Bengals Draft Depot

The Draft is now just over 48 hours away and I for one can't wait. I'm changing my pick at the top of my wishlist. Well technically not the top because if Earl Thomas is there he's the one I want above anyone. Likely he's gonna be gone though, and so my next choice is Demaryius Thomas,WR,Georgia Tech. Chad's contract is going to be up after next year. There's no guarantee Antonio Bryant is gonna produce, he's been inconsistent throughout his career. If he doesn't produce then the Bengals are bad at WR just like last year.

Enter Demaryius Thomas, he's 6-3, 220 pounds, and runs a 40 in the 4.3's, which is rediculous for someone that size. He also has good hands to go with all of that. His route running isn't great but it can be refined. He should still be productive just based on speed and athleticism alone, DeSean Jackson was as he didn't run good routes and Thomas is just as fast and bigger. He can do everything, go over the middle, be a vertical threat, and be a big target in the red zone. He reminds me of a faster version of TO without the baggage. By the way he averaged 25 yards a catch last season on 46 catches. That's a quarter of the field every time he caught the ball.

Here's a scouting report on him:

Strengths:

• Size, he's basically a smaller version of a TE at the WR position.
• Speed, he's deceptively fast with his long strides and can run away from defensive backs.
• Hands, he has strong hands and usually anything that's catchable he makes the catch.
• He has excellent leaping ability, times his jumps well, and likely will be able to go up higher than any CB or Safety.
• Catches the ball very well in traffic, part of that is because of his leaping.
• He knows how to use his size to shield defenders from the ball.
• He's so strong he can easily beat press coverage by basically throwing the CB to the side.
• Due to his size he's very tough to tackle, especially for smaller defensive backs. He is a weapon in the quick WR screen as he can break a tackle and be gone.
• He is an excellent blocker and that's something that is important to the Bengals coaches.
• He had good production in college, despite being in an option offense at Georgia Tech that runs the ball all the time. He averaged 25 yards a catch which is rediculous

Weaknesses:

• His route running is very green due to the offense he was in at Georgia Tech.
• He doesn't make moves to make people miss, but he does break tackles.
• He does have concentration lapses occasionally and has some drops, but he was a WR in an offense that ran,ran, and ran some more.
• He runs too straight up, needs to get pad level down some.
• On underneath routes he doesn't get good seperation. But that's likely due to never learning to run routes and he can use his big body to shield defenders so he hasn't needed to get seperation.

He has all the physical tools to be an elite WR in the NFL. He is raw in talent, but would be a good pick for the Bengals as he wouldn't have to come right in and be a primary WR. He could be the number 3 guy getting him favorable matchups against nickel corners or safeties. The more I watch tape on this guy the more I want his name to be called for the 21st pick. Lets face it our offense lacked weapons in the passing game last season. Antonio Bryant likely will be an upgrade over Coles, but will he be the entire answer. I doubt it, but adding Thomas as a 3rd WR would give the Bengals one of the best trios of WR's in the NFL and the offense could suddenly become explosive once again. Add that with a good running game and a number 4 defense that's returning all 11 starters and you have the makings of a possible Super Bowl run.