Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Early Draft Preview: First Round Projections

After the season ends and I have to cope with the fact that football isn't on every weekend anymore, I start to look forward to the draft in April. It gives the Bengals an opportunity to patch some glaring holes in the team, namely on defense. I'm going to break down the Bengals draft-day needs in the first round and show some of the rookies that could end up on the roster in August.

The biggest thing that needs to be overhauled over the off season is the defense and it starts with the secondary. The Bengals tied the Minnesota Vikings for the worst pass defense in the league last year and allowed 24 touchdown passes. Only six teams allowed more passing touchdowns. It is true that the defense tightened up during weeks 11 through 14 but it wasn't enough to change my mind about what position should be drafted first, a cornerback, because it is a possibility that both starting cornerbacks may not be there next year. Tory James's contract is up and he will most likely not be re-signed due to his age (33) and his ability to give up big plays (the Santonio Holmes touchdown in overtime against the Steelers in week 17). Deltha O'Neal had a season that he would like to forget. He was plagued by injury and on Dec. 9, 2006 he was charged with a DWI that forced him to ride the bench for the following game. Consider him in the same dog-house as Odell Thurman, but not nearly as deep. Therefore I'm looking for another cornerback to be selected with the 18th overall pick.

Possible Cornerback selections:

-Leon Hall / Height: 5-11/ Weight: 194/ College: Michigan
Leon is the projected as the best corner available in the draft and his scouting report describes him as a good cover corner with smooth hips and also excels in run support with solid tackles. He would fit in well with Marvin Lewis's defensive scheme that calls for defensive backs that cover and tackle but he struggles in man to man coverage. As it stands now he will most likely be off the draft board well before the Bengals are on the clock.

-Marcus McCauley / Height: 6-1/ Weight: 205/ College: Fresno St.
Marcus has the prototypical size and speed (4.35 forty) for an NFL corner and can excel in man or zone coverage. He is very physical and can challenge vertical type receivers and he is an asset in run support. His downside is consistency in his footwork, technique, and his hands need work. McCauley is a raw talent with huge potential but its possible he might not find his footing in the NFL.

-Darrelle Revis / Height: 6-0/ Weight: 200/ College: Pittsburgh
Darrelle has the potential to become a dominant cover corner in the league with a some fine tuning of his fundamentals. He displays a sixth sense of where the ball is when the quarterback throws it in his direction and can shadow receivers in man coverage with his 4.4 speed. He has added value in the fact that he is a special teams ace. He averaged 11.6 yards a return his sophomore season and in his senior season he blocked a kick and had a 79 yard punt return touchdown. Coach Lewis loves guys that can play special teams and that was shown in last years' draft with the Ethan Kilmer selection and there is a dire need for a good punt returner. Keiwan Ratliff is average at best and Antonio Chatman was never able to be healthy enough to get a few returns in. Saying that Revis will be on the Bengals radar come April would be an understatement.

Other possible first round positions: TE, MLB, OLB, DE, DT

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