By Joe Kay
The Associated Press

Carson Palmer sat in on a Bengals offensive meeting. Terence Newman got to meet the owner. Byron Leftwich was whisked in and out without a photo opportunity. Now, it's time to make a decision.

The Cincinnati Bengals have spent the past week sizing up their options for the first overall pick in the draft, giving no hints along the way about which way they're leaning.

Well, almost no hints.

Coach Marvin Lewis closed the team's voluntary minicamp on Sunday evening by saying the visits with Palmer, Leftwich and Newman were designed to give the team a better feel of what it would get by selecting them.

Palmer and Leftwich are the top-ranked quarterbacks available, and Newman is considered the best cornerback. If the Bengals can't trade the pick, they'll most likely take one of the three. Palmer is considered the front-runner.

The team with the first overall pick is allowed to negotiate a contract with its choice before the April 26 draft. Lewis wouldn't say when the Bengals plan to settle on a player and begin talks.

Newman's agent, David Ware, expects the Bengals to make up their minds this week.

"I imagine they'll spend some time today and the next couple of days deciding, and then start negotiating," Ware said Monday.

Newman injured his shoulder last season, but Ware said it hasn't caused any teams to rule him out.

"With any player who gets injured his senior season, you want to look at it," Ware said. "He has passed everybody's physicals. I've talked to every top 10 team, and none of them has said they'd pass on him because of the shoulder."

Newman will visit the Giants this week, and is getting calls from other teams interested in meeting with him, Ware said.

The Bengals prevented reporters from interviewing Newman and Palmer after they left minicamp workouts Sunday. Both of them attended team meetings, and Newman got to meet owner Mike Brown for the first time.

Palmer then headed back to Los Angeles. He has no meetings scheduled with other teams.

The Bengals were thought to have an interest in Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers, who would give them another deep threat to complement Chad Johnson. If the Bengals pass on him, the Detroit Lions are expected to take him with the second overall pick.

Houston and Detroit are the only teams that Rogers has visited, making it unlikely that the Bengals would choose him.

Lewis wanted to bring Palmer, Leftwich and Newman to Cincinnati for what amounted to a final interview.

"With the first pick, it's important to know as much about him as we can," Lewis said. "We can't fit a square peg into a round hole."

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