I just want to throw out an idea that may be great, or may be asinine, but regardless is worth chewing on - what if we select a stud 3-4 DT (like Dontari Poe) in the draft and switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

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So my mock draft consists of this:

#17) somebody

#21) Dontari Poe

round 2) somebody

round 3) I Peed - to appease the UC fans :-)

round 4) somebody

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To do well in a 4-3, you really need a Ray Lewis type of stud MLB. A lost of posts lately have been filled with the thought that Maualuga isn't that man.

To do well in a 3-4, you really need a huge, stud NT to clog up 2 linemen in the middle, and generate a push up the middle like a Vince Wilfork type.

I think a lot of our guys would do well in a 3-4:

Maualuga - 3-4 ILB - Is an ideal inside backer, but may not have what it takes to be the 4-3 MLB leader on the defense.

Michael Johnson & Manny Lawson - could be good 3-4 OLB's

Our present DT's could be good 3-4 DE's.

It may be a silly idea, but i think that we could possibly be a good 3-4 defense? When Zimmer first came to Cincy he said that he wanted to run a 3-4 and a 4-3 hybrid, playing both about 1/2 of the time, but we've been pretty much 4-3 ever since he arrived. If we got a true 3-4 DT perhaps we could play both 3-4 and 4-3, playing them to give us an edge in various matchups?