With very little linebacker hype in this year’s draft, one would think this year’s class must be sub-par.
But looking at the players in detail, I think it is full of solid and potentially great players. Out of all the linebackers, I have targeted six that could step in and play right away, and just maybe become a cornerstone of a Bengals’ defense that was ravaged by injury at the position.
Dan Connor, Penn State 6-3/235 pounds Projected: Late 1st, early 2nd round
Four-year starter at Linebacker U, Connor was an impact player from the day he stepped in at Happy Valley, recording 85 tackles as a freshman. Connor is an outstanding overall athlete who can go sideline-to-sideline with ease. His speed won’t shock you, but his tenacity and smarts more than make up for it as he’s always around the ball. The kid seems to just have the “it” factor.
Keith Rivers, USC 6-3/225 pounds Projected: 1st Round
Another four-year starter, Rivers came into USC with great expectations as he inherited the famous number fifty-five jersey. The same number worn by USC greats Junior Seau, Willie McGinest and Chris Claiborne. Rivers doesn’t seem to do anything exceptionally well, but he gets the job done and was a leader on a star-studded defense where he had to share tackles with a cast of All-Americans (only 78 tackles as a senior). Personally, the more I see, the less I like the idea of the Bengals drafting him at the nine spot, because he looks like a player who will be solid, but not great at the next level. One positive is that the Bengals are in dire need of leadership and strong character, and both are strengths of Rivers. 2006 Highlights of Keith Rivers
Jerod Mayo, Tennessee 6-2 230 pounds Projected: Late 1st early 2nd round
Mayo is a stout, rangy linebacker who has a nose for the ball. He will most likely settle in as a middle linebacker where he can utilize his strengths against the run. His weakness is his cover skills against quick running backs or tight ends. Prior to the scouting combine and workouts, many had Mayo ticketed for the late second, early third round. Now, after impressive performances he has elevated his stock to late first, or early second. 2007 Highlights of Jerod Mayo
Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma 6-0 238 pounds Projected: 2nd Round
Lofton (pic - above right) is built like a fire hydrant, and consistently runs over players with his brute strength. If you were to describe him in one word it would be explosive. His numbers were gaudy (157 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 INT and 2 touchdowns) against top-level talent. He’s one of the best against the run, but like many young LB’s he will need to improve his coverage skills in the NFL. I hate to say it, but his play reminds me a lot of Odell Thurman, as he has the ability make big plays and consistently blows up ball carriers. I think he would look very nice in stripes. 2007 Highlights of Curtis Lofton
Beau Bell, UNLV 6-3 245 pounds Projected: 3rd or 4th round Beau Bell (left) is a manimal. The guy has the measurables, intangibles and raw potential to be a great linebacker in the NFL. He looks like the best overall athlete at the linebacker position in this year’s draft. The only knack on him is that he often over pursues on plays and puts himself out of position, which coincidentally has been a serious problem for the Bengals. And he’s known for slowly picking up the playbook, which will hurt his stock as well. He could be one of those guys who could slip, but end up being a big steal in the third round.
Jeremy “J” Leman, Illinois 6-3 243 pounds Projected: 3rd to 5th round
Many may be surprised to see his name here, but this guy can flat out play. He’s not a workout warrior, but once he straps his chinstrap, there are few that work harder and produce more than Mr. Leman. He was the defensive leader for the Illini in both his junior and senior campaigns, in which he helped engineer a Rose Bowl birth. In my opinion, he’s a poor man’s A.J. Hawk, he won’t blow you away at the combine but he will on the field.
In a perfect (my) world, the Bengals land Sedrick Ellis with the first pick, then snag Curtis Lofton with their second round pick. This would add two young and extremely talented players to attack a weakness that has been a chronic problem for the Marvin era and beyond.
Please join us online at Bengalstripes.com for live draft discussion. I want to have a record amount of comments, so please sign up and give us your opinion. The NFL Draft begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 ET on ESPN and on the NFL Network. Rounds three through seven will be on Sunday starting at 10 a.m. ET.
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.
It seems like Bengaldom is currently in the midst of a recession, as we take hit after hit.
Personally, I have taken a beating lately from our rival fans, and it’s worse than ever. Which says a lot, considering the decade we went through known as the 90’s. I think what makes the latest string of disappointments more sour than ever is the fact that just two seasons ago we were rejoicing and celebrating our promising team.
It wasn’t all that long ago Bengal fans were watching Carson and Co. compete for a division title. At the time they were even being mentioned as Super Bowl contenders.
It all started to change on that fateful night, December 15th, 2005. That was the night of Chris Henry’s first arrest, for marijuana possession (he was pulled over for speeding and police found marijuana in his shoe). Most didn’t think too much of the incident at the time and most thought that Henry would get a slap on the wrist and soon enough it would all be forgotten, but it was just the beginning.
Henry’s arrest seemed to trigger a domino effect with Bengal players and run-ins with the law. Soon enough Henry was in trouble again (this time in Florida), then came a DUI for Deltha O’Neal, Reggie McNeal’s drug possession and Eric Steinbach’s boating under the influence (BUI). By the time first rounder Johnathan Joseph was arrested in January 2007, nine players were arrested in all.
All of the incidences have taken a serious toll, in many ways. The team’s overall play hasn’t been anywhere near the same since the arrest melee that followed the ‘05 season, and it’s really affected the fan base and league wide perception. ESPN has had more Bengals’ coverage than ever, but it’s for all the wrong reasons.
This off season has probably been the hardest to deal with. It all started with Chad Johnson, declaring that he was demanding a trade, change of scenery, a breath of fresh air, or whatever he’s calling it now. Then came a free agency in which we lost several key players (albeit from a poor defense) and only added two solid players. Then came two big misses on defensive tackle trades, the most costly being Shaun Rogers, and the salt in the wound being that he went to our in state rival, the Brownies.
However, there’s some good news from this off-season, the league awarded the team with four compensation picks, including a third rounder. With these grueling months past us, we can only hope that it’s time that Cinci makes some moves to energize the team and the fans. In the draft there are two pro bowl caliber tackles (Glen Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis) that are just what the doctor ordered. The Bengals are in dire need of a big play maker to clog the middle of the field and free up the linebackers, and I believe these guys can do just that. The only problem is, both of them will almost certainly be gone when the Bengals are on the clock with the ninth pick. In order to get one of the two elite tackles, the Bengals will need to part ways with some picks.
I am sure most of you fans have been catching serious trash talk from anyone not a fan of the Bengals, due to the recent media blitz. It’s gotten so bad that some of the Bengal faithful are growing weary of the arrests and management, to the point that many are losing hope. It has been tough, but it’s only April, and once the season kicks off, the offseason will be nothing but a distant memory. If the Bengals can step it up on defense with the addition of coordinator Mike Zimmer, and get their offense back on track, then there’s no reason that they can’t do what the Packers did last season and Saints the season before; rebound, make the playoffs and be a contender again. Don’t lose faith, we still have Carson, Marvin and many other reasons to believe that our team can get back on the track to greatness.
A week after being an in court for driving with expired Kentucky license plates, Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry will soon be in court again. This time the charge is assault.
According to the court documents that were filed on Wednesday (April 2), Henry is being accused of punching an 18-year-old man in the face and for breaking the man’s car window with a beer bottle.
The victim, Gregory Meyer, and an eyewitness have identified Henry and are claiming that the punch caused “visible injury” to Meyer. They are also claiming that Henry threw a beer bottle at Meyer’s car, which broke the rear passenger window.
Associated Press’ story of events fail to include the area of Cincinnati where supposedly the event took place.
According to local television stations, the event took place outside an apartment building on Ohio Avenue in Clifton Heights.
Henry resides in Florence, Ky., which is a good 25-to-30 minute drive from Clifton Heights.
Clifton Heights, is not an area Henry should be in, especially when you consider his and everybody’s else claim that the wide receiver is keeping his act together.
Last night, 700 WLW reported that Henry said that it was a case of mistaken identity.
The AP is reporting that his agent, Marvin Frazier, was told by Henry, that a different version of the events took place.
“I was told it didn’t happen that way,” Frazier said, according to the AP.
Henry was arrested four times in a 14-month span, which caused NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend for the first eight games of last season.
But looking at the players in detail, I think it is full of solid and potentially great players. Out of all the linebackers, I have targeted six that could step in and play right away, and just maybe become a cornerstone of a Bengals’ defense that was ravaged by injury at the position. 
Beau Bell (left) is a manimal. The guy has the measurables, intangibles and raw potential to be a great linebacker in the NFL. He looks like the best overall athlete at the linebacker position in this year’s draft. The only knack on him is that he often over pursues on plays and puts himself out of position, which coincidentally has been a serious problem for the Bengals. And he’s known for slowly picking up the playbook, which will hurt his stock as well. He could be one of those guys who could slip, but end up being a big steal in the third round.
No one even knows what the Miami Dolphins will do with the No. 1 overall pick.
Sun. Sept. 21 at N.Y. Giants 1 p.m.
Personally, I have taken a beating lately from our rival fans, and it’s worse than ever. Which says a lot, considering the decade we went through known as the 90’s. I think what makes the latest string of disappointments more sour than ever is the fact that just two seasons ago we were rejoicing and celebrating our promising team. 
However, there’s some good news from this off-season, the league awarded the team with four compensation picks, including a third rounder. With these grueling months past us, we can only hope that it’s time that Cinci makes some moves to energize the team and the fans. In the draft there are two pro bowl caliber tackles (Glen Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis) that are just what the doctor ordered. The Bengals are in dire need of a big play maker to clog the middle of the field and free up the linebackers, and I believe these guys can do just that. The only problem is, both of them will almost certainly be gone when the Bengals are on the clock with the ninth pick. In order to get one of the two elite tackles, the Bengals will need to part ways with some picks.
According to the court documents that were filed on Wednesday (April 2), Henry is being accused of punching an 18-year-old man in the face and for breaking the man’s car window with a beer bottle.