If the Bengals elect to draft a guard, why not Jon Asamoah in the second round?

by Josh Kirkendall on Mar 28, 2010 2:00 PM EDT in NFL Draft

It's generally thought Mike Iupati will be the first guard taken in the NFL Draft; most likely in the first round. Now, the Bengals do not necessarily have a desperate need to draft a guard this year, especially when Bobbie Williams finally signs a contract and returns to Cincinnati. But if the Bengals elect to find a better solution than Nate Livings and Evan Mathis, there's a chance that Cincinnati could go after Illinois guard Jon Asamoah in the second round.

Mike Mayock loves him, writing that he's the best interior offensive lineman after Florida Center Maurkice Pouncey and Iupati. Mayock concludes that Asamoah " should start immediately. He’s nasty and finishes."

Mocking the Draft ranks Asamoah as the eighth best offensive guard in the draft:

In the Illinois spread offense, Asamoah has become a solid telephone booth pass blocker. He has enough agility to handle pass rushers. He has good footwork, which helps him keep in front of defenders. However, he plays more like a tackle than a guard and doesn't explode off the snap into defenders. He's not a real great drive blocker and needs to get much stronger throughout his frame.

ESPN ranks him as the third best guard in the draft.

It's questionable if the Bengals view offensive guard as a position of need once the team signs Williams back. All indications are that the team viewed the guard as a priority simply in response to Williams being an unrestricted free agent. Once word was out that the team and Williams wanted to get a deal done and it was a matter of getting him signed, we figured that acquiring a starting guard through free agency or the NFL Draft, was a lessened priority.

However, if the team does look at drafting a guard, then Asamoah seems to be a good fit. A strong character guy that's versatile enough to play tackle also. And we know how the Bengals value versatility on the line.

Tweet Comment 11 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Iupati is an Idaho guy...

not Utah

by The Dealio on Mar 28, 2010 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

I thought they were the same state?

I would be very pleased with Asamoah in the second.

by jim0ijk on Mar 28, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

you're right..

they generally just blend together like cream and coffee. Wait, they don’t drink coffee in Utah… Like Jello and Whipped cream?

by The Dealio on Mar 28, 2010 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Wait a second

It’s questionable if the Bengals view offensive guard as a position of need once the team signs Williams back

Hold on now. I would really be surprised if the front office do not think we need to take an OG in the first three rounds, regardless of whether Bobby is resigned.

There’s going to be a big gaping hole there by next year, and you really need next year’s starter to be ready this year. In fact, you need that giant hulking person to be ready by mid year to step in and replace someone with an injury.

by UpStateMike on Mar 28, 2010 7:38 PM EDT reply actions

Bengals taking a Guard

I have the Bengals making the same selection in my mock draft. I have done two and my first one i had us getting S E.Thomas Texas and then G/T V.Ducasse from UMass in round 2. Now after free agency has changed the landscape of things I have the Bengals selections as follows.
1. B,Graham LB/DE Michigan
2. J.Asamoah G Illinoise
3a. S.Lee MLB Penn State
3b. A. Awusu-Ansah CB UPI
4a. Colin Peek TE Alabama
4b. B.Tate RB Auburn
5. R.Jackson FB Virginia
6. C.Peters DT Kentucky
7. S.Williams WR Toledo

by POGO94 on Mar 28, 2010 9:43 PM EDT reply actions

In Response to Virginiastripes

We need a middle linebacker because the Bengals seem focused on letting Maualuga stay on the outside and D.Jones is getting old. We have A.Hodgeas our backup middle linebacker. I don’t know about you but We need a better backup and a palyer for the future. I agree we need a Safety but if there isn ot one there then we can’t draft one can we.. In my mock draft this is how the chips fell. I agree we need a Safety. All of the ones i thought we could get were gone like C.Jones LSU, R.Jones Georgia, N.Allen S.Florida, M.Wright Florida, l.Asante Nebraska. And B.Tate is someone they have scouted and are high on and he will be available around this time they pick and Jackson is not a RB he is a Fullback and we all know we need one of those. J.Johnson may not return and they were not impressed with Vakapuna’s blocking. This is why we draft Jackson.

by POGO94 on Mar 30, 2010 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Selecting an OG

If we can sign Bobbie back, I believe we won’t take an OG until round 3 or 4. I like John Jerry from Mississippi or Mitch Petrus. It would also be nice to sign Shawn Andrews to a one year deal for depth or to start at LG. Here is my recent mock.

1 – Taylor Mays, S – USC (To athletic, strong, and fast to pass up. Better fit than undersized Earl Thomas)
2 – Rob Gronkowski, TE – Arizona or Anothony McCoy, TE – USC (two best block and catch TE’s in the draft)
3a – Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB-ST – Indiana of PA (great size at 6’1 and runs a blazing 4.3, this guy will be a streal and possibly a starter if we dont lock up both J-Joe and Hall)
3b- Torell Troup, DT – UCF (great size and strong, plays the 3-technique, he could be gone at this point, but what a great rotation of DT’s that we would have)
4a – John Jerry, OG or Mitch Petrus, OG (One of them should be available here, Jerry is projected to go in the 3rd so maybe we get lucky here. Both guys are maulers and very strong)
4b – Austen Lane, DE – Murray State, or Greg Hardy, DE (Either one of these guys would help us with our pass rush and provide insurance for Odom or Geathers)
5 – AJ Edds, OLB – Iowa – (6’4, 247lbs and runs a 4.6. How many SLB you know that can run a 4.6? Not to many! Great cover skills that can cover TE’s or RB’s out of the backfield. Can compete to start when Rey moves into the middle next year)
6 – Lonyae Miller, RB – Fresno State – (I know most have a QB here that wont even make the roster, so why not a 5’11, 220lbs workhorse with 4.4 speed to have on reserve for Benson and Scott)
7 – John Conner, FB – Kentucky – (A beast of a blocker with good speed for a FB)

by brucealmighty1981 on Mar 29, 2010 7:55 AM EDT reply actions

I really like this draft, but would really prefer Thomas over Mays.

by ochocinco4pres on Mar 29, 2010 8:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I wouldnt be mad if we took Earl Thomas, but its not every draft you see a safety like Taylor Mays. Physical freak, hard hitter, LB size, and runs a 4.3. You just dont see that every year. Can you imagine the type of blitz packages you can run with Mays? It’s like having 4 LB’s on the field. I know his cover skills need polishing, but he is great against the run and can cover alot of ground with that kind of speed. Any how, I would be happy with either safety.

by brucealmighty1981 on Mar 29, 2010 9:39 AM EDT reply actions

The better your Oline is the better your team can be

The Oline makes everyone on the O better and if the O stays on the field the D stays rested and plays better. I would constantly be looking to improve it. Other than QB the Oline is the most important position group on a good team. Your Oline cannot be too good and seldom good enough.

"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Mar 30, 2010 8:56 AM EDT reply actions

O Line is important.

Everthing starts up front on the offensive and defensive line. Remember an undersized second round pick named E.Steinbach we took out of Iowa. Look at the Bengals record between 1980’s A.Munoz and 1996’s Willie Anderson the bengals did not take an OT in the first round for 16 years. It’s no coincidence that the bengals sucked throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s due to not having good offensive and defensive linemen. Later came L.Jones in 2002 paired with E.Steinbach it was the best bengals line since the 80’s and we had a lot of success because of the O-Line. Now comes OT A.Smith in 2009. We need to keep fousing on the O-Line and D-Line. Pittsburgh does this every year and they are always in the hunt for the title every year.

by POGO94 on Mar 30, 2010 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions