Tuesday, April 11, 2000
Brown, Simon best 'D' linemen
Bengals may pick Cleveland's reject Nittany Lion may go 1st overall
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Last year, Cleveland waffled on which of two players to draft — Tim Couch or Akili Smith — with the Bengals waiting to catch the other. The same situation seems set this week.
The Browns, deciding between Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown and Florida State wideout Peter Warrick, are hinting they want Brown.
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TOP DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
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• 2. Corey Simon, tackle, Florida State. He's the prototypical run-stopping nose tackle. Though 291 pounds, he ran an impressive 4.81 in the 40-yard dash. Has had injury troubles.
• 3. Shaun Ellis, end, Tennessee. He's an inconsistent talent. Was plagued by a fractured hip (spring 1998) and a pinched nerve in his neck ('99). The hip could be a concern to teams.
• 4. Chris Hovan, end, Boston College. A four-year starter who has played end, nose tackle and defensive tackle. A good run-stopper who could be a bargain if he slides into the second round.
• 5. John Engelberger, tackle, Virginia Tech. The ultimate underdog. A former walk-on, he's still maligned for his comparatively small 260-pound frame. He's quick and relentless.
— Neil Schmidt
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But what if it's a smoke screen? If the Browns don't want Brown, will Mike Brown?
“Absolutely,” said Jerry Jones, publisher of The Drugstore List. “If the Bengals had their choice of anyone, the one they'd want would be Brown. This guy's a pass-rush machine.”
If Cleveland takes Brown, Cincinnati is expected to get Warrick. A handful of mock drafts suggest the Bengals would pick Florida State defensive tackle Corey Simon.
In the class of defensive linemen, Brown and Simon stand out.
“Brown is a pure athlete,” Bengals director of pro/college personnel Jim Lippincott said. “He's got a good physique. He's a good pass-rusher.
“But Simon, some places have him rated ahead of Brown. He's strong and he's got built-in leverage. He's somebody you're going to have to account for (on offense) when putting together blockers.”
Defensive linemen aren't as dire a need for Cincinnati as they were before the signings of Tom Barndt and Vaughn Booker.
But superstars are hard to pass up.
Brown has been likened to Rams star Kevin Carter, whom the Bengals had planned to pick in 1995 before deciding to trade up for the No.1 spot in the draft, which they spent on Ki-Jana Carter.
At 6-foot-5 and 269 pounds, Brown is almost skinny. But his speed and strength are unquestioned.
“Courtney Brown is like on another level,” Jones said.
Simon is a run-blocking nose tackle, not considered a prime Bengal need. Yet picking him would follow the strength-in-numbers formula Tennessee took to the Super Bowl last season.
“Effective defenses in the league do not leave the same guys in for the whole game,” Jones said.
Any of the next few linemen — Tennessee's Shaun Ellis, Boston College's Chris Hovan, Virginia Tech's John Engelberger and Kansas State's Darren Howard — could go in the first round or slide to the second.
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