Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl Game

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

East West Shrine Game

Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

East West Shrine Game

A

2009 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

by Jay Goldberg

The Bengals had a great draft.  They addressed all their major needs, especially if running back Bernard Scott can stay out of trouble.  They stole Mauagula and got very good value with Trent, Luigs, Johnson and McDonald.  The only thing keeping their draft from getting the elusive perfect score of A+ is that there is a bit more risk associated with A Smith than with Monroe, and that while I like Coffman, I love Nelson.

As of this write-up, the Bengals added a number of college street free agents to watch during preseason.  The player I like the best is Cosby who is a much better player than Brown who the Bengals drafted in round seven.

DRAFT PICKS

Andre Smith scares me a bit.  I had him as my fourth rated offensive tackle, not the second rated tackle like the Bengals.  It isn't because of potential.  It's because something just doesn't quite add up.  On tape, he looks great.  He especially looks strong.  However, he only lifted the bar 19 times.  Running back Bernard Scott, a 200 pound kid lifted the bar 20 times.  Free agent receiver, Quan Cosby, a 5'8.5", 198 pound receiver did 28 reps.  Smith was also out of the top third of tackles available in the draft in terms of speed, quickness and athleticism based on his workout numbers.  Yet he looks dominate on tape.  I like the pick, but something is gnawing at me.

Maualuga was a steal in round two.  I had a feeling he might fall which is why he was on my list of players who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than them.  In my opinion Maualuga was a top half of the first round talent.  He will be a force in the middle from day one, has Pro Bowl talent, and will become the identity of the Bengals' defense.  The kid can hit!  Oh, and Marvin Lewis, forget starting him on the strong side, have him replace Dhani Jones in the middle right away.  A great get by the Bengals.

All you hear around Michael Johnson is that he is a boom or bust prospect.  Maybe that would have been true if a team reached for him in round one.  However, in round three he is a boom or "fine for where he was drafted prospect".  Best case the kid puts it all together, outplays his draft position, and becomes a good full time starting end who gets double-digit sacks.  Worst case he becomes a valuable player in the nickel, getting quarterback pressures and 6 to 8 sacks.  That's fine value for the third round, especially for the Bengals who badly need pass rushers.

Coffman is a big target with terrific hands who can make the tough catch.  He is not much of a blocker and doesn't have top end speed for a tight end, but he will be a good target for Palmer.  While he was a solid pick here, personally, I like Shawn Nelson more.  Nelson isn't as tall but has more upside as a blocker, can stretch the field and also has terrific hands.  The Bengals went for height over speed.

The Bengals needed a center and got the best one available after the big three (Wood, Mack, Unger).  Luigs is not a dominate one-on-one blocker, but is reliable within a blocking scheme.

Huber was the best punter in the draft class and the Bengals didn't reach to grab him.

Trent is an interesting prospect.  He has good size, good speed, good quickness and is a very good athlete.  However, he is rough around the edges and that may always be the case.  Trent has the look of a kid who will have some moments that will make you believe he will be a top starter; but, long term, will be best served as a valuable backup corner and special teams player.  Still he will have a productive NFL career.

If I thought the case of Morgan Trent was interesting, what does that make the case of Bernard Scott?  Scott comes into the NFL with more off-the-field trouble than any other prospect, but with the talent to be a top flight NFL running back.  Scott's troubles were not of the annoyance-kind.  They were of the serious-kind.  However, he immediately becomes the best running back on the Bengals' roster (yes, better than Cedric Benson).  He is fast, quick, strong and athletic, and was extremely productive on the field at Abilene Christian.  Even with all the runs in with the law and coaches, a team taking a flyer on him in round three wouldn't have caused me to bat an eye.  The kid can be that good.

Vakapuna is a strong back who will have his hands full making this team.  To stick he will have to show he can be a force on special teams and be a goal-line, short-yardage back.

Check out the measureables of McDonald.  He is very strong, very quick and very athletic.  I had a fifth round grade on him, thinking he could be good at end in a 3-4 or at under-tackle on a team that likes fast, athletic tackles.  Worst case this could he used as an inside pass rusher in the nickel, and as mentioned previously, the Bengals need to get better pressure on the quarterback.  McDonald had 7 sacks his senior year.  Best case he adds some bulk, retains his speed and quickness and grows into a starter.

Brown is a tall, slow-ish possession receiver who, at times, did not show reliable hands.  Receivers with his size and understanding of the game have a chance, but he will have a very, very tough time making the roster and is no lock for the practice squad.

 COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Let's see; smallish receiver, very tough, great hands, better on the field than in workouts, sneaky fast, enters the league as an undrafted free agent; sound like anyone you know?  While I don't think Cosby will be as good Wes Welker there are some similarities.  Look for Cosby to be the rookie receiver in Bengals' camp who pushes for a roster spot.

Dow has good short area speed and some explosion off the ball.  He is a candidate for the Bengals' practice squad.

Marlon Lucky is the perfect storm in my mind when it comes to the draft prospect analysis process.  Lucky looked extremely fast at the East West Shrine Game.  Consider this tape study.  His workout showed only okay speed, both in the forty as well as the 10 and 20 yard splits.  So should you go on tape and throw out the "numbers" as the majority of tv talking heads preach;  or should you be cautious of the tape when the workout numbers do not support what you are seeing with your own eyes?   I believe that on field performance must be backed up by reasonable workout numbers (hence my concern for A Smith).  Not that there aren't exceptions.  Even a lot of them.  It's just that I look at the draft in terms of probability and feel better when everything lines up.  In this case, Lucky was a free agent, not even a late round pick, so his workout, which didn't support his play East West Shrine Game, caused him to fall out of the draft.  So let's see what Lucky does on the field against good competition, and don't be fooled if he excels against third-stringers.  All said, Lucky could challenge for a roster spot (his speed wasn't terrible, just not top shelf) and, worst case, should be on the Bengals' practice squad.

Orton is a more reliable version of Freddie Brown.  Like Brown, Orton has good size and is a possession receiver.  However, Orton is stronger and has better hands.

Richmond was productive at San Jose State which earned him an invite to the Combine.  He wasn't expected to be a burner and he wasn't, but he also didn't display good quickness and, while a good athlete, wasn't as explosive an athlete as expected.  This caused him to go undrafted.  He does have some tools to work with so he could find his way onto the practice squad.  However, with Cosby and Orton on hand, even that could be a tough task for him.

Skuta was a defensive lineman in college that some (including me) projected to outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense because of his lack of size (249 pounds), his pass rush skills (11.5 sacks his senior year) and his nonstop pursuit (77 total tackles).    If he makes the Bengals it will be as a pass rush specialist.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

The Bengals draft was excellent, however, they could have used a starting caliber defensive end in the draft because free agent signee Odom is injury-prone and Geathers hasn't made a believer of me yet.  Hence the A- instead of an A.  My initial response to their second round pick of Simpson was that it was a mistake and they should have gone with Laws or Caldwell.  Having come away with Sims and Shirley at defensive tackle later, and getting Caldwell in round three, looking back I now believe that defensive end Campbell or Groves would have been a better pick than Simpson.  However, even with the Simpson pick and no defensive end they still get an A- which shows you how much I basically liked this draft. 

DRAFT PICKS

Rivers is a player this team badly needed.  While the team has had some good players at linebacker in the recent past, Rivers represents a player that can be a stable star to build around and provide this defense with an identity.  He is strong, fast, a great athlete and a terrific football player.  While Ellis may have been the player the Bengals wanted to fall to them in round one, in the long run they may be happier that he was off the board so that they could select this talented linebacker.

Simpson was a reach in round two.  The fact that the receiver I thought the team should have taken instead was available for them in round three (Caldwell) is a factor when grading this draft.  If the Bengals took Caldwell here and Simpson in round three, then I would have agreed with the Caldwell pick and felt the Simpson was okay.  However, looking in hindsight (knowing Caldwell would be available for them in round three) as previously mentioned defense ends Campbell or Groves would have looked mighty nice at this spot.  Simpson is a very god athlete with good, not great speed.  However he has below-average quickness.  With Bengals success at drafting receivers I'm not taking too much off their grade for this selection, but it wouldn't surprise me if Simpson never develops into anything more than a #4 receiver.

Sims was a solid selection in round three.  He has good short area speed which allows him to get penetration against the pass.  He is also okay against the run but needs to get stronger to become dominate.;

Caldwell was a steal towards the end of round three.  He is very fast, quick, athletic and has good hands.  He will be a good #3 to Chad and T.J. and could be a top #2 if Chad moves on.  He is a better receiver and the better prospect than Simpson.

Shirley is a very intriguing prospect.  Selected by any other team I would be ecstatic.  However, he comes with some off the field concerns and the Bengals may not be the best place for as player like that to tote the line.  On the field Shirley provides the Bengals with a very unique talent.  A big kid at about 6'5" and 330 pounds, he has the quickness and agility of a top skill player.  He is also surprisingly athletic for someone his size.  He could be the dominate inside player the Bengals need.  They just have to make sure he stays out of trouble off the field.

Lynch is a quick safety who changes direction very well.  He will be a top special teams player.  However, he may never be more than a nickel safety.  

Matt Sherry is a player the Bengals had rated more highly than me.  He catches well, and has the potential to grow as a blocker, but is not the prospect Daniel Coates is and may have trouble making the final roster. 

Craig was a good value pick in round seven.  He has a chance to be a pass rush specialist, but his lack of speed is a concern.

Urrutia is a tall receiver with good speed for his size and good hands.  However, he is very one-dimensional as a down-the-field receiver since he has below average quickness and cutting ability.  Still, he is a good candidate for the practice squad and if his footwork can be improved, the Bengals may have something down the line.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Blair played tackle in college but projects best inside in the NFL.  He could find his way onto the practice squad and be a verasatile sub down the line.

Purify has a decent combo of size, speed and hands.  However, with the number of receivers in Bengals' camp may have a hard time getting noticed.  He is also a player with off the field concerns and may not be worth the risk as a bottom of the roster receiver.

Bugg is one of the best long snappers in the draft.  

I was surprised Castille went undrafted.  He is a versatile defensive back who can play corner or safety.  He is a good cover man but has speed, quickness and athleticism measureables that fit better at safety.  However, he will need to get stronger to play safety in the NFL.  If Castille hits the weight room, the Bengals could have a quality free safety who can cover.  He is perfect to hide for a year on the practice squad while getting him "pumped up" to play safety.

Travis Brown is yet another wide receiver with the skill set to be a bottom of the roster receiver.

B-

2005 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

The Bengals had a nice draft.  Pollack could be either an end or a linebacker in their scheme.  Ideally, they Bengals would like to use him at linebacker where he would be a force as a blitzer, and has a non-stop motor in pursuit.  There are, however, some questions regarding Pollack at both spots.  As an end, he may have trouble playing off blocks, as a linebacker, he may not have enough speed.  Thurman should come in and start right away at middle linebacker.  Landon Johnson, who in his own right did a credible job in the middle last year, could offer him competition for that spot.  In any case, the Bengals will, most likely, cut Hardy, and have some combination of Simmons, Johnson, Thurman and Pollack starting.  Henry could become "Chad Johnson Junior."  He has size and speed and the potential to be a big playmaker.  He could give the Bengals what they hoped to get from Kelley Washington.  Former Central Michigan teammates Ghiaciuc and Kieft are cut from the same cloth.  They dominated in college and it appears they did so on their strength and athletic ability, not the lack of consistent top competition.  Tab Perry is a sixth round steal.  Unfortunately for him he comes to a team deep in receivers so he may get lost in the crowd.  He will need to show his stuff early, both as a receiver, and as a special team performer to stick.  Fanene has good size for a defensive end, and was a good college pass-rusher.  He may lack top speed and quickness, however, to be a pass-rushing force in the NFL.  Long term, he could find his way onto a team that plays the 3-4 as a rotation player at end.

As of this writing the Bengals had two free agent signing of note.  Prior to his knee injury, Wilkerson could have easily been one of the top three or four centers off the board in the draft.  He may need to spend a year on the injury list getting back to full strength, but he could pay big dividends in 2006.  Josh Haldi is the second free agent signing of note.  He has excellent athletic skills for a quarterback.  However, he was an inconsistent at college.  With the proper tutelage, he has a chance to develop into an NFL-caliber quarterback. 

B-

2004 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD