Yesterday we informed you all of the Bengals scouts and coaches speaking with a couple of prospects at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. First, it was leaked that the Bengals seemed heavily interested in hometown running back out of the University of Cincinnati, Isaiah Pead.
Then it became public knowledge that the team also spent some time chatting with Boise State University running back, Doug Martin. It's becoming obvious that the Bengals are highly interested in taking a running back in this year's draft.
Shane Hallam of www.draftcountdown.com has a breakdown of who each team spoke to on day two of Senior Bowl week, and the Bengals spent time with two intriguing prospects.
The first, University of Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson, is a very interesting player. He had an excellent 2011 season for the Badgers and has been looking good in the early part of this week. His knock is that he is short for an NFL quarterback and may not have an elite arm, though Wilson did play professional baseball for a brief period. With the emergence of Andy Dalton, it's unlikely that the team would use any high picks on another quarterback.
The second prospect that they were linked to on day two is much more telling. Chris Polk of the University of Washington is an exciting player who would fit the West Coast Offensive scheme well. He has good speed and good hands, though durability concerns and a slow start to the week for Polk are knocks on him. He is the third running back prospect that the Bengals have spoken to in two days and will be on the Bengals radar when they pick in the first and second rounds.
Though a lot of this can be a smoke and mirrors act, the Bengals do rely heavily on the Senior Bowl in their scouting process. Without the benefit of coaching the squads as they have had in years past, these interviews and "chat sessions" become critical components when looking at drafting a player.