At No. 97, Bengals take WR Caldwell

The Bengals added their second wide receiver of the draft when they picked Florida's Andre Caldwell. He had 56 receptions for the Gators in 2007 with seven touchdowns and is regarded as having explosive kickoff return ability. He is 6 feet, 207 pounds and projected to a second-to-third round pick.

He started the first three games of the 2005 season but then broke his right leg. He gained a medical red-shirt season.

Caldwell ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and can make people miss after catching the ball.

He started all 11 games in 2007 and converted 17 of 27 third-down plays he was involved in.

Caldwell, the younger brother of Rams wide receiver Reche Caldwell, is the second receiver drafted by the Bengals. They took Coastal Carolina's Jerome Simpson with the 46th overall pick in the second round on Saturday.

By Shannon Russell
srussell@enquirer.com

Andre Caldwell broke his right leg on a kickoff return against Tennessee in 2005 and missed the remainder of the season at Florida.

Recovering from that injury was among the hardest things he has ever done.

“It took me about a whole year before I was 100 percent,” Caldwell said. “It was a long, tough year.”

He hasn’t missed a step since then. Coming off a senior season in which he ranked second among Gators players with 56 receptions for 761 yards and seven touchdowns, Caldwell dazzled in the Under Armour Senior Bowl in January.

He scored on a 2-yard touchdown run as time expired, setting up the game-winning extra point in a thrilling South victory.The Bengals liked what they saw in the 6-foot, 203-pound wide receiver and picked him in the third round of Sunday’s NFL Draft.

He was selected 97th overall.

Caldwell, the brother of St. Louis wide receiver Reche Caldwell, has been lauded by draft analysts for his offensive versatility. He saw time at split end and slot receiver last season.

“We talking upstairs about what we’d do with him, and he has played a lot of slot work when he was at Florida, so that’s a good thing for him,” said offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski. “But it goes back to initially starting him at one spot and going from there, and getting a real sense of (his) football intelligence.”

The Bengals took wide receiver Coastal Carolina’s Jerome Simpson in the second round, but coach Marvin Lewis said Saturday that Simpson probably “isn’t a guy who we would put value on in returns.”

Caldwell has explosive speed and may be called upon to do just that. He said his time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was about 4.35.

Bratkowski said special teams coach Darrin Simmons will take a look at both receivers.

“He always asks these skill guys coming in, ‘Have you ever returned kicks? Did you do it in high school? How much did you do it in college?’ I’m sure (Caldwell will) get some looks back there, because you always have to have a back-up, an emergency guy,” Bratkowski said.

Lewis was glad Caldwell stayed on the board as long as he did, and believes his size, athleticism and speed translate into big potential.

While the Bengals weren’t on Caldwell’s radar, he was pleasantly surprised and eager to join the franchise.

One of his memorable brushes with Ohio was when the Gators beat Ohio State, 41-14, in the 2006 national championship. Caldwell caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow with 23 seconds left until halftime and the Gators led, 34-14.Caldwell had 35 starts in 53 games at Florida. He owns the school career record with 185 catches for 2,349 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The former Gators captain said he models himself after Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens. But unlike Johnson, he has no plans to celebrate after scoring.

“No, I ain’t a dancer,” Caldwell said. “I just go out there and make plays and do everything to help the team win the game.”