east/west shrine game

[redsbengalsbucks]

I am not in favor of taking a TE on the first day of the draft but if Day from Oregan would still be there in Round three he looks to be a receiving threat

Colston, WR Hofstra, looks like a good mismatch guy, he is huge, for the later rounds.

None of the safeties have made a major impact. Peprah has been playing both CB and SS

With no blitzing or stunting it is hard to say about the D-Line

[Kazkal]

If i'm not mistaken doesn't day lack blocking skills ?

[NJ29]

If i'm not mistaken doesn't day lack blocking skills ?

Doesn't Matt Schobel?

[schweinhart]

I am not in favor of taking a TE on the first day of the draft but if Day from Oregan would still be there in Round three he looks to be a receiving threat

Colston, WR Hofstra, looks like a good mismatch guy, he is huge, for the later rounds.

None of the safeties have made a major impact. Peprah has been playing both CB and SS

With no blitzing or stunting it is hard to say about the D-Line

Tim Day helped himself alot in the Shrine Game, especially early. He's exactly the type of TE that fits the Bengals limited TE receiving offensive scheme as he showed with his ability to camp in the middle underneath for dump offs to keep the chains moving. His TD catch was a risky throw but Day did well to find the open space in the red zone to give the QB the chance to make the throw. While he didn't get the op to show his skills as a route runner and receiver on the run like he did in Oregon's bowl game, he did get the chance to show his run blocking skills against the likes of James Wyche and also his special teams play. Overall, I'd say Day is a solid 4th rounder and the kind of TE the Bengals should keep in mind this year to develop for replacing Reggie Kelly in 2007.

The players who looked liked they helped themselves the most to me were:

1. Reggie McNeal QB: He's a real QB but as fast as he is, he's potentially much more and could single-handedly fill about 3 roster spots as a 3rd QB, a kick returner, and a slot WR. He'd be hard to lay off of for the Bengals if he's still there in the 4th.

2. Taurean Henderson RB: Shifting from the single-back spread offense at Tex Tech where he developed great back receiving skills and 3rd down back awareness, Henderson ran at tailback out of the I and demonstrated that he's got excellent vision and makes decisive cuts without extraneous movements to gain yards between the tackles with enough explosion to get to the second level where he can do real damage straightline in the open field. A worthwhile prospect for the Bengals to consider in the 3rd round as their 3rd RB who would be more than ready and a better running RB than Chris Perry for the next time Perry gets injured.

3. Chris Gocong OLB: Good God. One of the best things about watching these games, even with the limitations of what the players can and can't do scheme wise, is to see the players who are clearly better than the others. Gocong is one of these players. At undersized DE, his speed rush and suprising power makes him real intriguing. His ability to get out into the flats for swing passes is highly impressive. He'll have to show teams at the combine that he can play backer but there's no reason to think he won't well enough to crack Day 1.

4. James Wyche DE: An edge rusher with a nice combination of power and speed, Wyche beat decent LTs in Michael Toudouze and Paul McQuistan to help himself get closer looks as one of the top edge rushers at 4-3 DE in th draft. If Wyche is there in round 3, he should be an immediate boost for the Bengals as a passing situation rusher.

5. Dwayne Slay SS: If it's a hard hitting safety teams are after, Slay will get high consideration as the best among the available including Greg Blue, Darnell Bing, and any other safeties in the draft. Slay crushes people and tackles them at the same time, plus he repeatedly held his own in deep cover help over the top. Probably won't be the fastest of the safeties in deep coverage and this could be a snag at the next level but if teams want a safety who will make TEs grow alligator arms in the seam -- Slay can do it like he showed in the Shrine Game vs. Cooper Wallace.

Players like Charlie Peprah, Marques Colston, Danieal Manning, Ryan Plackemeier, Michael Toudouze, Mike Hass, and Steve Fifita also helped themselves with solid showings.

[Kazkal]

If i'm not mistaken doesn't day lack blocking skills ?

Doesn't Matt Schobel?

But why draft someone that is just like matt if most people don't want matt here? even if we got lewis or pop i'd still wanna keep matt

How are the players picked for that game? the only person I noticed was day + I saw guy in wolfpack helm and was like wtf

[kentjett]

Slay is pretty damn good, it seemed like he was in on every single play. This was the first time I've seen him play but it seems like he has a knack for the ball. Josh Betts(QB) also looked pretty good for the East team that played at 7 p.m.. He needs to work on his mechanics but he he has the strongest arm in the draft( 70+ yards)

[schweinhart]

Slay is pretty damn good, it seemed like he was in on every single play. This was the first time I've seen him play but it seems like he has a knack for the ball. Josh Betts(QB) also looked pretty good for the East team that played at 7 p.m.. He needs to work on his mechanics but he he has the strongest arm in the draft( 70+ yards)

I was able to watch Slay when Tex Tech played Texas and was impressed then with his hitting and coverage. Not convinced he's got the speed and agility to do what it takes to change direction to go back in coverage, but laterally and forward he's a monster.

I agree about Betts and thought he would get late Day 1 consideration this year. Betts showed that arm off nicely in the Hula Bowl and also showed nice touch on the run with a 45-yarder in the air to Brandon Marshall.

Barrick Nealy also showed he's got a gun for an arm. He's raw as can be and played QB instead of WR because of injury but he can launch 65 yards.

Another Hula Bowl QB Brett Elliott showed he's a great touch passer with enough arm to stretch defenses somewhat. Apparently he was the starter at Utah until Alex Smith bounced him and he transferred.

The most impressive player in the Hula Bowl IMO was Jeremy Mincey of Florida. I'm not so sure he'll project just as a 3-4 OLB. There's some decent size there to work with at DE and his pass rushing skills are real good. He might be worth a pick by he Bengals if he's still around in the 5th or maybe 6th round.

[bengalboomer7]

What about any smaller PR kind of guys. That's just another spot where we lack a game changer.

[NJ29]

If i'm not mistaken doesn't day lack blocking skills ?

Doesn't Matt Schobel?

But why draft someone that is just like matt if most people don't want matt here? even if we got lewis or pop i'd still wanna keep matt

How are the players picked for that game? the only person I noticed was day + I saw guy in wolfpack helm and was like wtf

Gotcha, now I see your point.

[kurgan74]

Guys that impressed me were (in no particular order)

1. Dwayne Slayy SS Texas Tech...not the best in coverage but will bring thr lumber.

2. Fredrick Brock-LB Texas Southern-hard hitter and has the NFL body.

3. Tim Day-TE Oregon-solid over the middle TE

4. Cooper Wallace-TE AUburn-caught some nice passes and had some good yards after contact.

5. Anthony Schlegel-LB Ohio State-tough run stopping mike linebacker.

6. James Wyche-DE Syracuse-big and quick off the edge.

[schweinhart]

What about any smaller PR kind of guys. That's just another spot where we lack a game changer.

One I had hoped to see was Danieal Manning from Abilene-Christian, who I believe was the only junior at the Shrine Game. But he didn't run any back from what I saw.

[walshfan]

Im still trying to figure out whats not to like about Steve Fifita DT Utah.

Because he's 5'11 or 6'0 tall? He's a bowling ball in the middle of the defensive line and has a nasty streak.... I like him...

[schweinhart]

Im still trying to figure out whats not to like about Steve Fifita DT Utah.

Because he's 5'11 or 6'0 tall? He's a bowling ball in the middle of the defensive line and has a nasty streak.... I like him...

The main downside maybe would be less burst for penetration than Johnny Jolly and slower drive than LeKevin Smith on the bullrush. But among those three it all looks like splitting hairs to me. Any one of them would be a decent Round 5 pick.

Babatunde Oshinowo, OTOH, is much more intriguing than those 3 IMO. Based on glimpses of him at the Senior Bowl, he looks more powerful than them, at least as able to penetrate into the backfield as any of them, and has something the others don't -- arms of orangatuan proportion that will make it a real chore for a QB to throw over or around when Baba can't get the shove and has to come on short on the rush.

On the ESPN airing today, Mark May asked Kiper where he had him and he said 3rd or 4th. Sounds about right and proly worth consideration by the Bengals.

[Tasher]

Arms up and can't knock down passes, let alone cause ANY visibility problems for the QB ('cept Flutie) with seeing down field! Look at the Jags offensive line! Those two guys (granted they are about as common and DoDo Birds these days) are abominations, and the Jags have TWO! How'd they do that? Anyway, the DTs need to be 6'2'' or better in my opinion, with long arms!

Bring on Wright, Wroten, Watson!