Bengals Booth Podcast: Kings of the Weekend

Hi, get everybody.

I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading The Bengals Booth Podcast. The we are the Kings of the weekend edition as Dave Lapham joins me to break down the twenty twenty four Bengals draft class. The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Core, proud to be the Bengals official hr software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care

I played golf with.

A buddy a few days ago and on one Part three, I hit a seven iron as well as it could possibly be hit. It was majestically high and straight as an arrow. It looked like the shot tracker that you would see if you were watching PGA tour coverage on TV now Unfortunately, I hit the ball so well that it flew well past the flag. But you know what, so what, it was perfectly struck, the type of shot that keeps you coming back for more. Now, let's get

He's physical. We think he can be.

Really an all around tight end that can help us in all phases. Eric said it was surreal to be drafted by his hometown team, and he sounded giddy about the opportunity to catch passes from Joe Burrow.

Crazy. I remember watching the man at LSU just doing his thing and just playing a team. You know, he just you know, it's pensive standard for the quarterbacks in the league, and he's.

Just all, you know, it's going to be crazy cutching the ball from it.

In the fifth round, the Bengals chose cornerback Josh Newton out of TCU. He's not a burner, as he ran a four or five forty at the combine, but Newton was highly productive with forty pass breakups in his college career. Here's defensive coordinator louena Arumo a.

Lot to like, plays inside, plays outside, you know, play a bunch of games at nicol As I mentioned, He's had over thirty plus tackles in three consecutive years seven I believe seven interceptions in his career. Was first team All Big twelve and twenty two. So great kid, great football instincts, awareness, Like everything about his game.

Newton isn't shy about saying where he would like to play and why he would like to play there.

I mean Honestly, I like outside really the business, you know, outside, the outside money, But man, is I really don't. Yeah, if I had the pig, yeah, outside, because you know, the outside running, then you know that's a that's an eight, eight matches and all this. So I mean, bro, whatever I feed in and whatever the cozey like, I'm trying to be a Swiss.

With their first pick of the sixth round, the Bengals chose another tight end, six foot five inch Tanner McLaughlin out of Arizona. He's a receiver more than a blocker and actually broke Rob Groundkowski's school record for most career catches by a tight end.

Here's Zach Taylor.

He can win. In the past game, he can win, and I think you guys can can picture tight ends that have success here in the past couple of years for us. You know where they they turned something short and something much bigger. You know, on a third and five they turn it into first down, they break tackles. He's got really good awareness, zone awareness. He's just got that sabbiness that I think is critical for tight ends to have. He can be a threat down the middlefield.

One knock on McLaughlin is his age. He was on college rosters for six years and turned twenty five last month.

Through the process, you could, you know, some said it was a benefit, some sat was the negative, but I believe it to be a benefit. I've always been kind of a late bloomer, and you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna ride with it. I My age is what it is, but I'm excited to, you know, go out there and continue to develop. So I think my best balls ahead of me.

Later in the sixth Cincinnati picked edge rusher Cedric Johnson out of Ole Miss. He's six three, two sixty and had nineteen sacks in his college career. So what does Cedric bring to the table.

So I bring a lot of athleticism, my explosion of when I get off my speed for I'm running, my strengths. I feel that I got allowed to bring to the team.

Well.

Their first pick of the seventh round, the Bengals chose another member of the All Miss defense, safety Dejon Anthony. He's a feel good story, having started his college career as a walk on at the Division two level.

I appreciate his story and why he did all the things that he did to get to where he's at today and to have his name called on draft night, I think is special for him. And he's a guy that you know, you learn more information about when you bring him in here on the thirty visit. Our scouts have done that or coaches got a chance to do that and really liked, really liked him. Thought there was

The Bengals final draft pick was Matt Lee, a slightly undersized center at least in terms of weight, who spent most of its college career at UCF before ending it with a season at the University of Miami. He'll get a chance to compete with Trey Hill for the opportunity to back up Ted Kerris.

I think it's a great fit for him, you know. I think it's he did a great job down there this year in Miami, and so I think at that point that was a great pick for us, and so we're excited to get him in here, and I think Ted will take home and have a chance show them the ropes.

Lee earned All League honors three times in the last four years. The Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta Fiber future proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider.

Of the Bengals.

Now time for an in depth look at this year's draft class with my broadcast partner Dave Lapham.

All right. Laugh.

Before we get to day three of the draft, Zach Taylor actually made a little news at the end of today's proceedings, telling reporters that Dat's Hill will be tried out at cornerback in training camp and will be given the opportunity to compete for a starting spot. I would assume that would be on the outside, competing with DJ Turner. What do you make of that announcement by Zach?

Yeah, I mean I think that you know a lot of people probably after the drafts that she's I wish you get a cornerback a little earlier, you know.

Or maybe we'll address the cornerback position in free agency or the other phase of it, the second round of a veteran free agency. But you know this news, I think Leu and Arumo would pretty much let the cat out of the bag basically with some of his pressures earlier that you know that that was under strong consideration, and when they're when they start to go public that way, it's it's not really a huge surprise. But you know,

Uh, so that that part of it will be I think a fairly easy transition.

It's just, uh, this this guy is a talented player, physically, great guy.

You know. I think it's like, just have to find uh right, to find the right home for him. Uh. And he has played that. They did play him in.

The slot, and they did kick him outside some is rookie season. I mean, he gotta he gotta taste of everything, uh in the very early stages of his career. So it's not like he uh you know, it's it's not like, boy, that's a joke. Why then think about that? Uh be interesting to see how he competes and and you know where it goes.

You can you can you can always make other moves. Uh.

But that the spot that that they're going to think, I guess try first with them.

And I think they're trying to find a spot where they can get them on the field. With Tino Stone, Von Bell and Jordan Battle, I didn't see a lot of opportunities for snaps playing at safety. If those guys are healthy.

Yeah, and and obviously the you know, the big knock on him last year was recognizing and communicating when offenses motioned and shifted and did all the things that they do, uh you know, you know, getting everybody aligned properly in the back end. And they made some moves to address that, you know, that issue. And so yeah, I'm trying to trying to find a home for a guy that that definitely has National Football.

League physical abilities. There's there's no question about it. You know.

I think another thing they could do is is have him cover the tight end and and then you know, pressure off the edge, give him a couple of assignments in the middle of the football seam. And I think, I don't I don't necessarily think that, Uh well, if they're gonna put him outside, you got to think they're hoping he's going to be in their top three. You know,

Could he could be the guy that that's.

All over that tight end and we can come up with pressure packages off of that, and so it's it's not it's not like, yeah, boy, Dax Hill, we can't find anything to do with that Dax Hill.

But they can still.

He's maybe not a Swiss army knife, but he's still probably a jack knife.

Yeah, cover the tight end in blitz. I mean, those are two roles that he definitely can do, no doubt. All right, let's talk about Day three draft picks, beginning with the fourth round or a local kid, tight end Eric All Who's and most of his college career at Michigan before finishing up with one year at Iowa unofficially tight end. You Eric broke out in twenty twenty one, then he suffered a back injury in twenty twenty two. He was ioways go to receiver early last year and

And you know the thing that you know that I liked that was just so real, is.

You know, when he was trying to put into words what it would be like playing with Joe Burrow and trying to be a target for him that Joe can trust over the middle of the football field. You know, he almost choked up and became, you know, struggling to find the worst to describe it. I mean, excited is probably not descriptive enough.

And that's you know, that's huge. That's big.

And he's obviously you know, he's obviously gifted. I mean he just and you know, you're talking major injuries. You know, it's it's his game is uh has been retarded, uh from a development standpoint because of that.

But he's uh, he's he can.

Get uh, you know, get leverage on defenders real early.

It's to set up a break. He's he's a really.

Good route runner, you know, and uh, he's he can do both.

There's no doubt about it. I Mean, he's a he's a.

A very very talented athlete. Is he can break tackles yards after contact.

Uh, you know, he's uh, he's he's.

A very very talented football players, get very very quick feet.

He gets as a as a as a blocker.

I mean he gets up to the next level and even to the third level pretty darn quickly.

So he's he's he's got it all.

I think he's extremely extremely strong, athletic, physically talented, just the injury gods have to let him low for football injury guds have to let him for a.

While, and he could be the best dual purpose tight end that they have. Mike Kasicki is largely a receiver, so is Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample is obviously best known for his blocking ability, and Eric All, if healthy, is a guy that really can do both.

Yeah, and now that they've drafted a couple of tight ends, you've got five tight ends.

That you have.

You know, a one has this skill set, another one has maybe a little.

Bit different skill set. Like you say, Eric Hall may be the guy that has the most versatile package.

He can do the most things at a very significant level. So he's definitely gonna he's definitely gonna roster and he's definitely gonna make contributions, I would think with this football team.

I mean, you know, he's six four plus, over.

Two hundred and fifty pounds, runs well, you know, he's he's a big man. Wingspans seventy nine inches, his hands over ten his arms are over thirty three inches. I mean, it's it's just amazing how big and athletic and strong and quick and fast. It's it's just it's the land of the Giants. The National Football League is the land of the Giants, and they are so gifted physically as well.

We'll get to the other tight end that they drafted in just a moment. But before their fifth round pick was announced, you were saying, take Newton, take Newton, And sure enough, they took cornerback Josh Newton out of TCU, where he played in the National Championship Game a couple of years ago. Average size, average speed, he ran a four to five one at the combine, but extremely productive with seven picks and forty passes defense in his college football career.

Yeah, and that's that speaks to his intelligence, you know that, That's what you know. They say he's a high character guy and he's got he's got an extremely high football IQ as well as overall intelligence. You know, he's he's another you know, another guy that played at at a big program. You know, I mean that that's the thing to the common denominator of the past few years stayed intact.

I mean, it's that's that's the formula that has worked for.

The Cincinnati Bengals and putting together, you know, the strong.

Lock room that they have, and uh that this guy's a he's definitely a strong prospect. I mean, he transferred from Louisiana Monroe.

To TCU, so you know he also he said, you know what when we're talking to him, or what do you attribute your your ball skills to it? Well, he's played wide receiver. So in my opinion, guys that have moved from the wide receiver position to play in the in the in the defensive backfield, they're familiar already with rout trees and watching body language when guys are trying to get in an out of cuts and it's almost you know, yeah, I remember what I did when I

They had two picks in the sixth round. In the first was the other tight end we alluded to, Tanner McLaughlin. He is a Canadian who played college football at Arizona, and he is a receiver. Zach Taylor specifically said, if you picture the tight ends that the Bengals have had over the past few years, who could turn a short pass into a first down or something bigger, that's who you're talking about in Tanner McLaughlin.

But he's a big one. You know, six five and forty four pounds.

You know, runs for six I mean, you know, he's almost for six flat. I mean, that's that's a pretty good, pretty good combination right there, you know. And he is he's he's a guy that you can you can around formations, you know. I think he's got room for growth in his game. Like you said, he's not gonna put his hand in the dirt at the end of the line of scrimmage and dominate defensive ends and outside linebackers. But he has a he's got soft hands, he's got a decent catch radius.

You know, he uh, he'll fight for contested catches. Uh. He shows, you know.

Effort after the catch to get some yack. He's got the strength to do that. So he's he's uh, he's a talented guy.

There's there's no doubt.

I mean, is uh, he's got room for growth. I mean he's and I think he's got just a coach to help him get there. You know, obviously, I think there's strength and conditioning coaches are gonna like to work with this guy because I think he needs to improve his strength and uh, you know, particularly even in his legs to get some leg drive to move people off the line of scrimmage.

That's you know, that's an.

Issue or an area that he realizes he needs to improve. But again, this is a guy that you look at it. He was best player on the board. You know, he's a chance to roster, roster meeting, you know, practice squad anyway, so why not why not take a chance. And that's the thing I think from probably the fifth round on, it was okay, well, who's the best available player.

We're gonna trust our board. We busted our butt putting.

This thing together, and I think some of these picks down the stretch were just the best available player, and maybe the last pick at the center position was okay, let's not have to go fight for one and college free agency. Let's make sure we get a center in training camp to take some of the load off of Ted Carris.

The veteran center.

We've got and see if we can you know, develop a guy. But maybe maybe he's a practice squad player. We can try to develop him if.

We feel like, you know, he's a good enough prospect at that spot.

Second pick in the sixth round was an edge rusher, Cedric Johnson sixty three to two sixty out of all miss They're hoping that Miles Murphy and Joseph o Si breakout this year and really contribute his pass rushers, but Johnson had nineteen sacks in his college football career, and he'll be looking to show that he's got some juice in training camp as an edge guy.

Yeah again, Uh, best available player, you know, I think, and uh but I mean.

His his measurables. It's you know, there's these guys are back in the day.

If these these numbers were around in the eighties, be like, are you kidding me? You know, sixty three two sixty plus four six forty, wingspan of almost eighty inches, I mean, you know, twitchy, athleticism, a powerful player.

You know, played at a big program and a big conference.

It's, uh, he's he's he's definitely a guy that has confidence. I thought in his uh, pressery. He he's almost like jumping through the phone to to start his opportunity at some sort of a camp. I mean, he's, uh, we talked about hands before, how important hands have become, and he shows powerful hands and and he's he's athletic with

There's there's a lot to work with there, There's there's.

No doubt about it. He talked about his versatility. You know, he can, he's he's played a bunch of different spots up and down the line of scrimmage in terms of you know, five technique, seven technique, nine technique whatever, and uh, he's he's even played inside a little bit, so you know, he's he's he's beaten average tackles and in the sec.

Probably during cut above average. Let's see what Let's see what he does against more.

Advanced players when he comes to the National Football League with.

The Bengals first pick in the seventh round. They took one of Cedric Johnson's Ole Miss teammates, safety Dejon Anthony, and he is the great story in this year's draft class. From Richmond, Virginia. No scholarship offers coming out of high school. He started his college football career as a Division two walk on, and he ended his college football career in the SEC last year where he led the Rebels in

Yeah, it is amazing. I mean what he started as a career at Shepherd University.

Then and then transferred from Liberty. I mean, it's it's crazy. There's there's a here's a.

Guy that was not gonna let his dream die and believed in himself. You know, he's he's got some flashy athleticism, you know, I mean he moves, he moves.

Pretty john Well and and he's.

Dogged lee determined to make plays all over the football field. He's got an outstanding change of direction, and he can flip his hips.

He can uh, you know, he can he can stay in the phase.

With ruth receivers vertically, and that's that's important, you know at the at the safety position, we know all about that. He's got solid range, you know when he's playing over the top and two high schemes.

So I think Leuano Rumo likes that he's got. He's got a lot of, uh, you know, a lot of traits that they.

Like and I think, again, the best available athlete at this stage.

You know on the draft, he can he tracks the football very well. He's got great tracking skills. So there's a lot to work with there.

And the other thing is he's a willing defender and run support. You have to have that at the safety position. You know, he's going to desire to make an impact when he closes on people. So it's so it's going to be interesting, I think.

I think.

The thing you worry about it is sometimes he gets bullied by by blockers, you know, when he's in the box at the collegiate level. So now you're you're jumping to the police the National Football League, it's gonna be something.

To keep your out on.

Their tenth and final draft pick was center Matt Lee. I saw him face u SE several times while playing at UCF, and then he transferred to the University of Miami for his final year and was a second team All ACC player LAP. I would think he's at least got a chance to beat Ted Carris's backup in a training camp battle with the incumbent Trey Hill.

Yeah.

I mean, I think you look at the thing that jumps out at me, thirty two and eighth inch jobs and that that's obviously why he's playing center. But you know, he's sixteen and a half over three hundred pounds and pretty much.

A five flat forty guy.

I mean, that's that's that's some pretty good measurables right there, and.

Like you say, competed you know, at a at an all all conference level.

I mean, this is another guy that, uh, if he was still around, why why compete with other teams to try to, you know, get him into training camp. He probably the Bengals probably did themselves a favor financially to take him in the seventh round because this is the type of guy that I think he would have gotten probably some some interest.

From multiple teams, you know. So yeah, I think it takes you know, he's I think a hell of a lot more than just a training camp body.

But it also you know, helps Ted Carrison and alleviate some of the snapload there.

And like you said, Trey.

Hill, we'll be in competition, and as we've always said, no matter what the sporting endeavor, competition breeds excellence performance.

So you look around and.

Say, hmm, you know, why why did they draft a guy in my position?

I don't care what grounds it is. Why why did you draft somebody? Let's pick it up. You know, let's not Ted Carris, Trey Hill. You know he's going to.

Now buckle down and keep developing in.

Advancing and that's just deathloss the whole boat.

All right, let's hit on some overall thoughts about the draft. I've got I guess three things that really jump out to me about the class that I really like. Number One, they address their biggest need by using two top one hundred picks on defensive tackles. We had the chance to interact with both of them today. And Chris Jenkins is going to be a fan favorite, a bubbly effervescent personality and obviously a very good track record as a player

Just an engaging personality, easy smicemile all the time. I mean, he's, uh, you know, you can see why his teammates voted him to.

Be a captain.

McKinley Jackson, the other big defensive tack that you talk about, has a little bit different type of a personality, but again very welcoming, easy to talk to, very approachable. I mean, these guys, I think, like you said, man, they're gonna be They're gonna be fan favorites because they're just.

They're not They like being around people.

They're don't shy away from it, and it's I think that's going to be something the community will embrace for sure. And they're they're good football players. I mean that they're obviously drafted, drafted for a need. I mean you look at McKinley Jackson. The dudes like three hundred and almost

So it's look in talking and hearing him talk and talking to him a little bit. I think it's going to be.

Very interesting because, I mean, his his pass rush ability and trades and athleticism. I don't think it's been tapped into yet because Michigan is very, very disciplined and how they do everything. I mean, it's like, okay, in this particular play, you stay in this gap no matter what, even if it's a you know, a third and seven or if you're going to pass rush that you have to pass rush in this lane and you have to be on the outside portion of that. It's very very structured,

In your in your gap responsibilities and all that sort of thing.

But I think that I think the coach Holly and Lean and Roumo were going to say, look, you got some athleticism, You've got some overall body strength, it's incredible, and some explosiveness.

To you, and you can be you can do a lot more.

As an interior pass rush, and we're going to give you the freedom to do it, and we're going to improve your inventory moves.

And you can let's get after it.

The next thing that I really liked was the fact that they took a home run swing in the first round by taking a Marius Mems. There's some risk involved, obviously since he only had eight college starts, but they have not drafted an offensive lineman that looks like that since Andrew Whitworth. And when we were ustered around him with other reporters talking to him after he arrived in Cincinnati, I honestly thought to myself, how does anybody get past

A six pack.

I mean, he is so solidly built and so gigantic. You've got a chance to have a star if it pans out.

Absolutely, I mean it is uh, it's incredible to see.

Did you shake his hand?

In My hand was buried inside of his hand when we shook.

Oh, I know, I mean I shook his hand. I'm like, whoa man, this is a mucker.

Now he's got he's got some big hole strong hands on him, and he's got, you.

Know, those long arms to go with it.

It's like an inspector gadget that has oversized hands and man and and he's broad, he's wide, he's sticked everything that you would you would want. He's he's big in the right places, you know. And like you say, it looks like he's carrying about two eighty five to ninety and the dude's three forty.

It's it's incredible, you know.

And I asked him, so, when did you have your gross burd And he grew like in one summer, like about five or six inches, and I said.

Dan, when you were laying in bed, could you feel yourself growing?

I mean, it's crazy, it's crazy, but he is.

He's very athletic for a guy his size as well. I mean he played some basketball, he put.

The shot, he through the discus, and I just you know, I think he's very coachable and the Bengals coaches we're talking about not only the games that he was able to play in and avoid injury, matching up.

Against really good players in college football, playoff games and things of that.

The practice tape, you know, he's going he's probably some of his toughest competition, not if done, his most difficult competition came in practice every day. You got you know, five defensive lineman. When he was there, there were first round that you know, been drafted in the first round. So it's like, you know, you're talking about the cream of the crop in the SEC, you know, and then that's that's the that's the place to be in college football.

So there's in like we talked about before Dan with.

Him, in my estimation, the floor is the tape, and it's it's solid, it's limited, but the tape that's there is extremely solid when you watch this guy, but his ceiling.

Is unlimited because of the fact that you know he's only just begun.

And I think he has the highest ceiling of any player in the draft, particularly in the Bengals draft. But I'm talking about in the draft in general, not just offensive line or offensive tackle. I mean, this dude has got an incredible uh ceiling. He's got a long ways to go before he rests, and I think, Frank All, it's gonna get a lot.

Out of that big bag one. All right.

The final big picture thought for me has to do with the Bengals culture. I think Zach Taylor and his staff have done such a fantastic job in recent years of building a great culture that it has allowed them to take not huge chances, but slight chances with somebody like Jermaine Burton, who obviously struggled to control his emotions at times at Alabama and probably before that at Georgia.

And I agree one.

Hundred thousand percent because you put tape on and watch this guy. I mean, I remember when you know, okay, wide receiver, who's left the.

Burton's the guy.

Burton's the best wide receiver left on the on the board right now. In fact, in my opinion, the dude had first round physical talents first round, you know, and then obviously he didn't go in the costal so you know, maybe the big, big lesson. Unfortunately, I think he could have gone in the first round if it was.

Totally clean his whole portfolio and as such.

So everything that everybody's been telling him about getting control of yourself and you know, make sure that you take care of business, you know, off the football field as well as on the football field, keep your composure, keep your head well cost him. I mean in my mind, it's cost him. So maybe this is a bitter pill lesson. You know, that is going to be the final component, the final wake up call to make sure that you

I mean, he can get vertical in a hurry.

You average eighteen yards per reception in your career in over twenty yards per reception in twenty twenty three, which was number one in the end c C against that type of competition. I mean, his ability to get vertical is as good as there is in the country, you know. I mean he can get it, get it done in a hurry, and he's a he's a quality route.

Runner because he've been working with our guy t J.

Huschman Zada, who was as good a route runners as I've seen. And the thame when I watch him that I've seen that he's gotten from TJ.

He has a.

Little different wiggle, a little subtle different move when he's running the So he'll run the same route in a route tree three different times in a game and give it defensive back just a little bit different look in it every single time.

And that was what made t J.

Hushman Zada such a great route runner, as he never ran, you know, his route tree the same way. You know, he always came up with some sort of little improvisation, some sort of a little just to just to not let the defensive backs lock in man, you know, keep them on their heels and not on their toes. And this kid, I've seen some of that that Teja's you know,

Maturation process because he's a player. Man, He's a dog, like we said, d A W G boy, a big dog.

Final question, have you talked enough about the draft over the last seventy two hours?

Oh?

Hell yeah, no, No two ways about that.

As they say, I mean, yeah it is. I am drafted out.

So we will wrap it up here and I'll look forward to talking more about the draft of you in a couple of days.

How's that That.

Sounds like a planned coach that that forty eight hours be. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna look at, you know, talk about or whatever. It's just going to be a mass doos and mass quantities of grandkids.

If you miss them, you can go back and listen to our conversations following the first two days of the draft and then coming up on Monday, I'll get the front office perspective as I'll be joined by the Bengals

Of the Bengals.

If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for listening to The Bengals Booth Podcast