Another bad Bengals tradition is about to crumble.

[BengalszoneBilly]

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Another bad Bengals tradition is about to crumble.

Instead of leading off the draft on Saturday, the Bengals will be near the back of the line, another sign of how much they've changed in one year under coach Marvin Lewis.

They've got the 24th overall pick in the first round. They haven't had to wait so long to take a player since 1989, when they were coming off their last Super Bowl appearance.

During their current 13-year run as the NFL's worst team, they've been more accustomed to kicking off the first round. They've had three No. 1 overall picks during that span.

They've had a top-four pick in four of the last five years, a remarkable opportunity to add talented players and resurrect the franchise. Instead, they made their picks and kept on losing.

Lewis has changed the way the Bengals do just about everything since he took over a year ago, including the way they approach the draft. Instead of locking in on a player who might fill the team's biggest hole, Lewis is more interested in quality.

The old method didn't work. The Bengals often made a reach for a player in the early rounds -- linebacker Reinard Wilson and receiver Ron Dugans are good examples -- in order to improve a specific position.

It was a disaster.

"When you do that, you end up with a bag full of nothing," Lewis said.

Instead of focusing on one position, Lewis is trying to upgrade the roster by looking at general areas.

The overriding priority is the defense, and there are a lot of different ways he could go with that theme. The defense collapsed late in the season, dooming the Bengals to an 8-8 finish. It will be the main focus of their offseason moves in free agency and the draft.

"We've got to play better defense, all through the board," Lewis said. "Our defense is a little unsettled."

Dennis Weathersby's severe head injury in a car accident this month gives them even more reason to consider a cornerback in a draft full of good ones. Cornerback was one of the biggest problem areas last season.

They also need to strengthen a defensive line that got pushed around. They're thin at linebacker and wouldn't mind adding a safety, either.

They're also in the market for offensive linemen, particularly a center. Lewis is overhauling a line that needs an infusion of younger players. The Bengals also need a backup running back.

Lewis will have a lot of options for getting it done.

In another significant break with the franchise's past, Lewis is willing to trade picks. The Bengals got cornerback Deltha O'Neil and an extra fourth-round pick from Denver by moving down from 17th to 24th in the first round.

The team has rarely traded down to get extra picks.

"We made the decision that it was to our advantage to gain what we thought would be a starting player in Deltha and still be able to draft an eventual starter (at 24th) and hopefully an eventual starter with a fourth-round pick," Lewis said.

That's not all. Lewis got rid of his biggest headache by shipping disgruntled running back Corey Dillon to New England for a second-round pick.

The Bengals now have seven picks in the first four rounds -- the 24th overall in the first round, then two picks in the second, third and fourth rounds.

They haven't had so many picks so early in the draft since 1986, another sign of how much things have changed. And Lewis might not be done dealing.

The extra picks give him leverage to try to trade for a better spot in the first round, something he's considering.

"It's harder to move around than people think, but you never know," he said.

[jditty47]

great article. :player: