The Bengals jumped in front of the 49ers and other teams to select Ahmad Brooks in the third round of the supplemental draft.
Brooks was considered a first-round pick before having troubles at the University of Virginia. He suffered a knee injury last season and some off-field problems led him to being kicked off the football team.
He was the only player taken among seven available in the supplemental draft. The other six became free agents when they were not chosen and may sign with any team.
Brooks' weight ballooned to around 290 pounds before he started going on a diet and then started working out with trainer Chip Smith in Atlanta. For his workout for NFL teams in June, he was 260 pounds, and he had decent but not great times in the 40.
In the past couple of weeks, Brooks started training with his former coach at Hargrave Military Academy. He lifted for two hours and did hard running drills for two hours.
Brooks told his agent, Greg Williams, he was in the best shape of his life.
It was interesting the Bengals would take him ahead of other teams such as the 49ers or Miami Dolphins. Character was an issue with Brooks, but it's a big theme of the Bengals' offseason. Bengals draft choices Frostee Rucker and A.J. Nicholson have had off-the-field incidents. Wide receiver Chris Henry, a third-round choice last year, has been arrested four times in the past year.
To acquire Brooks, the Bengals gave up a third-round choice in the 2007 draft.
The other six players in the draft, now free agents, are former North Carolina State running back/wide receiver Richard Washington; Texas defensive tackle Marco Martin; Connecticut offensive lineman Craig Berry; Texas fullback Ahmard Hall; and linebackers Jason Berryman of Iowa State and David Dixon of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.
John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com