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A league source tells us that the Bengals' contract discussions with Kansas State CB Terence Newman might not be merely a ploy by the team to put the squeeze on presumptive No. 1 pick Carson Palmer, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from USC.
According to the source, there's a growing sense among league insiders that the Bengals might make Newman the No. 1 overall pick in the draft -- and the Palmer, not Newman, is being used for leverage purposes.
The selection of a corner with the No. 1 pick wouldn't be unprecedented, but it'd be darn close to it. The only time a DB went at the top of the heap was way back in 1955, when the Steelers drafted Gary Glick of Colorado A&M.
Considering that not even Deion Sanders merited the top spot (Troy Aikman was taken No. 1 when Deion came out in 1989), the possibility of Newman being the first one off of the board is indeed significant, especially given the presence of several sure-fire prospects at the top of the draft. In our view, it suggests that folks truly regard Newman as something truly special.
According to the source, there's a growing sense among league insiders that the Bengals might make Newman the No. 1 overall pick in the draft -- and the Palmer, not Newman, is being used for leverage purposes.
The selection of a corner with the No. 1 pick wouldn't be unprecedented, but it'd be darn close to it. The only time a DB went at the top of the heap was way back in 1955, when the Steelers drafted Gary Glick of Colorado A&M.
Considering that not even Deion Sanders merited the top spot (Troy Aikman was taken No. 1 when Deion came out in 1989), the possibility of Newman being the first one off of the board is indeed significant, especially given the presence of several sure-fire prospects at the top of the draft. In our view, it suggests that folks truly regard Newman as something truly special.
