He's a really good player, and he doesn't deserve to fall this far.

He doesn't and maybe won't. But he's going to be hard fit for now. If teams look at him as a weakside backer, there's others who look like they have better speed, drop back skills and tackling ability. It should drop him down boards.

5th round - I'm torn between Jon Abbate and Steve Breaston. We could always use another linebacker,but with Breaston's size, speed, hands and return ability, he'll work his was to playing in a # 3 role. And we might just need that considering Chris Henry's ( Chris-Henry - problems) and Tab Perry's hip.

Abbate was given a 3-4 round evaluation by the NFL's early entry committee but I'm guessing his size backs teams off. He is the next Zach Thomas waiting to happen, though, him and Sam Olajabutu. As for Breaston, he's probably going to go earlier than where I have him because he is a solid receiver with decent speed and obvious return ability. He be a good fit in Carolina, too, now that Fox has said he doesn't want to use Smith or Gamble as returners.

Another player who could be headed higher than what I got is Alama-Francis. He drew a 1st round crowd for his Pro Day with head coaches and GMs so he's looking like he's getting at least 2nd round consideration.

But HB Blades is one who will be a lot luckier to find a team before the 5th IMO. He's a 2 down backer at best who's not quick or reactive enough for MLB in a 4-3 and better suited for the strongside. Those players are a dime a dozen.

[HairOnFire]

Plus there is this upside thing. Houston is getting better in his game. He's not a finished product like Revis is. There is no suprise to Revis. Houston's grade is going up, Revis is a " you get what you see " type of player.

Well, I guess I like what I see. Plus, it's sorta silly to suggest that Revis is less of a prospect simply because he's a far more polished prospect right now. I mean c'mon....that's a good thing.

Frankly, I'm fine with the idea of drafting Houston if all of the better CB prospects are off the board, but that doesn't change the fact that there are better prospects.

[CJBestInAFC]

The 2007 NFL Draft is coming up fast now. With it, the scramble by teams to sort out both their immediate and future needs with college prospects picks up. For the Bengals, they sure could use players like Darrelle Revis, Justin Durant, Jay Alford and Kevin Payne -- both now and for future years.

Source: http://www.bengalszone.com/article.php?sid=528

I honestly would want Tank Tyler if he is still there in the second over Durant. Also in the 4th round I would want Rufus Alexander. That is my two cents.

[Tasher]

Eric Thomas was a subpar tackler too. But he could cover. You obviously didn't read the post well. We don't have a pass rush. The Bengals need cover guys, because we can't get to the quarterback in time. I guess you figure drafting Revis because you hope that he can return as many touchdowns as he gives up????

Look, let's just cut the Gordian Knot by not taking either and draft Blazing 40 Time Olsen instead.

Defense? We don't need no stinkin' defense when we put up 50 points a game!

um, you might revisit the San Diego game tape...

21 - 0 Bengals!

'nuff said methinks