With the Bengals selecting USC LB Keith Rivers with the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft Saturday, there “seems to be a mandate from above, be it from team owner Mike Brown or NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, that the Bengals clean up their embarrassing act,” according to Tom Archdeacon of the DAYTON DAILY NEWS. At this draft, even though Bengals coach Marvin Lewis “publicly dismissed the idea, character seems to be one of the primary concerns when bringing in a new player.” Lewis, when asked if character played into the Rivers selection, said, “That wasn’t a consideration. It’s a part of every player.” However, Rivers “admitted the Bengals brought up character.” Rivers: “We talked about it, but I’m a strong character guy. It’s something I value. I’ve shown I can stay out of trouble while playing in a big city.” Archdeacon reported character also may have had “something to do with the Bengals curious selection” of Coastal Carolina WR Jerome Simpson in the second round, even though “several higher-ranked candidates from bigger programs” were still available (DAYTON DAILY NEWS, 4/27). ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.: “Teams are trying to get players now that are not going to be issues off the field. For Keith Rivers, that is never going to be a problem.” ESPN’s Steve Young: “He’s a solid character. You talk about character, you talk about the (Bengals), that’s going to be important as we go forward with Marvin Lewis.”
OUT OF CHARACTER: In a special to USATODAY.com, Rob Rang wrote, “Several high-profile prospects fell out of the first two rounds due to character concerns.” Michigan WR Mario Manningham and Nebraska OT Carl Nicks are two players “worthy of first-round consideration” who were drafted No. 95 and No. 164, respectively (USATODAY.com, 4/26). FOXSPORTS.com’s Mark Kriegel wrote character “isn’t the issue. It’s the knucklehead issue. In this respect, NFL franchises aren’t unlike those you work for. They don’t want embarrassment. They don’t want guys missing work. They don’t want knuckleheads” (FOXSPORTS.com, 4/26).
AROUND THE LEAGUE: In St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz wrote of the Rams’ selection of Long, “I believe character is important. Anytime the Rams can add a first-rate individual to the locker room, that’s a plus”. (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/27)….Falcons Owner Arthur Blank said of drafting Boston College QB Matt Ryan with the No. 3 pick with suspended QB Michael Vick in prison, “We owe it to our fans, coaches and players to move on. Selecting Matt Ryan was the important way to do that” (USA TODAY, 4/28)....Univ. of Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said of RB Jonathan Stewart, who was selected with the No. 13 pick, “In terms of running and strength and character, he will surpass anybody’s expectations” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/27)....In Boston, John Tomase writes the Patriots pulled off “one of the surprises of the NFL draft yesterday by selecting San Diego State QB Kevin O’Connell 94th overall, continuing a meteoric rise for one of the highest-character players among this year’s prospects” (BOSTON HERALD, 4/28).
