With the NFL Draft a breathless 75 or so hours away, now is a good time to re-visit why the Bengals drafted West Virginia defensive end Will Clarke in the third-round.
First, he fit the physical requirements they have been seeking at that spot the last several years, such as 6-7 in 2009 and 6-6 Carlos Dunlap in 2010. But the 6-5, 270-pound Clarke also fit the blue-collar test as the only three-time winner of the “Iron Mountaineer,” for weight-room excellence in Morgantown.
So it was no surprise that the no-nonsense Clarke returned to Paul Brown Stadium for voluntary offseason workouts last week at 290 pounds.