oldschooler Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Bengals shopping for defense?By Chick LudwigDayton Daily NewsMel Kiper Jr. has spoken. His word on the Bengals is — drum roll here, please — dee-fense.Unveiling his first-round projection for the 2006 NFL draft, Kiper has the Bengals selecting LSU defensive tackle Claude Wroten with the 24th overall pick on April 29.Kiper, the expert draft analyst for ESPN, believes this Bayou Bengal can provide immediate help for the Bengals.Wroten (6-2, 300) is the kind of explosive run-stuffer needed to fortify the league's 20th-ranked run defense. But he's far from a finished product. What's more, he has off-the-field issues that must be explored. Wroten's Jan. 5 arrest for marijuana possession could send his stock plummeting.Luckily for the Bengals, they'll have plenty of talent to choose from at No. 24. Three other defensive tackles — Gabe Watson (Michigan), Orlen Harris (Miami, Fla.) and Rodrique Wright (Texas) — should be available along with Georgia tight end Leonard Pope and Southern Cal safety Darnell Bing.Defensive tackle, safety and tight end are areas of major need.The Cleveland Browns, who generated the NFL's fewest sacks (23) in 2005, want a pass rusher. They're drooling over N.C. State defensive end Mario Williams at No. 12, but he'll be long gone by then. Kiper has Williams going to Green Bay at No. 5 with the Browns settling for Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway.Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk leads a contingent of four first-round Buckeyes. Kiper has Hawk going to the Oakland at No. 6, followed by wide receiver Santonio Holmes (No. 14 Philadelphia), cornerback Ashton Youboty (No. 20 Kansas City) and linebacker Bobby Carpenter (No. 21 New England).Sure it's early, but Kiper's top three picks should be locks. USC tailback Reggie Bush is headed to Houston, while New Orleans gets USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Tennessee takes Texas quarterback Vince Young.Quick hitters• DT Matthias Askew was the angriest Bengal at the end of the season. He was upset about being activated for only one game — the regular-season finale at Kansas City. Askew had four tackles and forced a Larry Johnson fumble that Caleb Miller recovered in the fourth quarter.• Bengals LB coach Ricky Hunley is among the celebrities who will participate in the Super Bowl NFL Charities Bowling Classic at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich., on Feb. 4. Proceeds from the event will go toward the establishment of the Youth Education Town — a center for at-risk youth — to be built in Detroit as the city's legacy for hosting Super Bowl XL.• Bengals TE coach Jonathan Hayes is no longer under consideration for the San Diego State offensive coordinator's job, according to SDSU head coach Chuck Long. Quote
walshfan Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Id like to see them sign a vet DT and draft Bing but it could go the other way.Sign a vet SS and draft Wroten, Watson or Wright....either way has to help some......Personally I think the kid Steve Fifita may prove to be better than Watson as a run stuffer ...Wroten or Wright are penetrators.... Quote
derekshank Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 He probably won't be there... but if Tamba Hali out of Penn State is there when we draft there is no question that he is the guy we should take. This would eliminate our need to re-sign Justin Smith next year... Hali is one of the best pass rushers in this draft... and my favorite DT Maholena should still be there in the 2nd round.Finding a way to get both of these guys immediately helps our line. Maholena is used to being double teamed... and he still finds ways to make tackles in the backfield on a regular basis. His stock has dropped becausehis stats weren't there this year... but like I said... double covered all year long.This leaves us to fill the SS hole in FA or the 3rd round. This would be my ideal draft... but we would probably have to trade up to get Hali... which would most likely ruin our chances at Maholena in the 2nd... and that's the whole point. Quote
Jet23 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Bengals shopping for defense?By Chick LudwigDayton Daily NewsMel Kiper Jr. has spoken. His word on the Bengals is — drum roll here, please — dee-fense.Unveiling his first-round projection for the 2006 NFL draft, Kiper has the Bengals selecting LSU defensive tackle Claude Wroten with the 24th overall pick on April 29.Kiper, the expert draft analyst for ESPN, believes this Bayou Bengal can provide immediate help for the Bengals.Wroten (6-2, 300) is the kind of explosive run-stuffer needed to fortify the league's 20th-ranked run defense. But he's far from a finished product. What's more, he has off-the-field issues that must be explored. Wroten's Jan. 5 arrest for marijuana possession could send his stock plummeting.Luckily for the Bengals, they'll have plenty of talent to choose from at No. 24. Three other defensive tackles — Gabe Watson (Michigan), Orlen Harris (Miami, Fla.) and Rodrique Wright (Texas) — should be available along with Georgia tight end Leonard Pope and Southern Cal safety Darnell Bing.Defensive tackle, safety and tight end are areas of major need.The Cleveland Browns, who generated the NFL's fewest sacks (23) in 2005, want a pass rusher. They're drooling over N.C. State defensive end Mario Williams at No. 12, but he'll be long gone by then. Kiper has Williams going to Green Bay at No. 5 with the Browns settling for Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway.Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk leads a contingent of four first-round Buckeyes. Kiper has Hawk going to the Oakland at No. 6, followed by wide receiver Santonio Holmes (No. 14 Philadelphia), cornerback Ashton Youboty (No. 20 Kansas City) and linebacker Bobby Carpenter (No. 21 New England).Sure it's early, but Kiper's top three picks should be locks. USC tailback Reggie Bush is headed to Houston, while New Orleans gets USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Tennessee takes Texas quarterback Vince Young.Quick hitters• DT Matthias Askew was the angriest Bengal at the end of the season. He was upset about being activated for only one game — the regular-season finale at Kansas City. Askew had four tackles and forced a Larry Johnson fumble that Caleb Miller recovered in the fourth quarter.• Bengals LB coach Ricky Hunley is among the celebrities who will participate in the Super Bowl NFL Charities Bowling Classic at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich., on Feb. 4. Proceeds from the event will go toward the establishment of the Youth Education Town — a center for at-risk youth — to be built in Detroit as the city's legacy for hosting Super Bowl XL.• Bengals TE coach Jonathan Hayes is no longer under consideration for the San Diego State offensive coordinator's job, according to SDSU head coach Chuck Long.The bit about Askew is interesting. It at least appears as if he cares. Does ML wait too long before giving these guys a chance? Hopefully, he will play with a huge chip on his shoulder next season. Quote
walzav29 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Any of you college watchers know Claude Wroten? Watching Troy light up everyone is making me really appreciate having a SS. We have to stop the run though. Maybe this guy will slip because he likes weed. The Bengals will just have to keep him and Henry seperate. Quote
derekshank Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Any of you college watchers know Claude Wroten? Watching Troy light up everyone is making me really appreciate having a SS. We have to stop the run though. Maybe this guy will slip because he likes weed. The Bengals will just have to keep him and Henry seperate.With the problems we already have with Henry, Wroten is about the last guy in this draft I want. Seriously... I wouldn't want him in the 2nd round. Nothing but locker room trouble if we pick up a guy like this! Quote
turningpoint Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I seriously want a playmaking Te in the 1st, would make the offense unstoppable, hell espeically after watching, the steelers rookie make some plays and stevens of the seahawks catch 5-6 catches on 3rd to bail Hasselbeck out. Quote
The_Next_Big_Thing Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I seriously want a playmaking Te in the 1st, would make the offense unstoppable, hell espeically after watching, the steelers rookie make some plays and stevens of the seahawks catch 5-6 catches on 3rd to bail Hasselbeck out.Yawn. Once again, get a clue, our offense doesn't require a tight end, and frankly, even if Tony Gonzales or Antonio Gates were on our roster they wouldn't do much more than block. A first round pick on a tight end wouldn't make our offense any more unstoppable, it would merely make our team worse in the long run. Quote
Stripes Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I seriously want a playmaking Te in the 1st, would make the offense unstoppable, hell espeically after watching, the steelers rookie make some plays and stevens of the seahawks catch 5-6 catches on 3rd to bail Hasselbeck out.Yawn. Once again, get a clue, our offense doesn't require a tight end, and frankly, even if Tony Gonzales or Antonio Gates were on our roster they wouldn't do much more than block. A first round pick on a tight end wouldn't make our offense any more unstoppable, it would merely make our team worse in the long run. If we had Antonio Gates on our team, he would make an impact. We could throw the ball absolutely anywhere we wanted, anytime we wanted to do it. There is no way to cover that many guys with that much talent, and Bratkowski would alter the scheme to benefit from that. I don't want a first round tight end either if there there is defense available, but I do believe it would help. Quote
walzav29 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Our offense is good enough to get it done. The problem is that the offense is at least twice as good as the defense. Defense, defense, defense!!!!!!! I don't want to see an offensive guy selected in the entire draft. Quote
Tasher Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I would agree with the fact that an impact TE like Gates or Gonzalez would expand our offense, but honestly, how do you justify that pick in the 1st round against the GREATEST need on the defensive side of the ball? Our weakness up the middle all year long was a tremendous problem, either to our run defense early, or to our pass defense late.The injury to Madieu should so clearly illustrate this that there should be no doubt that the Saftey is THE pick. It will be Bing or Simpson, depending on who is there. If neither is there, then I suspect that the pick will be a DT. Otherwise Marv will move up in the draft to ensure that he gets the player that he wants.And trust me on the sunscreen... Quote
Stripes Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I would agree with the fact that an impact TE like Gates or Gonzalez would expand our offense, but honestly, how do you justify that pick in the 1st round against the GREATEST need on the defensive side of the ball? Our weakness up the middle all year long was a tremendous problem, either to our run defense early, or to our pass defense late. I would agree, that defense is obviously the bigger need here. Still, if much of the players we're pursuing are taken ahead of us, and no other teams are chomping at the bit to trade up for our spot, then a tight end could end up being a solid value pick. This is a deep defensive draft, we could still land the players we need in later rounds. I stress, however, that I do not want to do that unless we have to. Quote
Tasher Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Ko Simpson, 6'1'' 201 4.51http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingr.../kosimpson.html Quote
skyline Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 He probably won't be there... but if Tamba Hali out of Penn State is there when we draft there is no question that he is the guy we should take. This would eliminate our need to re-sign Justin Smith next year... Hali is one of the best pass rushers in this draft... and my favorite DT Maholena should still be there in the 2nd round.Finding a way to get both of these guys immediately helps our line. Maholena is used to being double teamed... and he still finds ways to make tackles in the backfield on a regular basis. His stock has dropped becausehis stats weren't there this year... but like I said... double covered all year long.This leaves us to fill the SS hole in FA or the 3rd round. This would be my ideal draft... but we would probably have to trade up to get Hali... which would most likely ruin our chances at Maholena in the 2nd... and that's the whole point. I would also LOVE to see Mahelona as a Bengal...my guess is he won't be there by the time we pick in the 2nd, though. Quote
schweinhart Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Any of you college watchers know Claude Wroten? Watching Troy light up everyone is making me really appreciate having a SS. We have to stop the run though. Maybe this guy will slip because he likes weed. The Bengals will just have to keep him and Henry seperate.With the problems we already have with Henry, Wroten is about the last guy in this draft I want. Seriously... I wouldn't want him in the 2nd round. Nothing but locker room trouble if we pick up a guy like this!I would reserve judgment on Wroten's character -- not as a question of him being guilty or not -- but rather because what he did could very easily be a one time brush with complete dumbassery.Wroten falling to #24 amounts to him plummeting. He's hands down the best DT in the draft IMO, better than Wholelotta Nada and all the other overrated DTs who have been listed as possible first round picks (except for Mahelona but he's still a reach in the 1st). Both 4-3 and 3-4 teams will highly regard Wroten's abilities as a gap DT and 3-4 DE and his relentless effort. The Bengals can use his mistake to leverage his signing bonus if they feel -- after lots of interviewing -- that he won't turn stupid again. But that won't happen at the Senior Bowl because it looks like Wroten got bumped off the roster or else decided not to go. Quote
AMC Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 This draft looks like it may be shaping up as one in which the Bengals trade down for either more draft picks, or a player (ala the Deltha trade before the draft). Our areas of need are also areas of strength in the draft. I think Marvin will weigh trading down VERY heavily... Quote
Stripes Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 This draft looks like it may be shaping up as one in which the Bengals trade down for either more draft picks, or a player (ala the Deltha trade before the draft). Our areas of need are also areas of strength in the draft. I think Marvin will weigh trading down VERY heavily... I'd be very happy if we could trade down a time or two and compile more picks. As you said, this draft is deep in every position we need it to be deep. We could leave the first round entirely and still end up with plenty of solid players. Also, that'd give us room to leave our marginal free agents unsigned and replace them with the rookies (assuming they show enough promise in camp/preseason to warrant such), making our already excellent cap situation even better. Quote
jbx182 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 i'd like to see harris. maybe it's just he's a cane, but they compare him to warren sapp down there, ie., nasty! if not, michigan's watson is a monter (330+lbs.), who is known to stand up blockers at the line. that'd be perfect for the quick bengal linebackers. i've also seen ss greg blue from...georgia, in a couple mock drafts. he's got tremendous size, but personally, i think he'll be long gone by then. but i'd take another bulldog anyday! Quote
Kazkal Posted January 24, 2006 Report Posted January 24, 2006 I seriously want a playmaking Te in the 1st, would make the offense unstoppable, hell espeically after watching, the steelers rookie make some plays and stevens of the seahawks catch 5-6 catches on 3rd to bail Hasselbeck out.Stevens makes me more hot in the pants for pope Quote
Tasher Posted January 24, 2006 Report Posted January 24, 2006 Watson, Harris, Mahelona (among others) weighed in at the Senior bowl: 341, 302, 311.Mahelona is the biggest surprise, he was liste at 286 in-season. Quote
Stripes Posted January 24, 2006 Report Posted January 24, 2006 Stevens makes me more hot in the pants for pope Usually it's these guys that are hot in the pants! Quote
Kazkal Posted January 24, 2006 Report Posted January 24, 2006 how do you justify that pick in the 1st round against the GREATEST need on the defensive side of the ball?~Colts choose dallas Clark with the 24th pick of the 2003 draft They needed defense then too I'm not saying pass on bing or a DT worth the 24thpick but if there is a TE more valuable then a SS or DT i'd be fine with us taking them + you can find talent in rounds besides the 1st.Odell thurman 2nd,Madieu 2nd,landon 3rd Geathers(as a sit pass rusher) Quote
Dan2330 Posted January 24, 2006 Report Posted January 24, 2006 No trade downs- I can see them taking 'whoever is available' at DT for their pick. Quote
Tasher Posted January 24, 2006 Report Posted January 24, 2006 Well, since we put up 35 on the Colts, I should think that they made a mistake. Odell was a high first rounder that slipped due to off field issues and fell into our lap, which will happen this year with a nice big fat (okay, MUSCULAR) DT! We need an immediate starter at S, which most of the time is acquired with a high 1st/2nd round pick, not 4th or 5th, and Landon does not start. Madieu is somewhat of an exception (read unknown, from non-football powerhouse Maryland). Quote
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