Hudson gets early fifth-round call from Bengals

Otis Hudson didn't have to wait as long as he figured for the call he was waiting for Saturday.

The 6-foot-5, 312-pound offensive lineman, who graduated from Barrington in 2005, was chosen in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Hudson, who played the last two years at Eastern Illinois after two years at Minnesota, and his agent Vinnie Porter were thinking sixth or seventh round or signing as a free agent.

"He's really, really excited," Porter said.

"I was very surprised," Hudson said. "I wasn't sure if I would get picked or not and I was preparing for free agency.

"When I got the call (from the Bengals) I couldn't believe it. I said, 'Are you for real?' I'm pretty excited but I know I have a lot of work ahead of me."

Hudson, who runs a 5.1 40-yard dash and has a 26-inch vertical leap, played two years of right tackle at Eastern Illinois. He started at right guard at Minnesota, was moved to defensive tackle as a sophomore and then transferred after Glen Mason was fired and replaced by Tim Brewster.

Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander told bengals.com he sees Hudson working in at right guard.

"He is a player that I can work with and develop," Alexander said. "This is a challenge developmentally that we wanted to take.

"Otis has more athletic potential than many of the players drafted ahead of him. I look forward to the challenge of working with him because the kid does have talent."

"Sporting News Magazine" recently named Hudson as one of 10 likely late-round picks or free agents who could eventually become NFL starters.

"He picked it up really fast and that's a tribute to his diligence," Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo said Thursday of Hudson's full-time transition to the offensive line. "He certainly has all the physical qualifications.

"I'm sure that's what the pros are seeing. In order to get looked at you have to have quick feet and he handles his weight extremely well."

Hudson will report to minicamp with the Bengals next week. Hersey product Tom Nelson, who signed with the Bengals as a free agent out of Illinois State last April, played 12 games and started three last season for the AFC North champions.