By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

INDIANAPOLIS - Marvin Lewis will wrap up work at his first NFL scouting combine as the Bengals' head coach today.

Lewis, his staff and the Bengals' player personnel department have collected pages of data on prospective rookies over the past six days - none of which they're talking about publicly. But Lewis has some thoughts on the 2003 draft class.

"I'm impressed with the number of guys who have their (bachelor's) degrees and the guys who are already in graduate school," he said. "Everybody says they're going to go back and finish, but that's harder."

Asked if intelligence and book smarts are desirable traits in his players, Lewis said, "Everybody's looking for that."

The Bengals' contingent spent time watching and interviewing players at all positions. There was no focus on a specific group of players.

The team studied and talked to all of the top prospects - quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Byron Leftwich, defensive tackles Jimmy Kennedy and William Joseph, cornerback Terence Newman and receiver Charles Rogers.

The Bengals also were said to have good impressions of quarterbacks Chris Simms (Texas) and Kyle Boller (California). There is a strong possibility of the Bengals drafting a quarterback in the second or third rounds if they don't go for Palmer or Leftwich with the first pick.

More pressing this week is free agency, which will begin Friday. Lewis is saying nothing about specific players in this pool, either. A priority is trying to re-sign linebacker Takeo Spikes, who, by all indications, is headed into the open market. The Bengals have the right to match any offer sheet for Spikes.

Asked if the Bengals would concentrate on one high-priced, impact free agent - such as Philadelphia defensive end Hugh Douglas - or try to sign lower-priced players to add depth and competition, Lewis said, "You look at both quality and quantity."

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

Return to Bengals front page...