Offer made on Chad (1st rd '08, conditional 3rd rd '09)

[Dirtbag59]

Either way after reading those articles in my last post I think it's safe to say that our draft picks are pretty safe. Reposting so it doesn't get lost in the thread.


Cincinnati Bengals
Prior to his drafting there was a huge effort by the New Orleans Saints head coach Mike Ditka and management to get the Bengals' high draft position so the Saints could get Ricky Williams. The final offer, which was refused by the Bengals management, was for 9 draft picks, several extra in this year as well as many in the next year. Instead of taking the trade, the Bengals stuck with their initial decision to draft Smith, who, while undeniably athletic -- he had also played some professional baseball -- was still largely unproven, having only impressed at the college level for one season.

Smith missed large periods of 1999 pre-season training with the Bengals due to contract disputes; many pundits later speculated that his absence from this short training period hurt him immensely in the seasons to come. Despite incredible shows of athleticism in his early games, he failed to grasp the Bengals playbook fully, and never established himself with the team. Throughout the four years he was with the Bengals, he would only start in 17 games, eventually leading to his outright release in the 2002 season.

Smith joined other highly drafted Bengals players such as David Klingler, Ki-Jana Carter, and Peter Warrick who as a result of injury, bad work ethic, bad management and coaching decisions, or simply poor performance, failed to live up to the high expectations that came with being selected early in the first round. Such picks are considered a major reason for the Bengals' dismal performances during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Also found this:
Brown calls Akili over Saints' 9 picks 'a wash'
Yet, Brown is still convinced the decision to draft Smith with the third pick and turn down the New Orleans Saints' offer of nine draft choices (first and third through seventh rounds in '99, first-rounders in 2000 and 2001 and a second in 2002) will hold up under the test of time.