Tuesday, April 11, 2000Samuels: A perfect bookend
Would pair with Anderson Alabama tackle will go in 1st 4
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati EnquirerShaun Alexander made the touchdowns and headlines. But Chris Samuels helped make Alexander.
The Outland Trophy winner was the impetus of Alabama's Orange Bowl run last fall, an anchor at left tackle behind whom Alexander ran to stardom. Alexander is figured to be drafted in the top half of the first round, but Samuels should be gone after four picks.
Why four? Because if he isn't take first, second or third, the Bengals will pounce.
TOP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN • 1. Chris Samuels, tackle, Alabama. He's a cut above: Outland Trophy winner, a four-year starter, quick and mobile. Has seemingly recovered from knee injury. • 2. Stockar McDougle, tackle, Oklahoma. At 6-foot-5, 361 pounds, he's Goliath. Rising after strong Senior Bowl workouts. Better at run blocking than pass blocking.
• 3. Chris McIntosh, tackle, Wisconsin. He's a pass-blocking specialist who could play left or right tackle. Tall (6-61/2) with long arms.
• 4. Marvel Smith, tackle, Arizona State. The fourth-year junior wasn't as dominant in 1999 as '98, though he is hardly penalized and rarely makes assignment errors.
• 5. Cosey Coleman, guard, Tennessee. He's leaving school a year early. Three-year starter is a right guard but could play right tackle.
— Neil Schmidt
“Samuels would be a perfect fit,” said Jerry Jones, publisher of The Drugstore List. “But unless somebody's kidding them, he won't be there at (No.)4.”
If either Cleveland (top pick) or Washington (Nos.2 and 3) takes Florida State wideout Peter Warrick, Samuels could fall to fourth.
He and promising right tackle Willie Anderson could be great bookends for the Bengals' offense.
“I can make a case for Samuels because Willie is signed this year but not past it,” Bengals President Mike Brown said. “That could help Willie want to stay here for the long term.”
Samuels is considered only a hair behind where Tony Boselli and Jonathan Ogden were at this stage.
“This is a real honest-to-goodness left tackle, which you don't find very often,” Jones said. “Look at the good teams, and look how strong they are at that position. Look at the glory years of the Bengals and look who they had at left tackle.”
That would be Cincinnati's lone Hall of Famer, Anthony Munoz. The Bengals have held auditions for Munoz's replacement since he retired after the 1992 season.
The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Samuels, a four-year starter, is a premier pass-blocker.
“He's athletic like a basketball player,” said Jim Lippincott, the Bengals' director of pro/college personnel. “He's strong and has good balance. He's not Boselli, but he's probably in the Ogden and (Orlando) Pace category. Pace is more powerful and Ogden's bigger, but Samuels is right there.”
If a strong tackle like Mississippi's Todd Wade or Hawaii's Adrian Klemm is still on the board early in the second round, the Bengals might have trouble ignoring them in favor of an expected cornerback selection.
More likely, an offensive lineman could be a third-round target.
Bengals Stories
Dillon: I'll sit all but six games
Brown, Simon best 'D' linemen
Samuels: A perfect bookend
Fastest to 400
Rockies 7, Reds 5
Bichette rather have a win
Reds notebook
Box, runs
From farm to golf course
Cyclones rally past Wolves
High school roundup