2008 NFL Draft: Mock my words - Bengals style - Wide Receivers

By Adam Kiefaber

The countdown is on.

The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away and Cincinnati fans are eagerly awaiting to see what will happen on April 26 at 3 p.m.

No one even knows what the Miami Dolphins will do with the No. 1 overall pick.

However, one thing is certain, the Bengals will not pick a wide receiver with the No. 9 overall pick.

That doesn’t mean the team doesn’t need one.

As we all know, Chris Henry is gone, “the wide receiver” might be playing his last season in Cincinnati and T.J. Houshmandzadeh is in the last year of his contract.

Several names (OU’s Malcolm Kelly and IU’s James Hardy - left) from 2008 WR class have linked to the Bengals and the team is expected to draft at least one during that last weekend in April.

I believe that the Bengals will be hoping that its favorite WR prospect falls into their lap in the second or third rounds. If USC DT Sedrick Ellis is gone by the No. 9 pick, the team may trade down and draft a WR.

If the team doesn’t trade down, then it seems that the Bengals will be looking at wide receivers in rounds two through seven.

ROUND TWO
- Bengals would love to have -
Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly - It is obvious that the Bengals are interested in Kelly, who at one time was considered the top WR prospect in the entire draft. After a slow 40 time (4.68) at his pro day, Kelly’s stock may have slipped to the second round.
2007 HIGHLIGHTS OF MALCOLM KELLY

2006 HIGHLIGHTS OF MALCOLM KELLY

Indiana WR James Hardy - Like Kelly, Hardy is one of the few prospects that has come in for a visit with the Bengals. Hardy, also like Kelly, is a tall target. Hardy is 6-foot-6 and Kelly is 6-foot-4.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER
LSU WR Early Doucet - Not as tall or physically impressive as Hardy or Kelly, but is more versatile. Doucet could fill the need for a punt returner. However, he has injury concerns and I personally have a bad feeling about him (not a good fit in Cincy).
Florida WR Andre Caldwell- Has durability issues, but is a playmaker. His biggest asset is his speed (4.37 40-yard dash).
Michigan WR Mario Manningham - His stock is slipping. His 40 time was 4.6 at the combine and has some character issues, which is something the Bengals will be looking to avoid. That all being said, Cincinnati may draft Manningham because he has the potential to become a No. 1 WR and the team seems to like players from Michigan.
PLAYERS THAT WILL BE LONG GONE
Honestly one of these prospects might fall in the draft, but I can’t imagine any of them being available by the time the Bengals are on the clock in the second round. MSU WR Devin Thomas, CAL WR DeSean Jackson and Texas WR Limas Sweed.

MIDDLE ROUNDERS
The best prospects at WR might be found in the middle rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft, but you better be careful because it might be tricky picking the right one. Personally I like -
Kansas St. WR Jordy Nelson - USA Today has Nelson being selected somewhere in the third or fourth rounds. I like his work ethic. It might be a season or two before he excels at the NFL level, but I don’t see why he couldn’t be another Housh-type WR.
Oklahoma St. WR Adarius Bowman - Last year at this time, many draft followers were predicting that Bowman would be the next Calvin Johnson (top-ten pick at WR). However, after a few drops during the Senior Bowl, his stock has fallen and USA Today has him being selected in the fifth round. Personally, I think Bowman will be a superstar someday. Cincinnati will probably shy away since he has had character problems in the past.
Louisville WR Mario Urrutia - I remember watching Urrutia as a freshman and thinking that this kid was going to be the next great receiver. At the time, I thought that having this giant (6-foot-6) at WR just wasn’t fair for the opposition. In his first three collegiate games, he caught 17 passes for 446 yards and scored three touchdowns. He does have durability issues, but I think he could be a star in the Bengals offense. Experts have Urrutia being selected somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds.

CURRENT WRs

“The WR” (Age: 30) - Turn on the T.V.

T.J. Houshmanzadeh (Age: 30) - Housh is in the last year of his contract and will be 31 in late September. Common sense would have you believe that the Bengals will sign Housh to a multi-year deal very soon.

Antonio Chatman (Age: 29) - Chatman hasn’t been healthy since signing with Cincinnati in 2006. In 2005, he caught 49 passes for 549 yards and had five touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers. It is hard to imagine that he will be able to put up numbers like that ever again.

Glenn Holt (Age: 23) - Even though the team’s official Web site isn’t high on Holt, he is only 23 and showed at times (five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown a in a game against Cleveland) that he could be a solid third option at WR. Holt is currently the team’s best option at kick returner.

Doug Gabriel (Age: 27) - Gabriel didn’t play in the NFL at all last season, which has many believing that he will not make the team. If the season started today he would be on the team, but come preseason he will be battling a couple of rookies for a roster spot. Gabriel can be used as a kick returner.

Marcus Maxwell (Age: 24) - Like Gabriel, Maxwell will have to earn a spot on the roster. I remember his five-yard catch in the Buffalo game, but that didn’t show us much. Maxwell is 6-foot-4 and lanky.

OVERVIEW

The team has 10 picks in the NFL Draft and figure to have at least two open spots on its roster. To me it seems as though there is a deep pool of potentially solid WRs. The problem is, if you ask one person to list the top-five prospects at WR and then ask the next person, each list of prospects would be completely different. The best way to describe this year’s wide receiver class is that it is “hit or miss.” So, if Cincy lands Ellis with the No. 9 pick, I would like the Bengals to pick a WR or a linebacker with the second rounder. The team has two third-round picks. It would be ideal if the team would pick DT, LB and then use both third rounders on WRs that way the team should strike gold on one of them.

Malcolm Kelly rapping after the BIG 12 Championship in ‘06

Coming soon: New Bengalstripes writer Shane Bulcher will break down the linebacker position.