CINCINNATI -- Dre Kirkpatrick pulled a Bengals cap over his dreadlocks and held up a couple of jerseys Friday so the photographers could capture his first day at Paul Brown Stadium.
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First, he got a jersey with No. 1, signifying the round in which he was picked. Then, he got a No. 27, which he'll wear.
Only one thing was out of place: No. 6 would have been a better fit.
Kirkpatrick is the sixth first-round cornerback on the Bengals' roster, an unusual collection of highly regarded players at various stages of their careers. Some are coming off injuries, others are playing it out, while others are still trying to live up to their draft-day aspirations.
Kirkpatrick was the 17th overall pick Thursday night. He joins Leon Hall (2007) and other first-round cornerbacks Nate Clements (Buffalo 2001), Adam "Pacman" Jones (Tennessee 2005), Terence Newman (Dallas 2003) and Jason Allen (Miami 2006) in Cincinnati.
Clements, Newman and Allen have joined the team as free agents in the last year.
"I like pedigrees," Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said Friday. "Some of the first-round corners we have are with us for a reason. It's not like they just came out of the draft this week. A lot of our first-round players that we have here, most every other team in the league did not want them. But at one point in time, somebody rated them very high.
"Most of the guys that we have are guys that I know, either coached before or know people that have coached them, so I know what kind of character they have, what kind of heart they have, what kind of competitor they are."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
