First round draft pick Levi Jones, left, works against Eric Ogbogu during practice. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Levi Jones signed his contract in the wee hours of Friday morning. Lamont Thompson signed his contract at breakfast time.

        And both rookies, the Bengals' top two draft picks, were in uniform and on the field for the 11 a.m. skills session that opened the 2002 Bengals training camp.

        “I knew it was going to come down to the last 24 hours before they were going to get it done,” said Jones, who assumed his role as Richmond Webb's understudy at left tackle.

        Thompson was inserted into the starting role at free safety and spent the skills session and afternoon practice working with the No. 1 defense.

        “It seems like I haven't played football for forever,” said the 6-foot-1, 220-pound safety from Washington State. “Just to get out there and go through some of the calls and be in the huddle feels real good.”

        Friday was a day of good feelings at Bengals camp, much of it the result of the on-time arrivals of the team's first- and second-round draft picks for the first time since 1994.

        It's too early to predict what kind of careers Jones and Thompson will have, but coach Dick LeBeau said the makeup is there for productive ones.

        “I think (Jones) is a very precocious young man — his focus and mental maturity and what he wants to do with his life,” LeBeau said of the 22-year-old tackle from Arizona State. “There is no guarantee in this business. There is no absolute formula for success, but I know one of them is honesty, work hard, have a sense of purpose, wanting to hold up your end of it, and I sense that very much in Levi.”

        Jones, the 10th overall pick in the draft, signed a five-year contract for $11 million. He took pen to paper after midnight in the Georgetown College suite of executive vice president Katie Blackburn, who negotiated the contract with agent Kenneth Zuckerman.

        LeBeau was complimentary of Thompson, as well.

        “The thing we drafted Lamont for (is) his ball-hawking skills,” LeBeau said. “He has great range. He has the ability to get to the ball in the air, and the size is a factor there because he'll be wrestling with tight ends and tall wide receivers trying to get the ball.”

        Thompson received $1.6 million to sign a four-year deal worth $2.96 million.

        Jones and Thompson said they played a role in getting their deals done on time.

Peter Warrick catches a pass during practice at training camp. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        “I expressed to my agent how I wanted to get in,” Jones said. “As a left tackle, it's extremely important for me to be here. I can't miss this. Missing training camp wouldn't have done anyone any justice. I knew I was going to be signed on time.”

        Jones spent Wednesday at the Eloy, Ariz., home of his mother. He made sure he said his goodbyes to family and friends.

        “Thursday I spent getting ready to come up here,” he said. “I was packed and ready to go. Locked and loaded.”

        Jones made sure he prepared for training camp in every way possible. In addition to working out, he started to get up at 5 a.m. Phoenix time, which translates to 8 a.m. in Cincinnati and Georgetown.

        “I was pretty tired when I finally got here,” he said. “But I've been trying to adjust to the time change.”

        Thompson flew out of Oakland, Calif., late Thursday once he got word from agent Michael Sullivan that the deal had been hammered out.

        “I thought it was extremely important, for the team's sake,” he said of getting signed. “I think everybody on the team has one common goal, and that's to win. I want to be a part of that.”

        Both players are aware of the Bengals' recent troubles of signing top draft picks and want to be part of a new beginning.

        “The organization is moving forward and trying to win,” Thompson said. “The approach is win now instead of later. They demonstrated that by signing the rookies and getting us all in.

        “I know nothing is given to me. I know I have to go out there and do the things I'm confident I can do. I want to give the coaches confidence that I'm more than capable of playing the position.”

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