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UC’s Gilyard dreams of playing for Bengals

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By Carlos “Big C” Holmes, Staff Writer 11:00 PM Monday, February 8, 2010

With the NFL season officially over, teams are turning their attention to the free-agent signing period and April’s draft. Potential pro prospects are preparing to showcase their skills at the Scouting Combine later this month in the hope of impressing before draft day.

University of Cincinnati standout wide receiver Mardy Gilyard is one of those prospects who will be looking to catch a team’s attention. Could it be the team in his backyard?

There has been ongoing speculation that the Cincinnati Bengals, in need of a playmaker, may have designs on the former Bearcat receiver.

“It would be a dream come true to be drafted by the Bengals,” Gilyard, a Miami native, said in a recent phone interview. “Cincinnati is my second home. The way the whole city has adapted to me and embraced me with warm arms, it would be great.

“The jungle would rock if I get an opportunity to become a Bengal. Regardless of what round I’m drafted.”

The Bengals have the No. 21 overall selection. The team doesn’t pick again until the 54th overall selection when Gilyard is likely to be off the board due to a stellar performance at the Senior Bowl last month.

“My goal is not to be a first-round draft pick, but to be drafted,” Gilyard said. “I feel like I’m that much closer to my goal with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. I would love to be drafted by any team, but like I said it would be a dream come true to go to Cincinnati.”

The Bengals stayed in the shadows at the Senior Bowl when it came to Gilyard. It was as if they didn’t want to acknowledge their interest, if any. However, a Bengal representative did approach Gilyard after practice one day and told him not to drop any balls during the game. He obliged.

Gilyard, who dropped a couple of passes earlier in the week in practice, was named the offensive player of the game. He racked up 103 yards receiving and caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help lead the North to a 31-13 victory over the South. Gilyard also returned two kicks for 52 yards and gained 24 on two punt returns.

Gilyard received a lot of tough love while in Mobile and embraced the pro coaching.

“Personally, I wanted the coaches to be real strict on me at the Senior Bowl, and they were,” he said. “The whole experience was a good one. I thanked Lions receivers coach Shawn Jefferson for taking me from a B-minus player to an A-plus player in a week.

“Coach was really nitpicking, which I loved and was used to it. That’s just going to make me a better player. The coaches helped me outwork all the competition during that week. Now I’m ready to move another step closer to obtaining my dream.”

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