Picks will have to win jobs Competition should be good Monday, April 20, 1998
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bengals defensive line coach Tim Krumrie was discussing Glen Steele, the team's fourth-round draft pick, but he could have been talking about any of their players, whether rookies or veterans.
"I wish training camp were here," Krumrie said Sunday, "so I could put him in pads and he could hit somebody."
Krumrie can't wait for the competition for jobs. The Bengals' 1998 draft class, particularly its five defensive players, should enliven the depth-chart jockeying at several spots.
Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons, the first-round draft choices, will create a dogfight at linebacker. Second-round pick Artrell Hawkins of the University of Cincinnati lends a pair of fresh, quick legs to the team's uninspiring group of cornerbacks.
Takeo Spikes
Guard Mike Goff, a third-round choice, probably won't cause an immediate impact on the offensive line, but his presence enhances the Bengals' flexibility. Steele could have a similar effect on the defensive line.
The temptation to label the Bengals' draft as the force that will push them to their first postseason since 1990 must be resisted. Optimism has too often proven false. Thirteen years have passed since Cincinnati last selected a player in the first round (receiver Eddie Brown, 1985) who ultimately represented the team in the Pro Bowl.
"Everybody's an All-Pro on draft day," coach Bruce Coslet said. "I don't think the veterans are losing a lot of sleep."
"We have a ways to go yet. These are young guys," said President and General Manager Mike Brown. "Don't expect them to be polished, top-of-the-line players the minute they step on the field."
Brian Simmons
But those shoulder pads that Krumrie mentioned should resound a little more loudly at Georgetown, Ky. Especially at:
Linebacker. Spikes and Simmons won't be handed starting berths at the two inside spots. They'll have to battle veterans Tom Tumulty, Steve Tovar and Jerry Olsavsky, the free-agent signee who was acquired largely for his knowledge of the 3-4 defense. Brown predicted that the team's new pair of "exceptional" linebackers "will play a role with our team very quickly."
This glut could mean that Billy Granville, who showed promise last year as a rookie while at both inside and outside linebacker, will be tried mostly at an outside spot. He, Tim Terry and third-round pick Steve Foley, who'll be converted from defensive end, will push James Francis and Reinard Wilson.
Artrell Hawkins
Cornerback. Skeptics wonder whether Hawkins merited a second-round selection, mostly because of his relative anonymity before the scouting combine. Hawkins himself praised Jimmy Spencer and Corey Sawyer, who he'll compete with at right cornerback along with free-agent acquisition Thomas Randolph. "Just how soon he gets in there will be interesting to find out," Brown said of Hawkins.
The plethora of three- and four-wide receiver alignments the Bengals face should afford plenty of chances for every contender in the secondary.
Offensive line. Goff almost surely won't beat out left guard Rich Braham or right guard Ken Blackman. But if he progresses, he'll give Cincinnati another option to consider when 12th-year veteran center Darrick Brilz retires or is replaced. The Bengals are grooming Rod Payne, last year's third-round selection, as the center of the future. But if Payne doesn't develop, Cincinnati could shift Braham to center, where he started three games in 1996, and insert Goff at guard.
Defensive line. Steele should join veterans Ramondo Stallings, Jevon Langford and Andre Purvis in the competition for the temporary vacancy created by John Copeland's ruptured Achilles tendon. He might also join the mix at nose tackle with Kimo von Oelhoffen, Purvis and Mike Thompson. "These guys will come in and compete," Coslet said. "At least we drafted some guys who can run and are intense and were really successful playing big-time college football. So they have a good start and a hand up on a lot of people."
by Associated Press
Bengals draft
Bengals draft for speed
Brown says no Moss
Picks will have to win jobs
Some impact, some insurance
1. Takeo Spikes,
LB, Auburn
1a. Brian Simmons,
LB, N.Carolina
2. Artrell Hawkins,
CB, Cincinnati
3. Steve Foley,
LB, NE Louisiana
3a. Mike Goff,
G, Iowa
4. Glen Steele,
DE, Michigan
6. Jason Tucker,
WR, TCU
7. Marcus Parker,
RB, Va. Tech
7a. Damian Vaughn,
TE, Miami U.
Sullivan
Daugherty
Five Bearcats drafted
Fabini, Ransom, Monroe taken on second day
Jackson taken by Dolphins