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Bengals land small-school receiver in second round

Team passes on big-school receivers to grab productive, physical, athletic wideout from Coastal Carolina.

By Chick Ludwig

Staff Writer

Sunday, April 27, 2008

CINCINNATI — Wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Limas Sweed, Malcolm Kelly and Mario Manningham were still on the draft board.

But the Bengals spurned those big-school studs and grabbed an unknown — Coastal Carolina's Jerome Simpson — in the second round of the NFL draft, No. 46 overall.

Extras

Perhaps a hidden gem from the Big South Conference, the 6-foot-2, 193-pounder caught 157 passes for 2,636 yards (a 16.8-yard average) and 43 touchdowns in 44 career games.

Simpson replaces Chris Henry, who was waived on April 3.

"There are some things about him that are rare," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "Granted, he does come from a small school. What you look for at the small schools is productivity. He had the productivity of 43 career TDs.

"One of the words I wrote down on my evaluation as I (watched) film on him was 'courageous.' That speaks for itself."

Why pass on Jackson (California), Sweed (Texas), Kelly (Oklahoma) and Manningham (Michigan)?

"There were some guys that entered the postseason with a lot of hoopla," said head coach Marvin Lewis, "and for various reasons their measurables didn't quite end up the same physically. Speed, athleticism, everything ... (Simpson) separated himself from other people.

"Obviously, picking a receiver this early, he needs to come in and fill a void. We wanted to find a guy that we felt had the stature to do that, a guy with the physical tools to get away from bump and run coverage. This has been a thorough process."

Simpson ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, then wowed scouts at the East-West Shrine Game.

Wide receivers coach Mike Sheppard said "the spectacular part" is what he likes most about Simpson.

"He's an acrobatic catcher," Sheppard said. "It's nice to be able to take a guy that has the kind of ability that will get the ball wherever it is. That's the most exciting part from a physical standpoint."

Simpson's heroes are Jerry Rice, Chad Johnson, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.

"I've always looked up to Chad," he said. "I respect his game. He's a great player.

"It's a blessing to get picked this early. I want to get the Bengals into the playoffs and win a Super Bowl."

The Bengals have the following picks today:

Round 3 (No. 77)

Round 3 (No. 97)

Round 4 (No. 112)

Round 5 (No. 145)

Round 6 (No. 177)

Round 6 (No. 207)

Round 7 (No. 244)

Round 7 (No. 246)