[Stardust]

Mohamed Sanu became a member of the Bengals for real on Friday.

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One night after being the victim of a prank call, the Rutgers wide receiver was selected by Cincinnati in the third round with the 83rd overall pick, or 56 picks later than what Sanu thought.

“Thank God,” when asked about his feelings about really joining the Bengals. “I got a voice mail with a 513 area code and then Coach Urban called me and I had the number in his phone and he asked me ‘Are you ready to be a Bengal for real this time?’ and I said of course, I’m ready to go.”

On Thursday night, before the Bengals went on the clock with the 27th pick, a caller identified himself as a member of the Bengals staff and told Sanu that he was their choice. Celebration later turned to stunned silence when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the pick was Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler.

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The prank call though came from a New Jersey area code and not Cincinnati. Sanu’s agent, Mike McCartney, called the number on Friday and said that a Rutgers student had made the call and apologized. Head coach Marvin Lewis also tried to contact him earlier in the day.

. “We reached out to him today to just kind of apologize and we’re sorry for whoever played the prank on you,” Lewis said. “We felt like his play warranted that he’d be a guy we’d be considering at some point today. I’m glad it worked out that way. So it was a fun phone call to call him.”

Sanu did acknowledge that the past 24 hours was an experience that he didn’t wish upon anyone but “I’m just glad it’s over and dreams came true this time.”

This past season, Sanu set school and Big East single-season records with 115 receptions. He had seven 100-yard games (1,026 yards total) and seven touchdowns. Now he has the chance to vie for a starting spot opposite A.J. Green.

Sanu can play all the spots at receiver and has very good hands. He also is a physical receiver who has good power in breaking arm tackles and can enough leg drive to carry opponents forward after the catch. He also is not afraid to run over tacklers in the open field.

“I really feel like he can come in here and really add to our abilities on the outside, both as an outside receiver and as an inside receiver,” Lewis said. “He’s been very productive at Rutgers. Came there as an incredible athlete. Great work ethic. Really has been a productive player there for them.”

Said Sanu of his playing style: “I attack the ball, run very good routes, am quick and sudden and have the natural ability to find the ball when it comes my way.”

The other two picks from Friday were defensive tackles. In the second round, they selected Penn State’s Devon Still with the 53rd overall pick and Clemson’s Brandon Thompson in the third with the 93rd overall selection. That means three of their five selections through the first two days were on defense.

It also makes a defensive line that prided itself on a strong rotation even deeper.

“The wave effect has served us well and keeps our guys fresh and really helps us to break the will of people,” defensive line coach Jay Hayes said. “Hopefully getting in the two guys we got in today will add to that.”

Still, who was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, tied for fifth in the conference with 17 tackles for loss, recorded a career-high 55 tackles and was second on the team with 4.5 sacks. He was as dominant as any defensive player in the nation last year but some wonder if he can do it for more than one year. After being granted a medical redshirt as a true freshman due to a torn ACL in his left knee, Still played in only two games the next year after breaking his left ankle in preseason camp.

When asked if it was a fair assessment that some people thought his talent didn’t show until your senior year, Still didn’t disagree with it.

“It’s fair, because everyone has their own opinion,” Still said. “After my sophomore year, I improved each year. I wouldn’t say I didn’t use my talent until my senior year — it’s more that I didn’t have the opportunity to learn the college game as other players did.”

At Penn State, Still averaged 65 plays a game. He might see a third of that with the Bengals and their defensive line rotation. The scouts’ assessment of Still is that he maintains a low pad level and is quick of his stance which allows him to get by defenders in one-on-one matchups.

Still is the third member of his family to play in the NFL. His cousins, Art Still and Levon Kirkland, earned All-Pro honors during their careers. Lewis coached Kirkland when he was an assistant with the Steelers.

Growing up as a Steelers fan, Still already had a base of knowledge about the Bengals defense he was joining.

“Every time I saw them their defense caused the other team problems,” Still said. “Just to be a man on the defense and rotation hopefully I can give them what they need to get them to the Super Bowl.”

Thompson, who this past season set career-highs for tackles (74) along with eight tackles for loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks and 18 quarterback hurries. He was considered to be a little underrated in this year’s deep class of defensive tackles but is another who has great quickness in rushing the quarterback.

“When you’re talking about Brandon Thompson, you’re talking about a guy that did 36 benches at the combine. I mean, this is a strong, strong guy,” Hayes said. “Has a good understanding of playing the run game and can push a pocket. He’ll add to the room and he is the type of guy that is very bright and will be able to catch on to what we’re doing.”