Ask Jim Owczarski

[jowczarski]

@MaineBengal - If they are still at 9 with those 8 off the board, who do they pick? Any chance of Mixon at 9? John Ross?

I think they’d want to move down, but if they were stuck at 9 it wouldn’t be Mixon. They might go Hooker? That’s a tough spot.


@oncemoreuntothejimbreech
explain how you prepare to cover the Bengals' draft. Making the trip to Philly? Flying United Airlines? Staying in Cincy? How much do you study up on the players beforehand? Where do you get your information? Who helps you? Etc. 

We don’t make the trip to the draft site for one big reason: the entire organization (save for the guy that answers the phone in Philly) is at PBS. Coaches, front office, owner, etc. Then they get the players on the phone shortly thereafter, and fly them to Cincy the next day. That’s invaluable time to meet them, their family and agent(s). Now, if the Bengals were in Cleveland’s position this year I would have pressed to go to Philly, only because you’re talking about the No. 1 pick and No. 12 – and those guys would likely be there. I’ve heard that the access to the guys attending the draft is great because they’re not technically NFL or team employees yet.

I prefer to go off team information – guys I hear they’re interested in are the guys I try to pay attention to. Yes, the draft experts are helpful because I cover a pro team, not colleges. I honestly don’t have the time to desire to dive into however many what if scenarios. So it’s a combo of those things.

As an outsider looking in, it seems to me certain times of the year would be busier for you than others. Is that true? And how does draft time stack up to other times during the year? Have you heard any reaction from teams or players about the NFL pushing the draft back a little deeper into April? They like the extra time to prepare? They don't like it because they want to start working with the rookies sooner?

The NFL owns the calendar, so it’s always “busy” I guess. The Bengals were done what, Jan. 3 after locker cleanout? Senior Bowl was later in the month. Combine in Feb. Free agency and owners meetings in March. Schedule and draft in April. Camps May and June. The only true “time off” is the contractually mandated month off from late June to late July … the only real time for a proper vacation. That said, there are slow moments and Paul Dehner Jr. and I work together to give each other some breathing room to work on future features, or just sort of a mental break. For people that cover New England, which always goes until February…man. That’s a grind.

Draft time is light for me, actually. You’ll see me grinding on free agency in March, then PDJ handles the bulk of the work for the draft. That’s where our interests lie. Coaches and front office types often will mention the “older” calendar of the draft before free agency, but I don’t ever get a sense there was a preference. I would imagine the teams always going to the playoffs (like the Bengals did for many years, even for just that one week) the extra time is helpful.

I like draft time so I would imagine this is a pretty cool time of the year for you. Or maybe not, because it pulls you away from family commitments like birthdays or whatever. What's it like for you?

Funny you say that. I’m missing a big family event on Day 3 of the draft. That’s not fun, for sure. But neither is working Christmas Eve. But hey, that’s the gig. That’s where having an awesome family comes in. We all need that support.

I’ve never been a “draft guy” to be honest (if you haven’t figured it out yet ). I get that it’s a big part of the league and the teams, but I prefer to spin it into how these guys are part of the NFL team, how they’re received by the established vets at their positions, etc.