The Official 2008 NFL Draft Thread

[Reds Fanatic]

Bengals next 6th round pick

Matt Sherry TE Villanova

[joshnky]

Matt Sherry - TE Villanova

It looks like they're filling out the practice squad. Don't know much about him but its hard to see him making the team over Coats, the likely 3rd TE.

[Reds Fanatic]

They said on ESPN Sherry has very good hands

[WMR]

How many QBs are the Packers going to draft???? LOL

[Tony Cloninger]

Out here in my area....Washington was liked but not loved due to his lack of securing the ball.

How does Indy get like 5 supplemental picks? Did they lose that many players?

[DoogMinAmo]

Haruki Nakamura went to the Ravens one pick before the Bengals in the 6th. :(

Talk about conflict.

[Reds Fanatic]

Bengals 7th round pick: Angelo Craig DE Cincinnati

Scouting Report:


Analysis
Positives: Long, lean build with room for considerable growth. ... Good straight-line speed. ... Natural pass rusher. ... Nice burst off the snap and shows the flexibility and balance to dip his shoulder and get around the offensive tackle as a pass rusher. ... Flashes some change of direction. ... Showed at least adequate instincts when playing linebacker as an underclassman. ...



Negatives: Raw prospect who lacks the sand in his pants to remain at defensive end and doesn't show a great deal of functional strength at linebacker. ... Struggles to avoid the trash when playing in space due to inconsistent balance and change of direction. ... Marginal use of hands to disengage from blocks. ... Some character red-flags, including being benched against Pittsburgh this year for an unspecified violation of team rules.

[CTA513]

Bengals picked DE Angelio Craig from UC in the 7th

[WVRed]

I have to admit, the more I read, the more I like the Bengals draft.

Pat Sims and Jason Shirley(assuming he can stay away from the bottle) are both going to be factors. Even if Chad does return, Caldwell will have an immediate impact on the kick return game.

BTW, I think Indianapolis had a very underrated draft. Get offensive line help in the second round, and Jacob Tamme will replace Ben Utecht without a hitch.

[Reds Fanatic]

Bengals last pick:

Mario Urrutia WR Louisville


Analysis
Positives: Has a thick, developing frame, with long arms, large hands, good upper body muscle definition, solid chest and shoulders and good thickness in his legs and calves... Natural athlete who displays functional upfield quickness and the acceleration to elude defenders after the catch...Has decent acceleration with the linear speed needed to eat up a defender's cushion...Tough in traffic and has the frame to adjust to the ball and the long reach to extend and high-point the pass...Has the body control to make sharp cuts coming out of his routes...Shows good timing to the stick posts and on corner routes...Displays enough quickness to get to the second level...Will sneak up on the defender when trying to get open, using his deceptive linear speed to separate...Shows good short and medium quickness in and out of his breaks and can power through the jam... Shows good timing going up for the ball in flight and a competitive nature to wrest the ball away from the defenders in traffic...Extends his arms properly and catches with his hands and has the functional strength to escape press coverage...Physical blocker who will face up with aggression...Competes for the ball in traffic and is not afraid to block upfield...Makes a good effort to position and pester the defender...Capable of making the crack block upfield, showing good aggression at the second level to clear the way for the run...Not really sudden in his moves, but once he escapes the press and has that stride to get to the ball in a hurry, taking advantage of his height and long arms...Smooth in his burst and can make proper body adjustments to elude at the second level...Knows how to use his size to power through arm tackles...Effective on screens, as he can use some shake to make defenders miss and is effective at coming back for the underneath and off-target passes... Knows how to shield the ball from defenders and has the leg drive to power through the pile, along with good body lean to fall forward after the initial hit to gain additional yardage...Might lack explosive or sudden bursts off the snap, but with his long limbs he is a long-strider who can gobble up the cushion quickly...Has large, strong hands to field the ball cleanly and secures it well before turning upfield...Not really a deep threat, but his size and balance going up for the ball in a crowd makes him a legitimate red zone threat.



Negatives: Has good agility, but appears a little stiff in his hips as he needs to sink them better coming out of his breaks...Needs to be a little softer in his angle cuts...Has decent acceleration, but is not light on his feet...Shows good body control and has the flexibility to adjust to the ball, but just needs to show better consistency...Will gather and round his cuts, at times, but has the body control to steadily improve his timing...While his hands appear natural, he can drop the easy passes due to a lack of concentration, and for some reason he did not show the arm extension that he showed in the past as a junior, as he seemed to get into a rhythm where he body-caught, rather than reach for the ball, resulting in a high amount of dropped tosses...Must work on refining his patterns, as he did not run crisp routes as a junior (perhaps compensating for turf toe) that he showed in 2006 and this caused him to have some separation issues in the open field...Needs to mature on the field, as he got very frustrated after a bad play in 2007, letting his emotions get the best of him, resulting in several penalty flags tossed his way...Will never have the speed or second gear to elude, and must return to the weight room to improve his overall strength or he will have problems defeating the jam at the next level (does not have the hand strength to jolt a press coverage defender)...Trapped the ball too often in 2007, as he seemed be using his body more as a crutch rather than displaying the natural arm reach to get to the ball at its high point (could be the result of having too much pain trying to push off with his injured foot. He did show decent extension for the ball his first two years, but reverted to body catching as a junior)...Needs to develop a better team concept, as he feels that he should be the focal point of the passing game and will throttle down or sulk when not involved in the play...Not a hard worker and needs to be monitored in the training program (tends to get out of shape and lazy in the offseason)... Does not take well to hard coaching.



Compares To: MATT JONES-Jacksonville...While Urrutia is an imposing-looking athlete, like Jones his desire for the game runs hot and cold. He is a physical receiver, but seemed to revert to body catching rather than extending for the ball as a junior. His turf toe injury probably affected his leaping ability, but even before the injury he was not firing on all eight cylinders. When his head is in the game, he is a classic chain-mover, especially inside the red zone. However, if he doesn't get his fair amount of touches, he gets frustrated, gets into penalty trouble and simply disappears for long stretches. He is certainly a player who needed to return to school to repair his tarnished image.


Injury Report
2005: Sat out the Cincinnati game (10/22) with a knee sprain.



2007: Suffered a turf toe injury vs. North Carolina State (9/29), missing the Utah (10/05) and Cincinnati games (10/13), while seeing just brief action vs. Connecticut (10/19).

[joshnky]

I'm not a big fan of Urrutia. Great straight line speed and size but he seemed to lack the work ethic necessary to improve. He was tremendous his freshman year but struggled last year with consistency and drops when going over the middle.

He certainly has the body to be an elite receiver but the question is in his head.

Another thought: I don't see how he sticks on this team because he won't give you much on special teams. He really reminds me of Kelley Washington in that regard.

[joshnky]

Bengals draft:

Rd 1 - #9(9) Keith Rivers (OLB) USC ESPN Video
Rd 2 - #15(46) Jerome Simpson (WR) Coast Car
Rd 3 - #14(77) Pat Sims (DT) Auburn
Rd 3 - #34(97) Andre Caldwell (WR) Florida
Rd 4 - #13(112) Anthony Collins (OT) Kansas
Rd 5 - #10(145) Jason Shirley (DT) Fresno St
Rd 6 - #11(177) Corey Lynch (S) App St
Rd 6 - #41(207) Matt Sherry (TE) Villanova
Rd 7 - #37(244) Angelo Craig (OLB) Cincy
Rd 7 - #39(246) Mario Urrutia (WR) Louisville

[WVRed]

Urrutia=replaces the size lost by Chris Henry, assuming he even makes the team.

One thing about it, Carson Palmer should be happy with the new toys he has on offense.

[NorrisHopper30]

I actually love the Urrutia pick.

[Highlifeman21]

Sims and Caldwell are solid picks in round 3, IMO.

As for the rest, let's see how they look in training camp.

[bucksfan2]

My thoughts on the draft. I was shocked with the Simpson pick. Not only because I have never heard of him but I thought there were more areas that needed adressing before WR. I also thought there is pretty good value at WR later in the draft. But as stupid as the Bengals seem there must have been something that they really really liked with Simpson to take.

I found it interesting that the Enquirer ragged on the Bengals for taking Simposn and gave a list of players who they could have had instead. Sims was on that list.

I didn't like the Caldwell pick because again I thought there were more needs. After the first few rounds I had never heard of anyone drafted so I really have no comment about them. I did however love the Urrutia pick. He had a chance to be a good one IMO. I think his attitude held him back at UL and the Bengals under Lewis have seemed to pick players with upside potential.

It is impossible to tell how a drafting class will actually produce on the field the day of or the day after the draft. The "experts" are in love with the Chefs draft but who knows whether all will be in camp, injury free, and productive players as of now.

[Reds Fanatic]

The more I hear about Simpson the more I am liking the pick. Apparently on NFL network today they were talking about the WRs taken in the draft and they said they expect Simpson to be the first of the WRs taken in the draft to make a pro bowl. At this point it is all a guess how players will do but at least some of the so called experts like Simpson.

[WVRed]

On a side note, the SEC's leading tackler was undrafted.

Marvin, please start making some calls.:)

[*BaseClogger*]

how about those tricky Lions? :lol:

[Screwball]

I'll give the Bengals' draft a solid B.

They got a couple solid front 7 defensive players with their 1st and 3rd picks, and Jerome Simpson sounds like he could be a stud (especially with Carson Palmer throwing him the ball). However, I really, really wanted Sedrick Ellis. I understand Marvin's desire to keep the 3rd rounder while still getting Keith Rivers, but Ellis is a beast and we needed a serious upgrade at DT.

Still a pretty good draft overall though, IMO.

[DoogMinAmo]

C+/B- for me so far, but there are definitely some high risk/ high reward types.

FYI, Bengals signed Bradley Glatthaar and Anthony Hoke from UC as free agents.

[CTA513]

C+/B- for me so far, but there are definitely some high risk/ high reward types.

FYI, Bengals signed Bradley Glatthaar and Anthony Hoke from UC as free agents.

Good to hear about Anthony Hoke, he was a guy I was hoping they would pick up as a free agent.

[Mario-Rijo]

I gotta give it a B -

Picks I like:

Rivers, Simpson, Collins, Lynch

On the fence:

Sims, Caldwell, Sherry, Craig

Not overly thrilled about:

Shirley & Urrutia

[Mario-Rijo]

C+/B- for me so far, but there are definitely some high risk/ high reward types.

FYI, Bengals signed Bradley Glatthaar and Anthony Hoke from UC as free agents.

Other CFA's signed:

FB Tyler Whaley OSU
CB Simeon Castille Alabama
OL Justin Britt Alabama

http://bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6759

Marvin said they would likely sign 7-12 CFA's (Per video 7th Rd press conference)

[camisadelgolf]

I would've liked to have seen more cornerback depth out of the Bengals' draft. Deltha O'Neal is out the door, David Jones will probably never do anything, and Blue Adams is pathetic as a cornerback (but, granted, not as a special teams player). Maybe the Bengals like the progress Ethan Kilmer has made in his very limited experiences at cornerback?

[joshnky]

I agree with most of the previous assessments that this was a decent but not great draft for the Bengals. Rivers should be able to come in and play right away at a position that was a major weakness last year. Simpson and Caldwell add much needed depth at receiver and should be able to contribute on special teams and as 3rd and 4th receivers. They're both probably better options than any receiver but CJ and TJ. I like the pick of Sims as high risk/reward. He has a bigger body than Ellis or Laws and could develop into an immovable force in the middle as he adds weight and muscle to an already large frame. The motivation questions are real, however; but hopefully he'll mature quickly when he recognizes the money involved. I envision that he will be a part of the rotation this year with potential for more down the line. Everything I read about Collins suggests that he was a steal and the same thing for Lynch. Sherry has potential if he can develop as a blocker. I'm not a big fan of Craig, Shirley, or Urrutia but its hard to complain much about late round picks. They're all low risk in terms of the investment with potentially great rewards.

Overall, I think this draft meets a lot of needs and adds depth in key spots. Unfortunately, they didn't draft a difference maker but there were few of those outside the top 5-6 picks.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

There were some good safeties that went undrafted. Does anyone have an idea what happened to these guys (why they dropped)?

-D.J. Wolfe, Oklahoma
-Jamar Adams, Michigan
-Marcus Griffin, Texas
-Jonathan Hefney, Tennessee
-D.J. Parker, Virginia Tech
-Simeon Castille, Alabama

Glad they picked up Castille. The Lindy's Draft guide has him as a 2nd rounder.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

GBnorth top 90 undrafted FA.

*Erin Henderson LB 6-1, 242 Maryland (X)
Wesley Woodyard LB 6-0, 227 Kentucky
Darrell Robertson DE 6-5, 265 Georgia Tech
D.J. Hall WR 6-2, 193 Albama
Tommy Blake DE 6-3, 270 TCU (X)
Ezra Butler LB 6-1, 250 Nevada
Jamar Adams FS 6-2, 212 Michigan
Drew Radovich OG 6-5, 301 Southern California (O)
Gary Guyton LB 6-2, 245 Georgia Tech
David Roach DB 6-0, 210 TCU
Michael Grant DB 5-10, 186 Arkansas
Simeon Castille DB 6-0, 190 Alabama
Dorien Bryant WR 5-10, 175 Purdue
Ali Highsmith LB 6-0, 230 LSU (X)
Eric Young OG 6-4, 310 Tennessee (X)
Anthony Aldridge WR 5-9, 170 Houston
Wallace Gilberry DE 6-2, 270 Alabama
D.J. Wolfe DB 5-11, 207 Oklahoma
Keilen Dykes DT 6-4, 295 West Virginia
Jameel McClain LB 6-1, 250 Syracuse
Chase Ortiz DE 6-2, 250 TCU
D.J. Parker DB 5-11, 192 Virginia Tech
Chad Simpson RB 5-9, 216 Morgan State
Jonathan Hefney DB 5-8, 190 Tennessee
Barry Booker DT 6-4, 286 Virginia Tech
Adarius Bowman WR 6-3, 223 Oklahoma State
Kyle Wright QB 6-2, 231 Miami
Eric Foster DT 6-1, 266 Rutgers
Ogemdi Nwagbuo DT 6-4, 300 Michigan State
Curtis Johnson LB 6-3, 245 Clark Atlantic
Vince Redd DE 6-6, 265 Liberty
Robert Felton OG 6-4, 315 Arkansas
Louis Holmes DE 6-4, 265 Arizona
Vince Hall LB 5-11, 232 Virginia Tech
Joe Jon Finley TE 6-6, 255 Oklahoma
Chris McDuffie OG 6-4, 330 Clemson
Maurice Purify WR 6-3, 224 Nebraska (X/O)
Marcus Walker CB 5-10, 191 Oklahoma
Sam Kellar QB 6-4, 241 Nebraska (X)
Kerry Brown OG 6-5, 305 Appalachian State
Johnny Dingle DE 6-2, 265 West Virgina
J Leman LB 6-2, 245 Illinois
Darius Renaud WR 5-9, 202 West Virginia
Steve Octavien LB 6-0, 240 Nebraska
Paul Smith QB 6-1, 210 Tulsa
Marcus Dixon DT 6-4, 292 Hampton (O)
Ben Moffitt LB 6-1, 235 South Florida
Darnell Terrell CB 6-2, 205 Missouri
Pedro Sosa OT 6-4, 300 Rutgers
Jonathan Zenon CB 6-0, 191 LSU
Marc Magro LB 6-2, 240 West Virginia
Dorian Smith DE 6-2, 265 Oregon State
Davonne Bess WR 5-10, 194 Hawaii
Al Phillips CB 5-11, 195 Wagner
Maurice Murray DT 6-4, 315 New Mexico State
Nehemiah Warrick DB 6-1, 210 Michigan State
Dantrell Savage RB 5-8, 187 Oklahoma State
Adam Bishop TE 6-5, 248 Nevada
Carl Stewart FB 6-1, 230 Auburn
Jolonn Dunbar LB 6-1, 231 Boston College
*Ryan Grice-Mullin WR 5-11, 187 Hawaii
Curtis Gatewood LB 6-2, 248 Vanderbilt
James McClinton DT 6-0, 293 Kansas
Andrew Crummey OG 6-5, 300 Maryland (X)
Rafael Little RB 5-9, 195 Kenucky (X)
Justin McKnney CB 5-9, 188 Kansas State
*Lamar Myles LB 6-0, 220 Louisville
Calvin Dawson RB 5-9, 200 Louisiana-Monroe
Joe Clermond DE 6-4, 252 Pittsburgh
Jason Rivers WR 6-1, 200 Hawaii
Darrell Strong TE 6-4, 268 Pittsburgh
Benjarvis Green-Ellis RB 5-11, 220 Mississippi
Marcus Griffin DB 5-10, 200 Texas
Anthony Morelli QB 6-4, 230 Penn State
Rod Johnson LB 6-2, 250 Oklahoma State
Brandon Sumrall CB 5-10, 195 Southern Mississippi
Derek Lokey DT 6-2, 290 Texas
Marcus Richardson LB 6-0, 230 Troy
Derrick Doggett DB 6-, 210 Oregon State
Frank Morton DT 6-2, 322 Tulane
Glenn Sharpe CB 6-0, 185 Miami (X)
Titus Brown DE 6-3, 250 Mississippi State
Tyler Polumbus OT 6-8, 312 Colorado
Henry Smith DT 6-3, 310 Texas A&M
Chris Graham LB 5-11, 235 Michigan
Jamie Silva DB 5-11, 205 Boston College
Joey Haynos TE 6-8, 260 Maryand
Shane Simmons LB 6-1, 225 Western Washington
Durell Mapp LB 6-1, 227 North Carolina

[chicoruiz]

Just for fun: Power tailbacks who went undrafted:

Jacob Hester, LSU
BenJarvis Green-Ellis, Ole Miss
Keon Lattimore, Maryland
Marcus Thomas, UTEP
Greg Moore, Cincinnati

Any interest in any of these?

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Just for fun: Power tailbacks who went undrafted:

Jacob Hester, LSU
BenJarvis Green-Ellis, Ole Miss
Keon Lattimore, Maryland
Marcus Thomas, UTEP
Greg Moore, Cincinnati

Any interest in any of these?


Hester was drafted as a fullback.

#69 to San Diego.

Marcus Thomas was also taken by San Diego (#166).

[WVRed]

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)

[GoReds33]

Just for fun: Power tailbacks who went undrafted:

Jacob Hester, LSU
BenJarvis Green-Ellis, Ole Miss
Keon Lattimore, Maryland
Marcus Thomas, UTEP
Greg Moore, Cincinnati

Any interest in any of these?Being a UC fan, I saw alot of Moore. I wasn't really impressed, but he didn't get the touches to prove that he wasn't good. I'd give him a shot, and see what he can bring to the table.

[bucksfan2]

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.

[CTA513]

Heres the updated list of players the Bengals have signed:

DB Simeon Castille, Alabama
OG James Blair, Western Michigan
OL Justin Britt, Alabama
FB Bradley Glatthaar, Cincinnati
DE Anthony Hoke, Cincinnati
FB Tyler Whaley, Ohio State
WR Clyde Logan, Idaho State


http://www.draftdaddy.com/nfldraft/AFCNorth.cfm

[Degenerate39]

If the Bengals could've signed any WR I wish they could've gotten Reynaud from WVU. I enjoyed watching him play last season. He wouldn't make an impact but he would be a decent WR.

[Mario-Rijo]

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.

[Mario-Rijo]

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.

[WVRed]

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.

[bucksfan2]

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.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

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.

[chicoruiz]

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.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

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.

[WMR]

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.

[Screwball]

I found a pretty good write-up about 3rd round pick "Bubba" Caldwell over on Josh Kirkendall's blog, cincincyjungle.com (http://www.cincyjungle.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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFpCVummTZE)

[Mario-Rijo]

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."

[Mario-Rijo]

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.

[*BaseClogger*]

What's wrong with J Leman?

[Cedric]

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!

[WVRed]

Old times!

Please do not take a turn to Negativitytown on me.:)

Wedding Crashers

[WVRed]

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.

[HotCorner]

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.


And yet the Patriots took LB Jerod Mayo with the #10 pick.

[redsfanmia]

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.

The Patriots did not reach they are just superior talent evaluators and know that Mayo is the second coming of the original L.T..

[WVRed]

The Patriots did not reach they are just superior talent evaluators and know that Mayo is the second coming of the original L.T..

Considering Mayo was projected to go late first-early second, taking him at 10 is a reach. It has worked for the Patriots before(Logan Mankins), but a reach is still a reach.

BTW, has anybody heard the numbers for the rookies? I read that Rivers wasn't taking the 55 from Ahmad Brooks. That could change if Brooks is cut due to the arrest though.