GBN's new Mock

[Wraith]

They have Dorsey, Ellis, Both Longs, and Gholston going ahead of #9.

They have us taking Merling ahead of Clady and then us taking Sims from Auburn which is ok with me, I really like Merling for his size, versatility, and his work ethic. He may not be the physical specimen that Gholston is but he has better technique and is stronger against the run. A rotation of Merling, Odom, Pollack, and Geathers would be very strong with Merling and Odom rotating to DT in passing situations. Sims could be another Shaun Rogers he has that type of ability but he is kind of a hit or miss prospect which accounts for his Rd. 2 status, would prefer Balmer but on this mock he goes to New Orleans at pick #40

[HoosierCat]

I continue to be underwhelmed by the idea of investing yet another ~$30 million in DE when we still have several positions on both sides of the ball that need to be addressed.

That said, in a draft column on nfl.com, Pat Kirwan floated the idea that, with only two elite DTs in the draft, both of whom are likely to go quickly, some team (he mentions us, Indy, Denver, Atlanta and NO) might snap up Florida DE Derrick Harvey, have him pack on 10-15 pounds and line him up inside, a la the Giants' Justin Tuck.

I found that an intriguing thought, wit the caveat that previous Bengals attempts to move college players to new positions haven't exactly been all sweetness and light.

Kirwan column here: http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d...mp;confirm=true

[DuffMan]

With Merling's underwhelming combine performance and injury (hernia) issues I would be more inclined to invest in Harvey or Rivers. Investing top-10 money in an OT that might not see the field doesn't appeal to me.