Monday, April 19, 1999
Bengals add speed in Yeast
BY CAREY HOFFMAN
Enquirer contributor
The Craig Yeast highlight film hit the air at noon Saturday. Yeast himself didn't make his in-person NFL debut until nearly 24 hours later.
Yeast, the University of Kentucky's dynamo wideout, was drafted in the fourth round Sunday by the Bengals. But after UK quarterback Tim Couch was selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, Yeast was omnipresent when the highlights rolled on ESPN.
“It was not a Couch highlight film. It was a Yeast highlight film,” quipped Bengals coach Bruce Coslet.
Yeast is the Southeastern Conference's all-time leader with 208 career receptions, including 28 TD receptions. He also set a UK record with three kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career.
Yeast was never more explosive than in last year's game at Florida, when he produced 331 all-purpose yards, including TD receptions of 97 and 74 yards and a 100-yard kickoff return.
“He's real quick and real fast,” Coslet said.
Yeast figures to fit in right away as a replacement for Damon Gibson, the receiver/kick returner claimed by Cleveland in the expansion draft.
Yeast has sub-4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash and augments that with extreme quickness. He had big games against high-round cornerback selections Champ Bailey of Georgia and Fred Vinson of Vanderbilt.
Size has always been a question for Yeast.
“I've always been the smallest guy on the field since Little League and I've overcome the odds,” he said.
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