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CINCINNATI -- Leon Hall was exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals wanted -- a cornerback with a lot of speed and a lack of baggage.
For the second year in a row, the Bengals took a cornerback in the first round of the draft on Saturday. They coveted Hall, who developed into one of the nation's best at Michigan while staying out of trouble.
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"Everything is positive about this kid," defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan said. "This young individual is perfect for us right now."
After adding a Michigan player in the first round, they got ready to replace another with their second-round pick. They chose Auburn running back Kenny Irons, who could take over for often-injured Wolverine Chris Perry.
No team had to pay as much attention to character as the Bengals, who couldn't afford to bring in another player with problems. They had nine players arrested in a nine-month span, six of them draft picks from the last two years.
Hall, 22, has a clean past, something that Bengals coaches proudly and repeatedly pointed out after they took him with the 18th overall pick.
"He's an outstanding, strong-character, serious guy who wants to be great," defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle said.
Besides staying out of trouble, Hall is expected to significantly improve a defense that has dragged down the Bengals. They had one of the NFL's worst defenses last season, a recurring problem during Marvin Lewis' four years as head coach.
Their pass defense was particularly atrocious last season, finishing in a tie for last in the league. Cornerback Tory James was allowed to leave as a free agent -- he signed with New England -- after a disappointing season.
Deltha O'Neal also dropped off last season, when he was among the nine Bengals arrested.
Until last year, the Bengals had never used their top pick on a cornerback. Johnathan Joseph was the 24th overall pick out of South Carolina and started nine games, including the last seven. He will inherit James' spot across from O'Neal.
The biggest question about the 5-foot-11, 193-pound Hall was whether he could guard top-rate receivers. Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. and Southern California's Dwayne Jarrett had big games against him at the end of last season.
"In those games, there were a couple of plays where I put myself in bad positions prior to the snap, and I kind of set myself up for failure," Hall said.