Pro Football Weekly and Riddell present ...
2002 NFL draft

Did Bengals finally get it right?

Cincinnati’s pick ignores other needs

By Jeff Reynolds, Associate editor of special projects
April 20, 2002

With multiple suitors for Harrington, who went to Detroit at No. 3, and Buchanon exuding Deion-like brashness, Cincinnati was eyeballing Miami’s Shockey, one of the premier tight ends in a class rich at the position.

But when the time came to pull the trigger, for the fourth draft in a row in the top 10, owner Mike Brown, head coach Dick LeBeau (who was partial to Harrington) and personnel man Jim Lippincott decided on Arizona State OT Levi Jones? What?

Jones, who walked on at Arizona State and went to the school on an academic scholarship, would have been available three, maybe four slots lower. In addition, the Bengals could have added another third-round pick from a team looking to trade up for Stallworth or Haynesworth, where they could have tagged depth onto its solid offensive line.

Who can’t argue? The defense is young and talented, though there are holes at corner and on the line. Buchanon is a very solid cover corner despite his size, 5-foot-10. He also returns kicks and punts with an electrifying flair. Also, why not Haynesworth? Most people are on the same page that the 6-6, 320-pounder has an immeasurable upside. Putting him at tackle next to DE Justin Smith, last year’s first rounder, would have solidified the Bengals’ front seven and allowed them to bolster the secondary, grab a quarterback and maybe a tight end in the rounds that follow. Haynesworth could have played a huge role, especially in a division full of power running games.

Outside of quarterback, a position that will be addressed on Day 1, there might not have been a bigger area of need than tight end. WRs Peter Warrick, Chad Johnson, Ron Dugans and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and whichever quarterback the Bengals decide on could have reaped the benefits of a possession-type, third-down target like Shockey. And can you imagine what a triple-threat WR corps would have done for RB Corey Dillon?

This is not to say Jones isn’t a solid player. No doubt the third-best offensive tackle in the draft behind Mike Williams and Bryant McKinnie, Jones rose up the draft boards following an incredible Combine workout. But the Bengals already have OT s John Jackson, Willie Anderson and Richmond Webb.

What we saw from Cincinnati is the reason that franchise will continue to celebrate regular-season wins over New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Tennessee and then watch the postseason. Had the Bengals added Haynesworth, Buchanon or Shockey, I wouldn’t feel the same way.

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