Coastal Carolina University wide receiver Jerome Simpson has been selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Saturday April 26.  Simpson was the 46th overall pick and the sixth wide receiver taken in the draft.  He is just the second player from the Big South Conference ever drafted by a NFL team, following former teammate Tyler Thigpen, who was taken in the seventh round by the Minnesota Vikings last year and spent the entire season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

On the results listed on the official NFL Combine website this year (www.nfl.com/combine), Simpson led all receivers with a standing broad jump of 11'4", eight inches longer than any other wide receiver and the longest of any position so far.  He also tied for second with a 37.5" vertical leap and tied for eighth with a 40-yard dash time of 4.47.  The Reidsville, N.C. native did not do the bench press while competing in the 60-yard shuttle, 20-yard shuttle and other position-specific drills.  He then upped his vertical leap at CCU's Pro Day, going 41" in front of the scouts.