BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jason Fabini could become the first University of Cincinnati offensive lineman drafted by the National Football League in 15 years. He even has the Mel Kiper seal of approval.

NFL draft analysts Kiper (ESPN) and Jerry Jones (The Drugstore List) both say Fabini has high-round potential, with Kiper listing Fabini No. 4 among the senior class of offensive linemen.

But Jones said there is a catch.

"He's drawing attention because he's quick and explosive and can probably play left tackle in the NFL, and there aren't many of them around," Jones said. "What he has going against him is that he is playing at UC, which hasn't produced many linemen."

The Bearcats long have struggled to recruit blue-chip linemen, most of whom gravitate to Top 25 programs. UC, after decades of coaching turnover and player attrition, rarely has had a two-deep base of offensive linemen, much less a player of NFL caliber.

Kari Yli-Renko, an eighth-round draftee of the Bengals in 1982, was the last Bearcat offensive lineman picked by the NFL. Yli-Renko did not make the Bengals but played in the old USFL (United States Football League) and the Canadian Football League.

It has been more than 30 years since a UC offensive lineman has made an NFL impact. The last to do so was Ken Byers, who was drafted in 1962 by the New York Giants and was a starting guard in two NFL title games. He finished his career at Minnesota.

UC coach Rick Minter believes players such as Fabini and fellow seniors Pierre Brilliant and Joel Dolinski, who also start on the offensive line, have given UC a rugged image that will help lure recruits. The line helped UC lead Conference USA in rushing last year with 181 yards per game.

The 6-foot-7, 322-pound Fabini, already regarded as one of the top linemen in school history, will start at left tackle for the fourth straight year. He has been named a preseason All-America candidate by at least one publication, but would rather talk about UC earning its third straight winning record and first bowl game in 47 years.

"Playing at the next level is something I've always dreamed of," he said. "But I can't worry about it. A lot depends on how our team does, and I think the ball is finally ready to start bouncing our way.

"If we have a great year, I think everything will fall in place for me."