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CrashDavisSports
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I will paste the guts here which makes me laugh:
24. BENGALS - WR Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
You can already hear the pitchforks scraping against the sidewalks and see the fires starting against the Bengaldom horizon. Why in the name of A.J. Green would you take a player at their deepest position?
Because if you can’t get a good player in the first round at a premium position (quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive line, cornerback), then just get the highest rated player on your board and go from there. That’s the Bengals theme that has paved the way for five straight drafts that have been met with relative acclaim in league circles.
Don’t try to turn a top-of-the-second-round tackle into a first-round tackle. Or don’t do at cornerback what they did before the Johnathan Joseph-Leon Hall days and took Mark Roman and Keiwan Ratliff in the second round because they desperately needed one and paid the price with reaches.
We have no idea how the Bengals have rated guys like Bridgewater, Shazier, Roby, Verrett, Ward, Virginia tackle Morgan Moses, USC center Marcus Martin, and other guys that have surfaced as late first-rounders in mocks.
Maybe they’ll take one of them here because the grade is high enough. Maybe they’ll trade back. Or maybe one of the players in this mock that isn’t here now will be there Thursday night.
But if you go by this board and go by the best player, you can make the argument that Cooks is the best player available.
Shazier is the best linebacker in the draft, but in this day and age of nickel defense, how many times have the Bengals taken a college linebacker in the first round since 2000? One. Keith Rivers. How’d that work?
Bridgewater? Here? Hard to see it, but we’ve seen stranger.
If you look at some mocks, Cooks is right there. Mel Kiper Jr., has him going No. 18 to the Jets. ESPN’s big board put together by Scouts Inc., ranks him as the 20th player in the draft. So does cbssports.com’s prospect rankings.
At 5-9, 190 pounds, Cooks has that 4.33-second 40-yard speed Hue Jackson loves. He’s the Fred Biletnikoff winner as the nation’s best receiver and if the Ravens just got Steve Smith, then this is the young Steve Smith. He’s tough, makes the tough catch over the middle and always makes the first guy miss. He can pluck the ball with a 36-inch vertical, is a nightmare on screens and last year’s 16 TDs showed he can go all the way at any point. Plus, he might be able to help in the return game.
Like the Andrew Whitworth pick in 2005, the Michael Johnson pick in 2009, the Carlos Dunlap pick in 2010, and their first three picks last April, just take the best player.
And worry about it later.
Hey, the last Oregon State receiver they drafted worked out pretty well, 507 catches (third most in franchise history) after T.J. Houshmandzadeh went in the 2001 seventh round.
If we take a WR with our first pick, we are dumb. I don't disagree with the "take best player on the board theory" but if Teddy Bridgewater (to trade down for more picks) and Ryan Shazier is still on the board according to the mock (below) we blew it, big time.
1. TEXANS - DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina; John McClain, The Houston Chronicle
2. RAMS – T Jake Matthews, Texas A&M; Jim Thomas, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
3. JAGUARS – WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson; Vito Stellino, Florida Times-Union.
4. BROWNS - QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M; Tony Grossi, ESPNCleveland.com
5. RAIDERS – OLB Khalil Mack, Buffalo; John Clayton, ESPN
6. FALCONS - LT Greg Robinson, Auburn; D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Journal
7. BUCCANEERS - WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M; Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune
8. VIKINGS – QB Blake Bortles, Central Florida; Ben Goessling, ESPN.com
9. BILLS – TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina; Tim Graham, The Buffalo News
10. LIONS – DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh; Mike O’Hara, detroitlions.com
11. TITANS – OLB Anthony Barr, UCLA; Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean
12. GIANTS – T Taylor Lewan, Michigan; Mike Eisen, Giants.com
13. RAMS - CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State; Jim Thomas, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
14. BEARS – FS Calvin Pryor, Louisville; Brad Biggs, The Chicago Tribune
15. STEELERS – CB Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State; Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
16. COWBOYS G-T Zack Martin, Notre Dame; Todd Archer, ESPNDallas.com
17. RAVENS - S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama; Aaron Wilson, The Baltimore Sun
18. JETS - WR Odell Beckham Jr., LSU; Rich Cimini, NewYorkESPN.com
19. DOLPHINS – ILB C.J. Mosley, Alabama; Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
20. CARDINALS - DE Kony Ealy, Missouri; Kent Somers, The Arizona Republic
21. PACKERS – DT Louis Nix, Notre Dame; Vic Ketchman, Packers.com
22. EAGLES – CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech; Paul Domowitch, The Philadelphia Daily News
23. CHIEFS – OLB Dee Ford, Auburn; Terez Paylor, The Kansas City Star
I would consider trading down into the top of the 2nd round with Houston, and grab next years 1st round pick, so they can get Clowney and Bridgewater. We can then have (2) 2nd's (cheaper - we all know Mike likes that) and we will have two 1st round picks next year, in case we lose Dalton and we want to trade up for our next franchise QB.
PS...Hobson mentions our last Oregon State WR taken turned out okay in Houshmanzadeh, but did he forget we took Chad Johnson from the same school, the same year 5 rounds higher and who holds several receiving records for the Bengals.
24. BENGALS - WR Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
You can already hear the pitchforks scraping against the sidewalks and see the fires starting against the Bengaldom horizon. Why in the name of A.J. Green would you take a player at their deepest position?
Because if you can’t get a good player in the first round at a premium position (quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive line, cornerback), then just get the highest rated player on your board and go from there. That’s the Bengals theme that has paved the way for five straight drafts that have been met with relative acclaim in league circles.
Don’t try to turn a top-of-the-second-round tackle into a first-round tackle. Or don’t do at cornerback what they did before the Johnathan Joseph-Leon Hall days and took Mark Roman and Keiwan Ratliff in the second round because they desperately needed one and paid the price with reaches.
We have no idea how the Bengals have rated guys like Bridgewater, Shazier, Roby, Verrett, Ward, Virginia tackle Morgan Moses, USC center Marcus Martin, and other guys that have surfaced as late first-rounders in mocks.
Maybe they’ll take one of them here because the grade is high enough. Maybe they’ll trade back. Or maybe one of the players in this mock that isn’t here now will be there Thursday night.
But if you go by this board and go by the best player, you can make the argument that Cooks is the best player available.
Shazier is the best linebacker in the draft, but in this day and age of nickel defense, how many times have the Bengals taken a college linebacker in the first round since 2000? One. Keith Rivers. How’d that work?
Bridgewater? Here? Hard to see it, but we’ve seen stranger.
If you look at some mocks, Cooks is right there. Mel Kiper Jr., has him going No. 18 to the Jets. ESPN’s big board put together by Scouts Inc., ranks him as the 20th player in the draft. So does cbssports.com’s prospect rankings.
At 5-9, 190 pounds, Cooks has that 4.33-second 40-yard speed Hue Jackson loves. He’s the Fred Biletnikoff winner as the nation’s best receiver and if the Ravens just got Steve Smith, then this is the young Steve Smith. He’s tough, makes the tough catch over the middle and always makes the first guy miss. He can pluck the ball with a 36-inch vertical, is a nightmare on screens and last year’s 16 TDs showed he can go all the way at any point. Plus, he might be able to help in the return game.
Like the Andrew Whitworth pick in 2005, the Michael Johnson pick in 2009, the Carlos Dunlap pick in 2010, and their first three picks last April, just take the best player.
And worry about it later.
Hey, the last Oregon State receiver they drafted worked out pretty well, 507 catches (third most in franchise history) after T.J. Houshmandzadeh went in the 2001 seventh round.
If we take a WR with our first pick, we are dumb. I don't disagree with the "take best player on the board theory" but if Teddy Bridgewater (to trade down for more picks) and Ryan Shazier is still on the board according to the mock (below) we blew it, big time.
1. TEXANS - DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina; John McClain, The Houston Chronicle
2. RAMS – T Jake Matthews, Texas A&M; Jim Thomas, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
3. JAGUARS – WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson; Vito Stellino, Florida Times-Union.
4. BROWNS - QB Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M; Tony Grossi, ESPNCleveland.com
5. RAIDERS – OLB Khalil Mack, Buffalo; John Clayton, ESPN
6. FALCONS - LT Greg Robinson, Auburn; D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Journal
7. BUCCANEERS - WR Mike Evans, Texas A&M; Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune
8. VIKINGS – QB Blake Bortles, Central Florida; Ben Goessling, ESPN.com
9. BILLS – TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina; Tim Graham, The Buffalo News
10. LIONS – DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh; Mike O’Hara, detroitlions.com
11. TITANS – OLB Anthony Barr, UCLA; Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean
12. GIANTS – T Taylor Lewan, Michigan; Mike Eisen, Giants.com
13. RAMS - CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State; Jim Thomas, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
14. BEARS – FS Calvin Pryor, Louisville; Brad Biggs, The Chicago Tribune
15. STEELERS – CB Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State; Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
16. COWBOYS G-T Zack Martin, Notre Dame; Todd Archer, ESPNDallas.com
17. RAVENS - S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama; Aaron Wilson, The Baltimore Sun
18. JETS - WR Odell Beckham Jr., LSU; Rich Cimini, NewYorkESPN.com
19. DOLPHINS – ILB C.J. Mosley, Alabama; Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
20. CARDINALS - DE Kony Ealy, Missouri; Kent Somers, The Arizona Republic
21. PACKERS – DT Louis Nix, Notre Dame; Vic Ketchman, Packers.com
22. EAGLES – CB Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech; Paul Domowitch, The Philadelphia Daily News
23. CHIEFS – OLB Dee Ford, Auburn; Terez Paylor, The Kansas City Star
I would consider trading down into the top of the 2nd round with Houston, and grab next years 1st round pick, so they can get Clowney and Bridgewater. We can then have (2) 2nd's (cheaper - we all know Mike likes that) and we will have two 1st round picks next year, in case we lose Dalton and we want to trade up for our next franchise QB.
PS...Hobson mentions our last Oregon State WR taken turned out okay in Houshmanzadeh, but did he forget we took Chad Johnson from the same school, the same year 5 rounds higher and who holds several receiving records for the Bengals.