Wednesday, April 12, 2000
Bengals look to shore up corners
OSU's Plummer rated at top of subpar class
BY Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ray Horton knows help is coming at cornerback. The only questions are who and how many.
“Hey, I take the blinders off,” the Bengals' defensive backs coach said. “I know we need some help there.”
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TOP CORNERBACKS
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• 1. Ahmed Plummer, Ohio State. The Wyoming High School alum isn't flashy or fantastic. But he's consistent, smart and reliable. Should be drafted in the second half of the first round.
• 2. Rashard Anderson, Jackson State. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he's the top physical specimen. Only question is how readily he'll make the jump from Division I-AA.
• 3. Ike Charlton, Virginia Tech. Strong and physical with a 42-inch vertical leap. Decent size at 5-foot-11, 202 pounds. Could play cornerback or safety.
• 4. Deltha O'Neal, California. Was a tailback his first two seasons before shifting to defense. Has remained a strong punt/kickoff returner. His return skills might land him in the first round.
• 5. Lewis Sanders, Maryland. At 6-foot and 200 pounds, he has ideal size. He's turning pro after his junior season. Would be a solid second-round pick.
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A young, injury-riddled crew of corners will get reinforcements this weekend in the draft. There are no Champ Bailey types available on whom to consider spending the first-round pick, but this probably will be the third consecutive year a second-round choice is spent on a cornerback.
“The critical area is that secondary,” said Jerry Jones, publisher of The Drugstore List. “Artrell (Hawkins) is going to be a good corner, but they've got to live with him as he grows up. Tom Carter is a good, solid player.
“That's a basis, but with all the three- and four-receiver sets, you need a lot of guys back there.”
Charles Fisher and Ric Mathias are recuperating from major offseason knee surgeries, so their abilities are uncertain. The Bengals need numbers.
This isn't a great year to go shopping. It's widely regarded as a subpar class of corners. But the top handful still will go late in the first round and early in the second, because everyone wants corners.
The top draftee should be Ohio State's Ahmed Plummer, the Wyoming High grad.
“He's a very good cover corner,” Jones said. “He's very consistent, a smart kid.”
The next player on the board is Jackson State's Rashard Anderson. He has great size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) but may require patience as he makes the steep climb from Division I-AA ball.
Those two are expected to be gone before the Bengals pick in the second round. The Bengals probably will choose from among Virginia Tech's Ike Charlton, Wake Forest's Reggie Austin, Arkansas' David Barrett, California's Deltha O'Neal and Mississippi State's Robert Bean.
“Austin (5-foot-9) has the quickness and speed, but you wish he had the size,” Ben gals director of pro/college personnel Jim Lippincott said. “O'Neal has the size (5-11), but you wish he had Austin's quickness and speed.
“That comparison is pretty close to what that whole class of corners is like. Those who have the size may be a fraction off on the speed and quickness, and vice versa.”
There's no guarantee the Bengals won't wait until later to get their corners, either.
“We'd like to get a secondary player in the second round, but at that point, you need to look at the best available athlete,” Bengals president Mike Brown said.
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