Cincinnati ? The Cincinnati Bengals reached a tentative contract agreement late Wednesday with the representative for Carson Palmer, NFL sources said. The deal, barring any last-minute snags, will ensure that the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Southern California will be the first player selected Saturday in the NFL draft.

The success of the pick will go a long way toward determining how prosperous Marvin Lewis will be in his first head-coaching position. Lewis accepted the Cincinnati job in January after spending last season as the Washington Redskins’ defensive coordinator.

Some executives around the league thought the Bengals would attempt to trade down in the draft order and choose a player who could help them immediately, but they apparently will attempt to rebuild around Palmer.

One source said the agreement with Palmer could be announced today. Bengals officials were consulting with the league office about how to proceed, the source said. The Bengals were working out the final details of the deal with agent David Dunn but had the basic contract parameters in place, according to sources.

The deal probably will resemble the agreement that quarterback David Carr reached with the Houston Texans before becoming the top overall pick in the draft a year ago. Carr signed a seven-year contract that could be worth close to $60 million if he reaches all his incentives and escalator clauses.