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Gilyard could be Bengals’ second-round choice
The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock with their second-round draft selection and it’s no surprise who is coming off the board. University of Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard would be a sexy pick for the hometown Bengals for a number of reasons.
The team is in need of a young playmaking receiver to groom behind Chad Ochocinco. I believe Gilyard fits the bill. That being said, the receiver may not be available with the 54th overall pick.
Gilyard’s stock has risen since his school’s pro day March 10 where he ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash. This was a vast improvement from the 4.61 he ran at the Scouting Combine last month.
Gilyard has been worked out by Denver and New England and has a visit lined up with Tennessee. New England owns the 44th, 48th and 53rd overall picks.
Many draft prognosticators/experts have a hard time believing Gilyard belongs among the elite receivers. Some view him as nothing more than a utility player in the pros.
Former UC quarterbacks/receivers coach Charley Molnar, who is now the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for Notre Dame, would be the first to argue Gilyard’s ability on the field.
“Mardy focused on every skill to help him become an elite receiver,” Molnar said in a recent phone interview. “Not just catching the ball, but hand placement, putting the ball away after the catch, route-running technique, etc. He took all those things very seriously. He was always looking to perfect his skills. Mardy is a perfectionist when it comes to his craft.”
Gilyard would always listen to coaching points because he never wanted to make the same mistakes twice, Molnar said, and if an opponent shut the receiver down he would always practice extra hard to counter that move.
“Mardy’s number one attribute is his competitiveness,” Molnar said. “It shows in practice and obviously it shows in games. Mardy doesn’t like to lose in any drill. In my three years coaching him, very rarely did he lose a drill. He was tremendously competitive when we got into those situations.”
Molnar went on to say that Gilyard’s competitive nature really showed in the game against Pittsburgh, where he put the team on his back and helped lead them to the Big East championship. The Pittsburgh game showed the culmination of Gilyard’s work.
Gilyard was recruited to Cincinnati as a defensive back and became a project receiver for the Bearcats. We know how that turned out. Gilyard finished his career as Cincinnati’s all-time leader in receptions (204), receiving touchdowns (25), receiving yards (3,003), all-purpose yards (5,904), kickoff returns (93) and kickoff return TDs (4).
Gilyard didn’t get to be a high-profile player without hard work and good study habits.
“Mardy has football intelligence,” Molnar said. “He understands defensive players’ individual strengths and weaknesses. He could look at a guy and get a good feel for what type of coverage that guy was going to play on him. And knew what moves he could use on the guy. Mardy was pretty good at that.”
The biggest knock on Gilyard coming into the draft was a lack of speed, but he addressed that at pro day. Now the question is, does he have first-round speed?
“In my mind he does,” Molnar said. “I saw how well he ran in games the last three years. Mardy separated from most every defender that we played. Speed is only relative to, is he worth 10 million dollars a year. He’s certainly going to play in the NFL. It’s just a matter of when he gets drafted. Mardy may not be the fastest guy in the group of receivers, but he’s certainly fast enough to excel in the NFL.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
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By Tim
March 18, 2010 7:48 AM | Link to this
The Bengals selecting Mardy Gilyard would be a good business move as well. The team had trouble selling out games last season and they were winning. Gilyard would put rumps in the empty seats of Paul Brown Stadium due to his overwhelming popularity in the city. I’m sure owner Mike Brown would love that a great deal. I would root for Gilyard if he were to become a Bengal except when they play the Steelers.
By Buckfan3
March 18, 2010 3:56 PM | Link to this
Wow, that’s harsh. That’s like saying if you support the Bengals, you support criminals. I’m am sure the Rooney family is not pleased with the press the Big Ben is getting. I’d rather see a taller receiver if we are going to pick one.
By Larry Parsons
March 18, 2010 8:43 PM | Link to this
Gilyard has more heart than anyone in the draft..this is what the Bengals typically miss.
By dana
March 22, 2010 4:27 AM | Link to this
2nd rd… Let someone else take that chance on this guy. Pro DB’s will smother this kid. 4th,5th rd …maybe