Round 6 (206): Andrei Iosivas, WR Princeton

[membengal]

 

[GapControl]

11 minutes ago, ShulaSteakhouse said:

Uh oh looks like a possible Higgins replacement.  I know they lost Irwin, but who gets the boot if this guy makes the team? 

 

Maybe Irwin or Morgen

[membengal]

 

[ArmyBengal]

“Strong and Explosive” 

Has he played Tight End ??

[GapControl]

Hahaha!! Where is that elusive tight end dammit 

[membengal]

 

[membengal]

2 minutes ago, GapControl said:

Hahaha!! Where is that elusive tight end dammit 

I am telling you, the coaches are good with Smith and Sample and I think they are bringing Wilcox back. 

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I assume they have a plan for the o-line, the IOL in particular, I hope.  Completely neglected so far.  This guy is really interesting though.   Athletic as hell and smart, fast, same profile as the rest.

 

 

[membengal]

 

[membengal]

 

[GapControl]

37 minutes ago, membengal said:

I am telling you, the coaches are good with Smith and Sample and I think they are bringing Wilcox back. 

Must be Wilcox or Randy Moss’s son.  Or maybe another shot for Sean Brewer 

[membengal]

5 minutes ago, GapControl said:

Must be Wilcox or Randy Moss’s son.  Or maybe another shot for Sean Brewer 

that's funny I suppose, but Wilcox filled in four games for Hurst and this team did not miss a beat in a crucial stretch. And Smith is a really quality TE1. 

[AMPHAR]

Irv Smith will put up numbers IF healthy.
 

Health and then they’ll be TE shopping again next year is the concern  

[membengal]

They can literally just keep signing guys on one-year prove-it deals at TE over and over again if guys keep coming here and getting paid after leaving. 

[GapControl]

37 minutes ago, membengal said:

that's funny I suppose, but Wilcox filled in four games for Hurst and this team did not miss a beat in a crucial stretch. And Smith is a really quality TE1. 

Yeah it was a joke ;) I am more than happy with what they’ve done.  Wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with another TE in the room before the season starts 

[TJJackson]

2 hours ago, membengal said:

I am telling you, the coaches are good with Smith and Sample and I think they are bringing Wilcox back. 

at this point, I agree that it seems nearly certain they'll bring Wilcox in and retry with TE next year

[TJJackson]

This is a pick that I hate not because I dislike the guy - he's an athletic freak with tons of untapped potential - but they already dipped into WR once and there were (and still are) other more pressing needs to fill

so the guy per se is fine......especially as late as this pick is.....

 

[membengal]

This is interesting stuff on the pick from Hobs (some bengals connections too)

Quote

 

SIXTH ROUND: Princeton WR Andrei Iosivas: Now might be a good time to recall that T.J. Houshmandzadeh was the 204th pick in 2001 and ended up catching the fourth most balls in Bengals history with 507. After leading the Ivy League with 66 catches, Iosivas went 206 on Saturday. His head coach, Bob Surace, who saw Houshmandzadeh make most of those catches as a Bengals offensive line assistant from 2002-09, says his guy can play in the league.

"Absolutely," says Surace, an avid and knowledgeable Bengals fan who has to calm his kids down when Cincy plays. "They've got some guys in the room right now with unique qualities and he fits that mold that way in that he's got some rare measurables. He took so much pride in his blocking. He's a physical player. He'll do the little things. Like any rookie, he's got a lot of growth. But he's a smart kid. He's got everything you want in a leader. He was a captain of our team and never made mental mistakes."

Here's a guy who pole vaults more than 16 feet and set the NCAA Indoor record for the 60 meters in the heptathlon. The Princeton track coach, Fred Samara, a decathlete in the 1976 Olympics, told Surace he thought Iosivas could be an Olympian. Surace knows this.

"He knows he's not going to go in there and beat out Chase and Higgins. But he'll walk in the room and not look out of place," he says.

Andrew Johnson, the area scout for Princeton, actually played tight end for Cornell against Surace's Tigers a decade ago. As an Ivy Leaguer, Johnson knows how demanding the spring and summer had to be for Iosivas. Until last year, Iosivas only attended meetings during spring football because he was competing in track and his summer internships weren't on Wall Street or Washington, D.C., as they are for many who play Ivy. Instead, Iosivas' summer internships were more workouts for football.

"It's tough no matter how you look at it," says Johnson, who once interned in the NBA office and was doing workouts at 4 a.m. before going to work. "He's got the skill set to be able to play multiple positions. He hasn't done it, but he might be a guy you could try as a kick returner. He's big and fast."

Johnson thought Iosivas could go as early as the fourth. Surace, who sat in enough draft rooms to not be sure about anything, thinks Houshmandzadeh and Iosivas have a couple of things in common even though Iosivas hardly ever played the slot for him.

"Andrei shares T.J.'s competitiveness, reliability, and leadership qualities," Surace says. "And I have no doubt the Bengals would sign up for Andrei to have a career like T.J. He was such a critical player to our offense's success."

 

 

[ArmyBengal]

So again, I can't help but wonder, although I don't think this is what they were thinking, but can he play TE ??
He's big, fast, can catch and prides himself on his blocking.  He sure isn't taking one of the top 3 WR spots and maybe not one of the top 4 if Jones is the return guy.  I am totally speculating, but maybe he could find a place there when considering that room.

[TJJackson]

Im not a fan of picking a player who is an x and trying to make him a y

...but...

this one at least kinda sorta makes sense for a low draft pick without much of a shot at making the team 

except.... he'd have to add quite a bit of muscle mass.  Like 30 pounds, absolute bare freakin minimum.   He lists as 205 right now.

But......I suppose it would not hurt at all to see what he can do there over the course of the offseason. 

Such a transformation might indeed be his best chance to make the team

[membengal]

10 minutes ago, ArmyBengal said:

So again, I can't help but wonder, although I don't think this is what they were thinking, but can he play TE ??
He's big, fast, can catch and prides himself on his blocking.  He sure isn't taking one of the top 3 WR spots and maybe not one of the top 4 if Jones is the return guy.  I am totally speculating, but maybe he could find a place there when considering that room.

No. He’s 205.  He’s here to backup Higgins and chase. 

[membengal]

Why are you all trying to take a world class athlete and add 30 pounds? 
 

 

[membengal]

The need for high level backups in this offense at WR is acute. Hopefully in a year he’s able to start to fulfill that. 

[ArmyBengal]

9 minutes ago, membengal said:

Why are you all trying to take a world class athlete and add 30 pounds? 

I'm just curious. 
Mostly because I still think there is a glaring hole at TE that needs to be addressed with more than an injury prone TE to this point.
I'm not suggesting that's the best course of action.  Hence the speculating comment.
Guess that's a no.

Cool...

[AMPHAR]

Do they keep 7 WRs?  With this addition probably means 1 or 2 spots realistically open.