Unabated Sports

It's that time of the year when we put the previous season behind us and look ahead to next year. This Cincinnati Bengals team took the next step to break a major post-season drought. But there are still a few pieces missing for them to make it to the Super Bowl. The team may or may not make a move in the free agent market. The other source of help is the draft.

The NFL draft is so full of possibilities and the world of mock drafts tries to predict some of those possibilities. Sure, most of them don't have the journalistic credentials of Mel Kiper's hair, but they are a good barometer for which players might be available when Marvin Lewis and his staff are on the clock. In fact, the coach said that they sometimes use these mock drafts to simulate war room experiences. The best resource I've found that puts all the online versions into one place is the hailRedskins mock draft list. Again, take these drafts with a grain of salt but you may want to start paying attention to the following names that came up on more than one of the mocks.

DT: Claude Wroten-LSU, Gabe Watson-UM, Orien Harris-Miami, Rodrique Wright-Texas, Broderick Bunkley-FSU
TE: Vernon Davis- Maryland
S: Darnell Bing-USC

The name that came up way more than any other was Rodrique Wright, defensive tackle from the national champs. Other defensive tackles getting Bengal love on these simulations include LSU's Claude Wroten, Gabe Watson, and Orien Harris. USC's Darnell Bing is also getting some consideration at the safety position. Of course, these three positions were the popular prediction for last year's draft and only a handful of a hundred or so mock drafts had Marvin Lewis taking David Pollack.

The NFL's off-season evaluation process is a long one and lots can change between now and when Paul Tagliabue steps to the podium in New York. We're still have a few weeks before the Senior Bowl and are over a month away from the NFL Combine and things become a lot clearer after that. The 2006 draft isn't until April 28 but it's never too soon to start getting familiar with the players who might be sporting stripes in the fall.