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Thread: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

  1. #286
    Back from my hiatus Mario-Rijo's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by WVRed View Post
    Players I would give a call=

    Erin Henderson
    Wesley Woodyard
    Ezra Butler(a lot of mocks that had more than 3 rounds had us taking him)
    Rafael Little(pass catching RB who could bulk up)
    Agreed on the 1st 3 listed, don't know much about Little. Henderson was a Butkus semi-finalist last yr or the yr before I believe and Butler would be an interesting guy at LB perhaps.

    But 2 more guys I would give a look too would be Chad Simpson RB/KR Morgan State and that Div II RB Danny Woodhead RB/KR? Chadron State. Simpson is bigger and played better competition but Woodhead although at about 5'7" and 200 lbs is an interesting kid who dominated his level.
    "You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

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  3. #287
    Back from my hiatus Mario-Rijo's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by bucksfan2 View Post
    What in the world happened to Ali Highsmith? The guy went from being dominant on the field and a first round pick to going undrafted.
    He had an awful combine. Ran close to a 4.7 and my guess says he probably failed miserably on some wonderlic tests. I do recall he originally signed a letter of intent with Miami of Fla. and didn't make it academically. Then he later got in to LSU or as I like to call it Michigan State South.
    "You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

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  4. #288
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Little was Kentucky's RB. Looked like an All American his freshman year but has been injury prone. He is 5'9 and 195, but if he could bulk up some he could be a steal.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  5. #289
    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Mario-Rijo View Post
    He had an awful combine. Ran close to a 4.7 and my guess says he probably failed miserably on some wonderlic tests. I do recall he originally signed a letter of intent with Miami of Fla. and didn't make it academically. Then he later got in to LSU or as I like to call it Michigan State South.
    The problem is that the draft is so far removed from actual football. The guy made play after play after play. I know the speed of the game is much faster in the NFL but to tell me that you can watch game film of Highsmith and tell me he can't play at the NFL level is odd.

  6. #290
    Will post for food BuckeyeRedleg's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    When you have to play guys like Anthony Schegel and the like, because your depth is so bad it boggles the noggin that they wouldn't take a chance late with a Highsmith.

    Did he have off the field issues?

    The questionable Matt Sherry (TE) pick would have been a perfect spot to take Highsmith.

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    Member chicoruiz's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    It may be that Highsmith gives the Bengals a bit of a Reinard Wilson flashback. It's probably sonmething none of us knows about, though; 31 other teams seemed to share the Bengals opinion.
    "In baseball, you don't know nothin'"...Yogi Berra

  8. #292
    Will post for food BuckeyeRedleg's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by chicoruiz View Post
    It may be that Highsmith gives the Bengals a bit of a Reinard Wilson flashback. It's probably sonmething none of us knows about, though; 31 other teams seemed to share the Bengals opinion.
    Wilson was a 1st round pick. Taking Highsmith late is a low risk/high reward move.

    None of those 31 other teams had to play a game with two LB's or have Anthony Schelegel play significant minutes.

    I agree that we don't know the reasons. It just seems like unless they are using that TE as a LS, he was a wasted pick, especially when they could have added depth to LB (at least to the practice squad) at a position where they had serious issues last year.

  9. #293
    Smooth WMR's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    I can't believe they didn't either A) Draft Wesley Woodyard or B) Get him as a free agent.

    He is going to go somewhere and seriously improve a team.

  10. #294
    Beware of Fake Posts Screwball's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    I found a pretty good write-up about 3rd round pick "Bubba" Caldwell over on Josh Kirkendall's blog, cincincyjungle.com:

    It was somewhat of a surprise that the Bengals went after two wide receivers in the first four rounds with Coastal Carolina's Jerome Simpson and Florida's Andre Caldwell. I asked Michael who runs the Alligator Army blog for the Florida Gators, what should we expect from Bubba Caldwell.

    Do not listen to the analysts when they break down Andre Caldwell. Why? Andre Caldwell exists only on box scores and injury reports.

    Bubba Caldwell is the guy the Bengals drafted. He is the guy I saw for four years in Gainesville, who went from just being a fast dude to a crafty receiver who could go over the middle and beat coverage long. I am biased because he is a Tampa guy and played in the same youth football league I was in. But for a third round pick, not only did the Bengals get a steal, but they got a player who is ready for the pros right now.

    Caldwell's advantage is not his speed or his hands. It is his experience playing different roles. We don't know yet what the effects of the spread offense are on a NFL receiver. It's not the 'pro style' offense that you can break down easily, but how many guys line up at flanker, in the backfield, in the slot, or on the edge? Caldwell would do all of that in one series.

    Durability is a concern as Caldwell struggled with a strained knee during the start of the season. Looking at his game log, the three games he missed were between games when the Gators rarely played him. Take out those two games and his yards per game goes from 76 to 93. When healthy, Caldwell can be a game changer. Tim Tebow's performance against South Carolina was tremendous (seven TDs), but Caldwell's 11 catches for 148 and a TD catch wasn't bad either. He also had six catches for 73 and a score in the wild Kentucky game, Caldwell's first game at 100 percent strength. Caldwell finished with 56 catches for 761 yards in 10 games.

    Look at last year. Caldwell had only one game with triple digits in receiving yards, but he had 57 catches in 14 games including eight catches against Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Florida State. Against Alabama and LSU, it was five catches in each. Caldwell can be a possession guy who is too fast to be tracked across the middle or out wide where he will beat one-on-one coverage. (You know he ran a 4.37 forty right? And here's him running a 4.5 forty in a 66-yard TD run against FSU in 2006.) (I put the link at the bottom) Plus, he did play against SEC defenses, and I think the folks in Ohio know it's hard to be successful against that.

    There is one more thing to add. Since, "character issues," is always thrown around draft time, it's important to note there is none of that with Caldwell. When he first came to UF he was one of the super athletes Ron Zook recruited who never went to class and was allowed to do what ever he wanted. Thankfully Zook was sent to a place where 8-5 records make him eligible for Sainthood not the electric chair. Caldwell broke his leg the next season, took a medical redshirt, and became an elder statesman in the Urban Meyer regime. He was run blocking, going across the middle, doing the little things. He also started going to class and he graduated in December. He will be a great pro. But, please, call him Bubba.
    66 yard TD run

  11. #295
    Back from my hiatus Mario-Rijo's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    A nice round-up from Bengals.com and my feelings pretty much to the tee!

    On further review...
    By GEOFF HOBSON
    April 29, 2008

    Posted: 11:15 a.m.

    After matching their needs with their 10 selections, a panel of draft observers believe the Bengals significantly upgraded their defense and added three talented wide receivers that are going to be NFL productive.

    The trio doesn't hand out grades, but it did characterize the Bengals' work this past weekend as "solid."

    One former NFL personnel boss who has worked in both conferences says the Bengals had it right when they went for Coastal Carolina receiver Jerome Simpson in the second round at No. 46 and Auburn defensive tackle Pat Sims in the third at No. 77.

    "I had Simpson going late second, early third. High grades on his athleticism and hands," he says. "If they wanted him, they weren't going to get him next time around. And I had Sims rated as a second-rounder and the fourth-best DT."

    Rob Rang, senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, called the Simpson pick one of the best in the draft, and after completing his 31st draft survey, Jerry Jones of The Drugstore List rated Florida wide receiver Andre Caldwell as one of the steals.

    "I thought they should have taken him in the second," Jones says. "He's fast, and any time you've got a receiver coming out of Florida, you know he's well schooled in the passing game."

    All three also disagreed with the selection of Fresno State defensive tackle Justin Shirley in the fifth round because of his off-field baggage.

    "Why did they do it?" Rang asks. "Well, I know why. The guy has a huge upside, but they've done a good job in the last couple of drafts staying away from those character risks."


    Rivers
    The Bengals are still wearing the bandages from getting burned with two of those picks in the 2005 draft, second-rounder Odell Thurman, a linebacker, and third-rounder Chris Henry, a wide receiver. Their transgressions, in some measure, dictated three of Cincinnati's first four picks three years later with Simpson and Caldwell along with USC linebacker Keith Rivers going in the first round. The Rivers pick, by the way, is one the panel says can transform the backer corps.

    "He's not going to make the flashy plays," Rang says. "But he can make all the plays. By far the best backer in the draft."

    Simpson
    Although guys like Jones were baffled by Simpson's selection ("I couldn't find anybody that had him going before the fifth round," he said), the ex-NFL chief and Rang had him rated much higher on the board.

    "Three months ago I was asking teams to give me the name of another small school guy to go with (Tory cornerback) Leodis McKelvin," Rang says. "And five teams told me to keep an eye on the Coastal Carolina receiver."

    They did.

    "The one thing that worried me about Simpson is that sometimes he had trouble getting separation in man-to-man," the former NFL chief says. "But he also had a different quarterback this year and the guy wasn't as good as the guy he had the year before. He still had 17 yards a catch. He dominated the action with his jumping and his huge hands. I think he's going to be excellent."


    Caldwell
    Rang's people compare him in style to Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but Rang won't put the Hines Ward tag on Caldwell even though he sees the similarities.

    "He's versatile. He's thrown some passes in that offense and he scored the winning touchdown in the Senior Bowl on a reverse," Rang says. "He'll block, too."

    As the league personnel man said of their 40-yard dash times, "Hines runs a 4.6, this kid runs 4.3. Caldwell is not very elusive, but he's a vertical guy."

    Sims
    He's also extremely impressed with the 6-2, 310-pound Sims, a D-tackle he rated behind only Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis and Kentwan Balmer.

    "He's very athletic. He anticipates the snap. He's quick, powerful. He can play both the three technique and be an inside pass rusher," the personnel man says. "He has a tendency to get up in the air and sometimes he's a little over-aggressive. But he's got production. He played (seven) games with a cast for a broken bone in his hand and it didn't faze him. He's a guy on the come."

    Rang is worried about Sims' maturity and approach to the game, but gives him high grades on how he plays. Jones also had him highly rated since, "I'm more interested in all-conference teams than All-American teams because they're voted on by opposing coaches and if they say this guy is the best tackle in the SEC, you believe it," he said.

    The panel also liked the selection of Kansas tackle Anthony Collins in the fourth round.


    Collins
    "I love that one," Rang says. "I know you say the Bengals have four tackles, but he's a good enough athlete that they can use him in a lot of places."

    The personnel man thinks Collins is going to need a year to develop, but "he's got great feet. You can't replace those, and he's got a tremendous frame," he said.

    Urrutia
    Size is a big reason the personnel man likes Cincinnati's last pick, a 6-5, 230-pound wide receiver from Louisville in Mario Urrutia.

    "He's going to be able to play in the league. I think he's an interesting guy because he's so big and how he moves," he says, and Jones says, "If you go back to some preseason coverage, he was talked about a lot. He's a junior, so he's a guy that can develop."

    Shirley
    Like everyone else, the personnel man knows that Shirley can play. He's 6-5, 340 pounds and he says, "He's massive. His size to height ratio is off the charts, and he's quick. But he's sluggish off the ball. It's a surprising pick given their situation. But it's not like it was a risk taken in the first or second round.

    All three see sixth-round pick Corey Lynch making the team as a special-teams ace out of Appalachian State, and even though University of Cincinnati defensive end Angelo Craig slid to the seventh round, they say not to dismiss him.

    "He can be a pass-rushing specialist on the right team," Jones says.

    And the Bengals need pass rushers.

    "I think they went out and met their needs during the whole draft," the personnel man says. "That's what you're supposed to do and they did it. I think Sims has a chance to be a really good player."
    Last edited by Mario-Rijo; 04-29-2008 at 06:16 PM.
    "You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

    --Woody Hayes

  12. #296
    Back from my hiatus Mario-Rijo's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by bucksfan2 View Post
    The problem is that the draft is so far removed from actual football. The guy made play after play after play. I know the speed of the game is much faster in the NFL but to tell me that you can watch game film of Highsmith and tell me he can't play at the NFL level is odd.
    I don't necc. disagree with you but I am just speculating on what reasons they may have had. For all I know it has nothing to do with those things just a starting point.
    "You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

    --Woody Hayes

  13. #297
    he/him *BaseClogger*'s Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    What's wrong with J Leman?

  14. #298
    Member Cedric's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Just got back from Vegas. Not a surprising draft from Marvin and his "crew". There is little worse than drafting a limited playmaking LB to play behind one of the worst interior Dlines in recent memory. Basically you couldn't ask Ray Lewis to play well when he's getting blocked four yards down the field by either a guard/center or a pulling backside lineman.

    Quite frankly this team has never shown the ability to build depth and craft enough play makers to stop other teams. Drafting someone like Rivers is just a waste and I guess Mike Brown didn't learn from the mistake picks of Simmons and Spikes. Those guys were good but by no means worthy of what they were paid. That happens when a team sits pat and watches the Saints get the player everyone knows the Bengals need. Did anyone doubt that Marvin and CO. would just sit pat and let Ellis go? There is a solid reason the Bengals have the worst track record of any professional team since 1990.

    Simply put the Bengals over value certain positions in the draft. Did anyone else realize that New England passed on Rivers at #7? You don't want to tie up your cap money with dime a dozen LB's. It's almost akin to paying top ten money for a RB. Unless someone is LT like you just shouldn't take that risk. This is the worst off season in the Marvin era. If anyone can honestly say that this team has improved from January I would love to see how. As I print this I can't even fathom how the Bengals would even compete with Cleveland and Pittsburgh. I wouldn't bet the ranch on the Bengals being better than a terrible Baltimore team either. If something doesn't give I think we are looking at another Bengal top five pick.

    Old times!
    Last edited by Cedric; 04-30-2008 at 01:51 AM.
    This is the time. The real Reds organization is back.

  15. #299
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Cedric View Post

    Old times!
    Please do not take a turn to Negativitytown on me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  16. #300
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

    The more I read about Ellis the more I think we did the right thing by not trading up to get him. Granted, we did try to get Ellis and Robertson via trade, but when you consider we got a younger DT with some promising upside with that pick, I think we did pretty good. Not to mention we kinda needed every pick we could get.

    Funny you did mention New England not taking Rivers two picks earlier, because they did trade down three picks later and take a linebacker who really was a bigger reach than anybody in the draft outside of the Texans pick.

    At that pick I really don't know who would have made a difference outside of Rivers. If we would have taken McKelvin I would have thrown my television out the window. Trading down would have been nice, but the problem with that is nobody wanting to move up.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.


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