Monday morning draft hangover

by Kirkendall on Apr 28, 2008 10:55 AM EDT in NFL Draft Comment 4 comments

This site questions when the Bengals will learn after the team drafted defensive tackle Jason Shirley in the fifth round.

Matt Sherry will join Brian Westbrook (RB, Eagles), Raymond Ventrone (S, Patriots), Christian Gladdis (C, Bills) and Brian Finneran (WR, Falcons) as players currently in the NFL drafted out of Villanova.

Newest Bengals safety Corey Lynch recorded 111 tackles and picked off six passes leading App State to their third straight Division 1-AA National Championship. Lynch was named the Southern Conference Defensive player of the year.

This site doesn't care for the Jerome Simpson draft pick rather fond of more known players as told to us by ESPN. It's awkward when people conclude that a player must produce on the field until fans approve. Isn't that always the case?

Mark Curnutte makes a similar case, without using words that could actually make people think that he has an opinion. But at least Mark didn't explain to us that fans won't accept the pick until he actually produces on the field. Curnutte gave the Bengals a B-minus/C-plus.

At least it isn't worse than this.

Jerome Simpson is the second player drafted out of Coastal Carolina. The other was Tyler Thigpen who was drafted by the Vikings and now plays for the Chiefs. Quinton Teal also plays in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers.

Jason Shirley still has a May 21 court appearance in Fresno County from an October 8 incident that earned him three misdemeanor charges.

0 recs | Comment 4 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Everybody's a critic, eh?

The panty-bunching over Shirley is ridiculous. Let’s see, we got one may-or-may-not-have-been DUI, and some traffic tickets, yet from all kvetching you’d think we drafted Charles Manson. I’m much more concerned about his injury history (concussion, high ankle sprain, neck cramps) than his underwhelming criminal history.

I think Simpson isn’t just the second CC guy drafted, but actually only the second guy drafted out of the who Big South Conference. I’m still not thrilled about Rivers-Simpson in the first and second, but IMO the draft got much better from there on out.

by BeerRun on Apr 28, 2008 12:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Keiwan Ratliff

If I recall, many were thrilled to have Ratliff in the second round—if I recall even more, wasn’t he picked ahead of Madieu Williams?

Blogger at CincyJungle.com

by Kirkendall on Apr 28, 2008 12:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yup

Ratliff went first, then Madieu. But the consensus of the espn talking heads at the time, especially Mortensen IIRC, was that they, along with Miller and Landon Johnson, had all been taken about half a round to a round early. And you had Perry in the first, a pick they seems to settle for after trading down.

That’s why the first couple picks reminded me of the (disasterous) 2004 draft, when they also had a boatload of picks and were either “content” to take a runner-up choice (Perry then, Rivers Saturday) or went out of a limb (Ratliff, Miller, etc. then, Simpson this time) and ended up screwing up. But after Simpson, they seemed to revert to their more successful 2003 strategy, where they just took talent that fell to them. Sims, Caldwell, and Collins were all second-round talents who slipped. Shirley might have been a first round pick without the character and effort questions. Lynch was projected as high as the fourth. So I liked it better as it went along.

Bottom line, I like this draft more than any since 2003.

by BeerRun on Apr 28, 2008 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs