The night before the draft 2006

The NFL draft has been jammed down my throat so much that I have not even wanted to talk about it. But it is tomorrow, so we should probably give it a look.

I think the Bengals are finally in the position where they do not have any gaping holes in their roster, so they can focus on picking the best player available. But they still have needs...

Positions where a player could start immediately/by midseason

Cornerback - One spot is taken by pro bowler Deltha Oneal (though I think he is vastly overrated). The other is taken by aging Tory James (who the Bengals' coaches claim had a fine season last year... he is slow and soft on the run). Then you have Kiewan Ratlif, who will be never be anything more than a backup/nickel DB. I don't think a shutdown corner will be there by #24. Some people think the Bengals could sign Donte Whitner, who is more of a safety than a corner. He would be great on passing downs but would not be an every down corner. If the Bengals pick Ashton Yobouty, I will puke.

Tight End - Everyone wants to have the big, fast tight end that catches 50 balls a season. But with the Bengals offense, I am not sure there are enough balls to go around to keep a pass catching TE happy. And Cincinnati loves their 3-wideout set and throwing to Chris Perry out of the backfield. The Bengals still have Tony Stewart and Reggie Kelly, who the coaches love because he can block. Schobel is gone. Apparently the TE field is deep this year so the Begals will probably go defense with their first pick then go TE with their 2nd/3rd.

Defensive End - Justin Smith is the right end that the coaches say 'works hard' and 'has a great motor' and is 'durable'. That's like when someone asks you if the girl you fixed him up with is attractive and you say 'she's got a great personality'. Geathers is the left end. I seriously do not remember hearing his name called in any game last year. Not once. Some guy named 'Kiwanuka' from BC or Tamba Hali from PSU could be picked.

Positions where a player could be second string

Offensive Line - The Bengals have a bunch of offensive linemen - probably their deepest position. They have guys that everyone forgot about because they were hurt last year. Adam Kieft is a monster (6-7 330) LT who blew out his ACL. Ben Wilkerson is a center out of LSU who dropped out of the '04 draft because HIS knee was blown out. And the Bengals have Larry Moore who blew out his knee in the Houston game. With Kieft and Stacy Andrews (6-7 350) waiting in the wings at tackle, this is probably BIG Willie's last year. So it looks like a log jam at O Line. Still, the rationale is that you can NEVER have enough offensive linemen. If center Nick Mangold drops, the Gals could snatch him.

Linebacker - the Bengals have 3 solid starters (Simmons, Thurman, Pollack) but if they draft someone good enough, they could bring some 3-4 looks to mix it up.

Safety - The Bengals have the starters in Dexter Jackson and Madieu Williams, but they still need secondary help.

Quarterback - It sounds crazy, since the Bengals have 4 QBs on the roster, but I don't think Cincinnati has a 2nd string QB that they trust. Anthony Wright is just a spot sign to start the first 4-6 games. He will not be on the roster next year. After that you have Doug Johnson, who sucks, and Craig Krenzel who is just there in case a terrorist sets off a chemical weapon in Paul Brown Stadium and we need a bio-chemist to save the city.

Positions that the Bengals will not draft... well, I take that back. These would be picks for the future. And in Marvin we Trust.

Running Back - The Bengals have Rudi Johnson signed through '09. Fullback Jeremi Johnson through '11. Chris Perry is a great backup and maybe the best 3rd down back in the league. Kenny Watson, a solid pro, is back after injury. I just don't see a sign here.

Wide Receiver - I swear, if the Bengals sign another receiver, I am going to go to the grocery store and throw an orange at the nearest customer in my line of sight. Just because.