Utah DE Fanene is final Bengals' pick

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

Utah defensive end Jonathan Fanene was the Bengals' seventh and final pick of the NFL draft this afternoon (No. 233 overall).

Fanene, who is 6-3 1/2, 287 pounds, started 10 games for the Utes last season. He flashes strength, power and burst off the edge as a pass rusher. He does lack foot quickness and is considered a developmental project.

Fanene was the third defensive player drafted out of seven by the Bengals this weekend.

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Sixth-round pick is UCLA WR Tab Perry

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

The Bengals made their sixth-round pick (190 overall) this afternoon, former UCLA wide receiver Tab Perry.

Perry, who is 6-feet-2 1/2, 229 pounds, missed the 2003 season with academic problems (he said it was a case of Internet plagerism.) Both of his parents are from the Cincinnati area.

He had 22 receptions for 375 yards and three touchdowns last season. He is projected as a tough, reception receiver.

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Bengals make fifth-round pick, offensive tackle

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

The Bengals selected Central Michigan offensive tackle Adam Kieft in the fifth round this afternoon.

Kieft is 6-feet-7, 337 pounds and is a developmental project.

For the fourth consecutive round, ESPN's live coverage of the draft went to commercial when the Bengals were on the clock. Only the Bengals' first overall pick, outside linebacker David Pollack, was shown live on TV.

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UC's Cole, Miami's Hodge go 146, 147

Two local college players were drafted on consecutive picks early this afternoon.

Trent Cole, a defensive end from the University of Cincinnati, was the 146th pick in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Miami University cornerback Alphonso Hodge was drafted on the next pick, No. 147, by the Kansas City Chiefs.

-- Mark Curnutte

Central Michigan center is fourth pick

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

The Bengals selected Central Michigan center Eric Ghiaciuc in the fourth round early this afternoon with the 119th overall.

Ghiacuic started 35 consecutive games for the Mid-American Conference team. He is 6-feet-4, 302 pounds and is noted for his good size and movement skills. Scouts also like his intelligencec, work ethic and character. He had an impressive workout at the combine in February but is a question mark because he has not faced top competition.

The Bengals want to groom Chiaciuc as a replacement to Rich Braham. Braham remains unsigned but is expected to come back for at least one more season as the starter.

The Bengals' next pick, their fifth-rounder, is No. 153 overall.

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Bengals draft WR Henry in third round

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

In the third round, with the 83rd overall choice, the Bengals drafted former West Virginia wide receiver Chris Henry.

He is tall, at 6-feet-4, and had 52 receptions and 12 touchdowns in 2004. He had a 16.2-yard average per catch.

Henry, as an early-entry junior, is considered a raw talent. There are questions about Henry's maturity, and even some of his Mountaineers teammates questioned it. He is considered a first-round talent but dropped because of potential character and maturity issues.

The Bengals might release sixth-year wide receiver Peter Warrick, who is due to make a base salary of $2.2 million, in 2005 if he can't recover from knee and shin injuries. There are questions whether Warrick's knee problems are arthritic in nature.

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Team takes Ga. LB Thurman in second round

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

The Bengals drafted a second consecutive Georgia defender tonight, picking linebacker Odell Thurman in the second round.

Thurman joins fellow Bulldog David Pollack -- the Bengals' first-round pick -- in Cincinnati. Coach Marvin Lewis said Pollack will play outside linebacker.

Thurman, an early-entry junior, is 6-feet, 233 pounds and regarded as an aggressive player who exels against the run. He had three sacks among his 65 tackles last season. He is believed to have dropped into the second round because of some off-field character issues.

Thurman made a pre-draft visit to Cincinnati.

The selection of two linebackers could spell the end for outside linebacker Kevin Hardy, a free-agent acquisition for Lewis prior to the 2003 season.

The Bengals next have the 83rd overall pick (third round).

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Bengals pick Ga. linebacker Pollack at No. 17

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

The Bengals selected Georgia defensive end David Pollack with the 17th overall pick in the NFL draft this afternoon. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said the team planned to play him as an outside linebacker.

Pollack is regarded as an energetic, quick and disruptive pass rusher who also is solid against the run at the point of attack. He is 6-feet-2, 265 pounds. Pollack had 12.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss as a senior for the Bulldogs.

Pollack won multiple post-season awards for his play.

"Good instincts, plays hard, try to make the most of what I have," is how Pollack described himself as a player on a phone interview.

He was leaving his parents' home in Snellville, Ga., not far from Atlanta, for a Saturday evening flight to Cincinnati, where he would meet with coaches at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals had scheduled a Sunday press conference at the stadium with Pollack.

Lewis recalled meeting Pollack three years ago when he went to Georgia to meet former Bulldogs linebacker Boss Bailey.

"(Pollack) was the leader of that team, even then," Lewis said. "He's the type of player you can put on a billboard and be proud of. He's not afraid to bring people along with him."

Lewis said he envisioned Pollack playing outside linebacker but also playing defensive end on third down. Lewis also said the Bengals had phone calls from teams, offering to trade up, but none of the calls were "appealing enough to move."

The Bengals had their choice of several players they liked: Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton, LSU defensive lineman Marcus Spears and Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James.
James went with the 18th overall pick to Minnesota. Clayton went No. 22 to Baltimore.

Several players the Bengals liked were drafted ahead of them, including Georgia strong safety Thomas Davis (who went to Carolina at No. 14) and defensive end-outside linebacker Demarcus Ware (No. 11 to Dallas).

In the second round, the Bengals have the 48th overall pick. Barring a trade, they also will finish the day with a third-round pick, the 83rd overall.

Rounds 4-7 will be held Sunday.

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