A draft that suits

[Bengals1181]

[quote][size="6"][b]A draft that suits[/b][/size]
[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/clubimages/articles/2010/Draft/draft_jerseys100424_440.jpg[/img]


Three of the newest members of the Bengals - Carlos Dunlap, Brandon Ghee and Jordan Shipley. (Bengals photo

In the end, the Bengals 2010 NFL Draft suited a team coming off an AFC North division championship.

While many teams used the extra time allowed by the NFL’s first prime time draft to hatch deals to move up and down, the Bengals sat in their spots and took nine players pretty much the way they fell off the board and didn’t feel the urgency to fill needs at safety.

Three of the benefits showed up at Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday as the club wrapped up the draft with more weapons and protection for quarterback Carson Palmer. First-round pick Jermaine Gresham, introduced to the media Friday night, watched second-rounder Carlos Dunlap and third rounders Jordan Shipley and Brandon Ghee get the treatment.

All wore suits and ties and the easy air of players from the big time that had sat through it all before but knew how important this day is.

“They get it. They understand it. They’re from big-time programs. They seem like mature guys that know this is important,” said Dave Lapham, the long-time Bengals radio analyst.

Lapham would know. He’s the national analyst for Big 12 games, a conference the Bengals raided five times for the nine picks, headed by Palmer’s shiniest toys, Gresham, the Oklahoma tight end, and Shipley, the Texas wide receiver.

“The problem with this team last year was their failure to control the middle of the field, to control between the hashmarks,” said Lapham, who predicted Shipley would start the season as the slot receiver. “I don’t care how strong Carson’s arm is, you can’t keep throwing to the edges. The ball is in the air too long. Shipley will be like T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) in the red zone. He’ll be where he’s supposed to be, and Gresham will be another big presence over the middle. He just doesn’t catch it, he plucks the ball out of the air.”

Shipley, a coach’s son who has been holding for kickers since he can first remember at his dad’s practices, admitted the drive in from the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport Saturday was thrilling.

“You make the turn in the road and you come around and you suddenly see the city,” Shipley said. “And the stadium is right there. It gets you thinking.”

Dunlap, a defensive end from Florida, had already been thinking. He’s got top 10 tools and body, but he hears the whispers about his motor.

“My goal is to get a sack against every team I play against that passed on me,” he said. “And I want to compete for NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year.”

Ghee, the cornerback from Wake Forest, also said the ride in was impressive, and that’s saying something. He’s a military brat and figures he has lived in 14 different towns growing up. But it was his first time in Ohio.

Still, since he had watched Hard Knocks last year when the Bengals were featured, he felt like he knew the team.

“I know it’s a business, but it seems like they competed hard and it was a family,” Ghee said. “The goal to win the Super Bowl and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Lapham wasn’t the only guy that recognized all three players were dressed professionally and tastefully.

“The way I see it, the first impression is the only impression,” he said. “This is a job and I’m going to treat it like any other job and that means a suit and a tie.”

It seemed to be a mutual first impression.[/quote]

[The Scales]

Lap thowin the Quan and Bubba under the tractor with shipley in town!



My predictions.


Dunlap breaks the rookie sack record.


J.G. gets 6 hundy and 6 scores.

[Cricket]

[quote]
Shipley, a coach’s son who has been holding for kickers since he can first remember at his dad’s practices, admitted the drive in from the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport Saturday was thrilling.

“You make the turn in the road and you come around and you suddenly see the city,” Shipley said. “And the stadium is right there. It gets you thinking.”
[/quote]

For those of you who do not live in the area...and have never driven into Cincy from the south, it really is impressive as you round the I-75 curve and then, boom!, the Cincinnati skyline is right in front of you.

[happyrid]

I wonder how Dunlap is going to fit in as a rookie. I think worst case is he is used primarily as a situational pass rusher, possibly from the DT spot, and has a season similar to MJ's rookie year last season. Best case, he steals the starting SSDE job from Geathers and plays like a 1st rounder.

It'll be exciting to see what kind of player he becomes.

Also, does anyone think that he may be being groomed to play DT? Hayes mentioned that in a year or two he could be like Gerald McCoy, the Oklahoma DT. That would be sweet if he developed into a dominant DT...