Giovani Bernard
In less than 24 hours the Bengals finished off deals for their second-round picks when North Carolina running Giovani Bernard joined SMU defensive end Margus Hunt in the fold Thursday morning.
The club needs to sign just two more, No. 1 pick Tyler Eifert, a tight end from Notre Dame, and third-rounder Shawn Williams, a safety from Georgia, to fill out its 10-man draft class.
Bernard, at No. 37 the first running back drafted last month and the last blast from the Carson Palmer blockbuster trade, has flashed the second-level quickness and receiving skills the Bengals think can diversify their offense during rookie minicamp and the current OTAs.
He scored 31 touchdowns in two seasons at Chapel Hill while posting a school-record 5.9 yards per rush in racking up 2,481 rushing yards and 852 as a receiver.
"Giovani is a dynamic guy, both running the football and catching it," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in a news release. "And he was one of North Carolina's hardest-working guys on the team, so he fits the mold of guys we like – not only good, but extremely hard-working."
The deal officially concludes the October 2011 trade with the Raiders. The Bengals dealt Palmer for a No. 1 pick in 2012 that turned out to be Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and a conditional pick in 2013 that turned out to be Oakland's second-rounder.
