Bengals Draft Preview: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

For the second year in a row the Chad Ocho Cinco cloud hangs over the Bengals heading into the NFL Draft (albeit much quieter this year) which makes it difficult to evaluate how big of a need wide receiver is. Or does it. With Chad, they have Coles as the #2, Chris Henry as the #3, Andre Caldwell at #4 and Jerome Simpson as the #5 receiver. A pretty good group although for the second straight year 2008 draftees Caldwell and Simpson will have a hard time making much of an impact.Now subtract Chad and the group still is pretty solid as Caldwell and Simpson slide into the 3 and 4 roles which is a reasonable expectation unless the team consideres Jerome Simpson to be a complete bust. It is also worth noting the team's aggressive pursuit of Coles was a hedge against Chad being Ocho Stinko again. We can debate whether or not the team should trade the Ocho but in either case wide receiver lags behind other positions on the need list. If they draft a wide receiver expect the player to possess return skills.Moving to tight ends, the presence of Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht makes one think the team is set at tight end but is it. Kelly is in the final year of his contract and Utecht struggled to catch the ball on the rare occassion he was healthy. The team also has Daniel Coats and 2008 6th round Matt Sperry but neither inspires much confidence. Based on the above, I would rank tight end as a much bigger need than wide receiver with the team considering receiving tight ends such as Jared Cook, Cornelius Ingram or James Casey as early as round 3 (they could also take one with their annual 2nd round luxury pick). Overall tight end is not a top need but as long as they don't take one in round 2, it should be considered good planning rather than a bad pick (any of the above guys mentioned would be a good 3rd round value).Wide Receiver:Round 1 Possibilities: Michael Crabtree, Jeremy MaclinRound 2 Luxury Picks: Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, Brian Robiskie, Percy HarvinMid-Round Targets (rounds 3 or 4): Derrick Williams, Brandon Tate, Mike WallaceLate Round Sleepers (round 5 - 7): Johnny Knox, Mike Thomas, Sammie StroughterTight End:Round 2 or 3 possibilities: Jared Cook, Cornelius Ingram, James CaseyLater Round Targets/Sleepers: Cameron Morrah, Anthony Hill, Davon Drew, Richard QuinnBe sure to join me at NFLDraft101.com this weekend for Live Coverage of the 2009 NFL Draft including Live Chat and Pick by Pick Analysis