Bengals Take LB Keith Rivers In First Round

CINCINNATI -- An hour into the draft, Southern California linebacker Keith Rivers got a surprise.

Like most other draft watchers, he expected the Cincinnati Bengals to take defensive tackle Sedric Ellis - one of his USC teammates - in the first round. When New Orleans moved up and snatched him away, Rivers didn't know what that meant for him.

It meant he'd soon be wearing an orange cap.

The Bengals made another try at adding a difference-maker on defense Saturday, taking Rivers with the ninth overall pick. He joins a linebacker unit that has been a work in progress for years because of injuries and suspensions.

"Great leadership abilities," coach Marvin Lewis said. "Really somebody to start and kind of mold a group around, him being the front-runner of the group and the leader of the group."

In the second round, the Bengals sought a replacement for No. 3 receiver Chris Henry, who was released this month after his latest arrest. Their surprising pick: Jerome Simpson from Coastal Carolina, who wasn't rated among the top receivers in the draft.

First, they tried to upgrade the defense that has been a problem for years.

Since he became head coach before the 2003 season, Lewis has coveted a cornerstone linebacker like Ray Lewis, who helped him win a Super Bowl in Baltimore. He thought they had two such linebackers when they took David Pollack and Odell Thurman in the first two rounds of the 2005 draft.

Pollack broke his neck and is about to retire because of the injury. Thurman was suspended by the NFL for the last two years, and was reinstated on Monday.

The position remains a mess.

The Bengals took linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the 2007 supplemental draft, but he tore groin muscles in the second game last season and needed surgery. Injuries depleted the linebackers so much that end Robert Geathers - their best pass rusher - move to linebacker for four games.

The Bengals checked out Rivers' background - no problems there - and didn't hesitate to make him their pick at No. 9 overall.

"We thought they might go in a different direction, but I'm so happy," Rivers said, referring to the Bengals' interest in Ellis. "I'm at a point where I don't know what to do, whether to jump or cry."

Rivers put on a Bengals cap several minutes before the choice was announced, having already heard from the team. When it was official, Rivers got a call from quarterback Carson Palmer, who won the Heisman Trophy at USC.

"He said I'm what they need - they've got all the offense, but they need help on defense," Rivers said. "I want to come in and help."

The Bengals have several options at linebacker now. Brooks and Thurman are middle linebackers, but one of them could move to an outside spot. Rivers played outside at Southern California, but spent time at all three linebacker spots at the Senior Bowl.

The defense has been the Bengals' biggest problem during Lewis' five seasons in Cincinnati, even though they have invested a lot of draft picks in it. The Bengals have taken defensive players with their last four No. 1 picks - Pollack, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, cornerback Leon Hall and Rivers.

"It gives us another toy to play with," defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said.

It wasn't surprising that the Bengals took a receiver in the second round. With Henry gone and Chad Johnson threatening to sit out the season, they have only T.J. Houshmandzadeh as a proven receiver.

The Bengals passed over higher-rated receivers from bigger schools to take Simpson, who also was a high-jumper and long-jumper at Coastal Carolina. He has long arms, big hands and an ability to make acrobatic catches.

Still, he didn't think any team would take him quite so high in the draft. He was driving home from dinner with his family near Reidsville, N.C., when he got a call from Lewis saying he was the 46th overall pick. They pulled over and got out and celebrated by the roadside.

"It's a blessing just to be able to get picked this early," Simpson said. "I'd heard a lot of people say late second or third round."

Simpson isn't as fast as Henry, who could run away from cornerbacks, but the Bengals think he's more well-rounded.

"Chris had an unbelievable gear on the deep ball," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. "I'm not sure you can say Jerome is going to be exactly that. But I do believe right away he'll be a much better intermediate route runner and be able to do (more) things in the shorter distances than Chris did at any point when he was here."

Simpson is looking forward to playing along with Johnson, assuming the Pro Bowl receiver shows up.

"I always kind of looked up to Chad, how he plays, because I like his game," Simpson said.

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