Sources from Ahmad Brooks camp just confirmed
to us the Bengals phoned the Virginia linebacker and told him of their decision.
This is a mild surprise as the Bengals had not
been viewed as serious contenders for the services of the big linebacker, even though, as we reported on June 23rd, Cincinnati linebacker coach Ricky Hunley ran a large part of Brooks pro-day workout.
Recent off-the-field incidents of young players such as Chris Henry and A.J. Nicholson coupled with the documented problems of Brooks makes this pick is even
more surprising.
We will keep you updated throughout the
afternoon.
UPDATE: No other player was selected in
the draft.
Texas fullback Aharmd Hall presently has four
teams trying to sign him to a free agent deal. We should know soon who
Hall has signed with.
Hutchinson Community College star David
Dixon should be signed within the next 24-to-48 hours. The teams
presently negotiating for his services are the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets,
San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans.
Dixon's pro-day workout was a bit disappointing
but early this week he completed an individual workout running the forty in
4.50/4.49, completing 24-reps on the bench and turning in a 37-inch vertical
jump at 240-pounds.
Update: Ahmard Hall- In what turned out
to be a five team race the Tennessee Titans came to a contractual agreement with
Texas fullback Ahmard Hall.
The Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, New
York Giants and Green Bay Packers all negotiated hard through the afternoon to
acquire Hall.
In the end it was not money but the best
opportunity to play at the next level that had Hall signing with the
Titans. Norm Chow envisions Hall as a big pass catcher out of the
backfield and the only other fullback Hall must contend with to make the roster
is Troy Fleming.