MVN - Most Valuable Network

Taking A Look at the Bengals Undrafted Free Agent Class

With 10 draft picks this past season and the loss of NFL Europe roster exemptions the Bengals did not have as much room for undrafted free agents as in previous seasons.   While, it is not common to find key contributors from the undrafted ranks, this is where special teamers, and practice squads are often built from.   While, it is hard to rate undrafted free agent classes, the Bengals 2008 group is not likely to draw much attention in the name recognition department.   Nonetheless, expect at least 2 of these players to make it to final cutdown and with at least 1 making the practice squad a distinct possibility.    As it was on draft day wide receiver drew the most attention with 2 signees and possibly a 3rd.

Cincinnati Bengals 2008 Undrafted Free Agents:

CB/S Simeon Castille, Alabama - The biggest name player among the undrafted, Castille will benefit from his ability to play both CB and S.  He is a physical player with excellent awareness but his lack of speed will make it an uphill battle.

G/T James Blair, Western Michigan - A huge prospect at 6′3 323, Blair is a developmental type who was recruited as a DT before switching to offensive line after his freshman year.  He projects as a guard and is known for his strong run blocking skills.  This mauler may get my vote as the UFA’s best chance to make the roster.

WR Travis Brown, New Mexic0 - A late addition after getting an early heave ho from the Seahawks.   Solid possession type at 6′2 202 coming off a strong senior season in which he caught 76 passes for 1031 yards and 6 TDs.

G/C Justin Britt, Alabama - Has a chance because center is the weakest and thinnest unit on the offensive line.

RB Brad Glatthaar, Cincinnati

RB James Johnson, Kansas State

FB Tyler Whaley, Ohio State

LB Anthony Hoke, Cincinnati

DT Michael Marquardt, Arizona State

WR Clyde Logan, Idaho State

LB Dan Howell, Washington

In addition to these eleven, Bengals.com is reporting the team is nearing an agreement with WR Maurice Purify out of Nebraska.  Purify is a name many will recognize as he is a talented player with excellent size at 6′3 224.  He is known for making big plays esp. in the red zone.  He is coming off a senior season in which he caught 57 passes for 814 yards and 9 touchdowns.  In addition to his talent, Purify has character concerns resulting from two arrests prior to the 2007 season.  Before anyone (all the networks and PFT) gets too carried away, remember he would be an undrafted free agent (not a 1st rounder like Aqib Talib or a 3rd rounder like Mario Manningham) on a very short leash and a major uphill battle to make the team.

Bengals Interested In Shaun Alexander?

After failing to draft a running back in last weekend’s NFL Draft, Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson reports Shaun Alexander is set to visit the Bengals next week.  Alexander’s agent considers the visit preliminary but based on Alexander’s ties to Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati would likely be one of his preferred destinations.  Despite Alexander’s high profile and strong character, he does not appear to be a good fit for the Bengals.  At 31 he has battled injuries the past two years and is on the downside of his career.   Some say, the team should have Alexander replace Rudi Johnson but Rudi is three year’s younger and cutting him would have cap implications.  Coming off his first injury plaqued season and at 28 years old, Rudi would appear to be the more likely candidate for a bounce back season than Alexander.  Cutting DeDe Dorsey or utility man Kenny Watson to make room for Alexander does not make sense either.  

With all the negative press the team has taken on the character front, signing Alexander isn’t out of the question just not likely.  If he is willing to take a small deal in the $1.5 million or less range for a chance to show his wares, he could be worth a look but I doing it at Rudi’s expense would be a mistake.  In the end, remember the Bengal’s struggles running the football last year had as much to do with the offensive line’s struggles (esp. Willie’s injury) as it did with Rudi being injured.

Day Two Is a Better Day For Bengals

After taking considerable heat from the local (Curnutte came out swinging) and national media for their failure to trade up for Sedrick Ellis and then passing on Trevor Laws and Limas Sweed in round 2 to reach for promising WR Jerome Simpson, the Bengals rebounded on Day 2 with strong 3rd and 4th round picks.   The Bengals reacted quickly to criticism for missing out on Ellis and Laws by selecting Patrick Sims with the 77th overall selection.   Sims was ranked ranked as the 6th (PFW), 5th (Sports Weekly), 5th (NFLDraft101), and 7th (DraftCountdown) defensive tackle in the draft.  While he isn’t the #2 overall DT like Sedrick Ellis, one has to ask themselves would you rather have Rivers (#1 LB) and Sims or Ellis.  The answer is not quite the slam dunk it appeared to be yesterday.  The selections of WR Andre Caldwell (#97 overall) and OT Anthony Collins (#112) were also excellent value picks.   5th round pick DT Jason Shirley will get much of the media attention for his off-field issues but remember he is 5th round pick not a 2nd or 3rd.  Character has become more important in the Bengals war room but it’s not like every pick has to be a Boy Scout.

Overall, I give the Bengals draft a B.  Not bad, not spectacular and definately not aggressive but there is some definate talent at positions of need.   Below are breakdowns of the individual day two selections.

3a. Pat Sims, Auburn - Has better size than Ellis and Laws and has the talent to be a top notch defensive tackle.  He has a quick burst and can get into opposing backfields (11.5 TFL).  Should be able to push the pocket and get after the passer a little as well (4.5 sacks).  His quickness should be a good compliment to Domata Peko.  His motor is a little bit of a concern but he has tremendous upside.  Personally I had him as the 5th best DT in the draft.

3b. Andre Caldwell, Florida - If you flip flop the Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell picks, the Bengals draft looks a lot better.  That isn’t a knock on Simpson so much as a sign of what kind of value the team received with Caldwell.  Graded as a 2nd or 3rd rounder, Caldwell has had tremendous post-season workouts.  Has good size at 6′0, 204 and deep speed (4.37 40).  Displays great run after catch skills.  Also, has good kickoff return potential.

4. OT Anthony Collins, Kansas - After watching 8 tackles get selected in round 1, it is amazing that the team was able to get a quality tackle like Collins in round 4.  Some mocks had Collins going as early as 27th overall to San Diego and ranked the6th best OT by Sports Weekly and 7th best by NFLDraft101 and PFW.  Has experience at left tackle but he is a better fit as a RT or G.  

5. DT Jason Shirley, Fresno State - A bit of a risky pick that looks worse when you consider fellow big bodies Athyba Rubin and Frank Okam were still on the board.  Shirley is has excellent athleticism and upside for a 6′5 335 pounder but his character issues will lead to strong criticism (well deserved from what I can tell).  Despite the character issues remember this is a boom-bust 5th round pick not a 2nd or 3rd rounder.  

6a. S Corey Lynch, Appalacian State - A solid 6th round pick who will join Dexter Jackosn, 2007 4th rounder Marvin White and 7th rounder Chinedum Ndukwe in a competitive safety competition.  Lynch has excellent intangibles and will likely make his biggest impact on special teams.  Most famous for blocking the kick that clinched the win over Michigan.

6b. TE Matt Sherry, Villanova - After becoming shellshocked by the failures of Matt Schoebel and Sean Brewer in recent years, the Bengals finally drafted a TE.  Sherry is a receiving tight end with good size and speed.  With the signing of Ben Utecht, Sherry faces long odds in making the roster.  Could be a good prospect to stash on the practice squad for a year.

7a. DE Angelo Craig, Cincinnati - An undersized defensive end with a nose for the quarterback.  A good value pick in round 7.

7b. WR Mario Urrutia, Louisville - Another solid 7th round pick.  Urrutia was on the cusp of stardom after a stellar sophomore season only to struggles with injuries as a junior.  Probably should have stayed another year but he is a nice big receiver who would make a nice red zone target but will need to earn his stripes on special teams.  At 6′5 232 he could be a combo WR/TE if he bulks up a little. 

Bengals 1st Day Picks Leave Fans Wanting More….

It is now official, Chad Johnson has not and will not be traded.   The team’s season may be determined by the wisdom of that decision but today is about the draft and not the trade that wasn’t.   For many Bengal fans the exasperation began when the commissioner announced the New England Patriots at #7 had made a trade with the New Orleans Saints.  The cost for the penetrating DT both the Saints and Bengals craved was a 3rd round pick (and the Saints even got a 5th rounder back).  Not to steep a price to pay to move up within the top 10 of the draft.  

With Ellis no longer on the board at #9, the Bengals did not panic and take a running back or offensive tackle.  Knowing their defense needed help, they stayed on that side of the ball and selected the top linebacker in the draft, Keith Rivers out of USC.   With Ellis off the board, this was probably the best pick the Bengals could have made although Channel 19 in Cincinnati reported the team did pass on at least one offer to trade down.  Rivers is capable of playing all three linebackers spots and will likely start on the weakside.  On the plus side is Rivers’ athleticism and leadership skills.  On the negative side, he was probably the 3rd best of USC’s linebackers last season (behind Brian Cushing and Ray Maleauga).   All in all a good quality pick esp. if he can develop into the vocal leader the team and defense desperately needs.

In round 2, the Bengals made one of the draft’s most questionable day one decisions in selecting WR Jerome Simpson out of Coastal Carolina.  Casual Bengal fans were perturbed instantly not because the team selected a wide receiver but because they took one many had never heard of when Limas Sweed, Early Doucet and Malcolm Kelly were still on the board.  While we could question the merit of taking Simpson over the more familiar names, the more questionable decision was selecting a wide receiver when DT Trevor Laws was still on the board.  Laws is a poor man’s Sedrick Ellis, had a late 1st/early 2nd round grade and would have filled the defense’s need for a penetrating defensive tackle.  (Hint: this has been the defense’s biggest weakness for a decade).   Looking at the number of quality wideouts still on the board should have been a signal to the team they could have found a quality receiver in round 3 (probably Simpson).  The round 3 selections at defensive tackle aren’t nearly as inspiring.  It was a bad time for Mike Brown to implement his alternating offense and defensive picks strategy. 

Before we come down too hard on Simpson take a moment to read some of the scouting reports and watch the highlights on SI.com.  All in all, Simpson has a good combination of size and speed (6′1 and 4.4) and is esp. known for his excellent hands, work ethic and character.  On the negative side, his route running needs some work and he is not much of a blocker.  My favorite scouting report is from Pro Football Weekly’s Draft Guide:

Has huge hands, very long arms and can catch a B.B. in the dark…..Outstanding leaping ability…..great competitor.  Outstanding work ethic.  Team Player

All in all, Jerome Simpson is a pretty good player with tremendous upside. 

On day two the Bengals have 8 selections and at least 1 will be a defensive tackle (hopefully their 1st 3rd rounder).  A couple of  names to keep an eye on in round 3 are DT Pat Sims, DT Dre Moore, S DaJuan Morgan and RB Kevin Smith.  Also remember, the Bengals under Marvin Lewis have traditionally made their best picks in round 4.

Follow all the Bengals selections live on NFLDraft101.com’s Live Draft Coverage