Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals Showing Interest in Day 2 Running Backs | Could They Prioritize RB Over Other Needs?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cincinnati Bengals continue to spend time before the draft with running backs projected to go on day two. Does that mean it's in play earlier than we thought in the draft? Let's get into it. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, covering your Cincinnati Bengals daily on the Locked on. Lockdown podcast network since 2016. So if you're looking for the place for your team every day, you're in the right place.

Starting point is 00:00:45 I'm Jake Liscoe. He's James Rapine, and we've been locked on Bengals for years on this podcast. James also covering the Bengals over at bengals talk.com. And today we're going to dive into what it means that the Bengals continue to spend time with some potential day two running back targets in the 2025 NFL draft. And then take a step back and look at some of the big takeaways from Dame Bruegler's The Beast, the massive draft publication that always has a number of telling tidbits and what's relevant for the Cincinnati Bengals with a couple of offensive wine prospects in particular that stood out to me, James.

Starting point is 00:01:23 And welcome back to all the everydayers out there. We appreciate all of you that make lockdown Bengals part of your daily routine and all of you to make us your first list. And today's show is brought to you by the all-new 2025 Nissan. on Armada. Stay tuned for the Armada Player of the Week later in this show. And James, before we talk about Caleb Johnson, Quinchan Jenkins, Trayvian Henderson, a number of potential day two running backs that the Bengals have had pre-dropped contact with, you've got some notes on the water situation as the Ohio River apparently has begun to recede on Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:01:56 Yeah, and that's great news. It did start to recede on Wednesday, and so you nailed it both days, getting better and better on Thursday. It was supposed to rain all week, and then it's slowly. It's really sunny as of now, so hopefully that continues, knock on wood. But someone sent me a video from inside the walls at Paycor, and that player entrance that you see everyone walking in, obviously the player parking lot, it was just completely flooded. Well, the walls have held up. While there might be a trickle, there was not a lot of water in that area.

Starting point is 00:02:28 That's an area that I walk into during the, during the, draft, for example, that would be the area that I would walk into Thursday, Friday, Saturday, the draft just two days away. Obviously, during camp, that's where players are going in and out, beat reporters, staff, coaches, everything like that. So it does seem to be good. And obviously, we've seen, we're going to talk about Caleb Johnson. He's in the building today. He took a picture from inside one of the Bengals training rooms with a hot tub and different things like that in there, cooling tub. That was fine. The day before that, Wednesday, Quinn Sean Judkins, takes a picture of Burroughs locker. The locker room is fine. But that exact entrance,

Starting point is 00:03:08 I was able to see that. No flooding, good to go. So even though I'm not inside there, we do have an idea that things are okay. So Paycor Stadium Field, the locker room, everything like that, thumbs up. Everything's okay. Yeah. When things were at their worst, you mentioned the field. We saw Ty Hamilton on his visit from Ohio State take a photo of the field. So we've seen some of the critical interior bits of Paycor Stadium publicly or privately at this point. So some good news there that the Bengals don't have to deal with a massive wet back or pump or however. I don't know how you get the water out. I have no idea.

Starting point is 00:03:46 It looks like a nightmare. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it. Glad the interior of the stadium has held up. But Caleb Johnson, the latest in a number of day two running backs, Bengals have had in person to Paycourt Stadium. Interestingly, all of them count as local visits, as far as we know, Caleb Johnson from the Cincinnati area and Quinchan Jenkins and Trayvian Henderson attending Ohio State. Those do not count against the 30 official visits. The Bengals are allotted in the pre-draft process, but they are still spending time with these players.

Starting point is 00:04:18 They are still bringing these players in. They're using essentially free resource in bringing them in and spending the time with them, but they are spending the time. And all of these guys, I think, are pretty firmly day two, especially the Ohio State guys probably round two for those guys. And when you look at the quote unquote dilemmas, and maybe that's too strong a word, but for the Bengals in the first round and in the second round, the world of players, the Bengals will be picking between.

Starting point is 00:04:51 how strongly do we think they're considering running back with these visits, with the interests are clearly showing in the position. And we've talked about on the show quite a bit this week, more than perhaps we anticipated on Monday. We've talked a lot about running back this week. Yeah. And look, you can take it twofold. One, you're right.

Starting point is 00:05:12 They don't count against their 30 visits that they have. But they're also not going to waste their time, which you hit it at. And so I think there's interest. And in what it's going to come down to is what they can address, when they address it, how confident they feel in some of these other guys that they've looked at late day two, early day three, whether it's guard, whether it's defensive tackle, whether it's edge. They've done a lot of homework in that meat, in that area of the draft, which it really is the meat of the draft. And are these guys that they're bringing in, which they are free visits, but time is time.

Starting point is 00:05:51 and so you're not just doing it to do it. So I do think that there's some interest there. Does that outweigh what they could get there? Is the drop off there more so? Like maybe they feel that way. Maybe they're like, man, let's look at these three guys on film. It's clear that because like we're going to talk about the beast, Caleb Johnson's third, Travionn Henderson's fourth,

Starting point is 00:06:15 and Quinn John Jenkins is fifth. We're talking about the third ranked running back, fourth ranked running back, and fifth rank running back in this class. the Bengals bring all three of those guys in. Maybe they think there is a clear drop off. And in what they're looking for, the style they're looking for, what they want, maybe those guys do fit that mold.

Starting point is 00:06:33 And how they have them ranked, I'm not sure. I think you could really say, man, Henderson would be the guy that would fit from a past protection standpoint and just come in right away and be able to contribute. But I think the reason Dane has Caleb Johnson ahead of both these guys is because he might be the best runner out of the three. And so do they feel like Caleb Johnson is going to be good in past pro? I don't know all of the answers to that. I do think it's possible that they go running back day two.

Starting point is 00:07:03 And really, it would have to be round two, I think for sure for Caleb Johnson, probably for Trayvion Henderson. I think there's a scenario where Judkins falls, but it's pretty unlikely. Like this is, he's probably falling somewhere in between pick 40. in Pick 81, but neither of those picks because he's probably not making it to 81. Maybe he does. Maybe one of those guys does, but they're certainly doing their due diligence. And that is noteworthy, even if I am still of the belief that the running back is coming on day three.

Starting point is 00:07:36 I think they will draft one. I think it's more likely on day three than day two, but they're clearly doing their due diligence for a reason and are open to the idea of one of these guys at pick 49. I think that's really what you're looking at here because I'm not sure any of them make it to 81. We discussed this in a bit of a heated conversation for us. We had to keep things pretty simple here. It's because it was back and forth. It was good. That was good stuff.

Starting point is 00:08:00 The point I'm getting to is where we tended to agree was that day three made the most sense. Yeah. And despite that conversation, you look at the contact they've had with running backs. Ashton Genti, consensus fifth player, according to our tracking, Trayvian Henderson, consensus 45th player Cam Scadabo, Consensus 82nd player, so maybe there's your potential third round target.

Starting point is 00:08:27 They worked out Bayshall Tutin and Virginia Tech's Pro Day. That's your round 4 target, most likely. They had Quintan Junkinsen for the local, for the in-person. He's 52nd. So, you know, right in that late second round, potentially, but he has probably the best

Starting point is 00:08:45 athleticism plus size combination, the best size feed combination in the draft. And then Caleb Johnson, consensus 56, Dane Bruegler has them higher. Maybe Dane is being informed a little bit by what the NFL thinks. Maybe that's just Dane's opinion. But none of these guys, except Tudin,

Starting point is 00:09:04 the Virginia Tech running back, really fit for that day three target. They're doing a lot of work on day two guys. And I want to ask you a question about, where we think they might be comfortable going with one of those day two guys before we dive into some of these takeaways as we've made our first pass through dame brugler's The Beast, the awesome publication, 500 plus pages on NFL draft prospects that you can find over the athletic. We'll get into that question and then the Beast coming up next.

Starting point is 00:09:42 Today's show is brought to you by Nissan and the Armada player of the week is brought to you by Nissan and the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Each week, we're taking a look at our draft prospects to pick one guy that stands apart. The guy, we believe, showcased the strength and power needed to push the Bengals forward is Kelvin Banks Jr. The guard. And that's what he will be in the NFL, the guard from Texas. We're going to get into the beast from Dane Bruegler. He's Dane's second-ranked guard, and he could very well be the Bengals' second-ranked guard on their draft board. He was a three-year starter at Texas. He played tackle. But you look at the length issue, and I think that's the big concern among NFL evaluators, makes him a perfect guard. If you look at

Starting point is 00:10:28 his relative athletic score, which combines all of his pre-draft scoring, he tested in the 90-plus percentile at guard. And so Kelvin Banks Jr. is a real contender for the 17th pick. He's someone to know. He might be on the shortlist of guards that the Bengals will consider in the first round. They've done a ton of homework on day two guards, and that could certainly be the case. But today's Nissan Armada player of the week is Kelvin Banks Jr. Go forth and conquer. And that's what Banks Jr. will do. It's clear that our player of the week is ready to conquer the road ahead. Take the same approach with the new Nissan Armada, rogue or pathfinder, go find your next big adventure by shopping at shop Nissan. Again, That's nisanusa.com, nissanusa.com.

Starting point is 00:11:21 When we think about the Bengals options in the first couple of rounds, and we throw running back into the mix, it gets pretty dicey to me. I don't know how you get to a spot where in the first or second round, well, maybe let's focus on the second round. I don't think there's going to be a reasonable choice for the Bengals in the first round, because it's not going to be Gentie. Yeah, if Gentie falls there, you do it and you think about everything else later. That's how I approach it.

Starting point is 00:11:45 We don't need to get into the debate. but we don't need to discuss it either because it's not going to happen because he's a top player in the draft. Go ahead. So you get to the second round. And let's assume that the first round ends up being defensive tackle defense event. Let's just assume for the sake of this conversation. Because maybe you would love it to be Kelvin Banks and he's just picked. Five picks early, which is certainly possible.

Starting point is 00:12:11 And all the guys you like in the first round, the Will Campbell's of the world, the Armand Membo's of the world. And the Kelvin Banks of the world, they're picked. So in the second round, you're hoping for the value to line up at a position that you need. So say you've gotten Walter Nolan or Mike Green or whatever in the first round, a guy that you think can affect the passer can be a pass rusher for you. And in the second round, you're thinking, okay, we really need a starting guard. We really need a starting linebacker. We would like to upgrade its safety.

Starting point is 00:12:45 So you're thinking about guys like Kevin Winston and Xavier Wattsa safety. You're thinking about Carson Swessinger and lineback. You're thinking about Donovan Jackson, Ariante Ursari, Jonas Savonat Naya at Guard, and maybe even Tate Ratledge at Guard. But focusing on the Jackson Urserie Savonaya trio because that's where they've been focused a little bit more, the tackle guys that had the experience at tackle and maybe would have to convert to guard. Are you taking a running back ahead of any of those guys? Do you think, or is running back in the second round, in your mind,

Starting point is 00:13:22 or maybe put yourself in the Bengal shoes, do you think that it's like if those guys are not available and we can't get a guard that we love, and we can't get the lineback, we can't get the safety, that's where they go running back? Well, I think it's, there's, it's hard to say without knowing how they approach it. I'm going to speak from their side of it, but also how I would approach it.

Starting point is 00:13:45 like Tate Ratlidge seems like a no-brainer. I don't know where he is on their board. I think that they would pick him possibly if he's there at 49. Pretty realistic that he's not there. And what if Jonah Savaynea is a round three player for them? Like that's not crazy just because they're doing their homework on him. They may have him as the 75th player on their board. And Kevin Winston Jr., as good as he is,

Starting point is 00:14:12 and I do think if they want him, they're probably going to have to pick him in round two. What if there's a medical question about him still, even though he's, we don't think that. I mean, he just ran the 40-yard dash five months into ACL rehab. But you could easily get to the point where it's like, all right, well, there's red flag with this guy. Yeah, there's this guard here, but we have a round three grade.

Starting point is 00:14:34 And so, like, I think that there is certainly a scenario where they're like, okay, we really like, let's just use Traveon Henderson, because you did. We have him 33rd on our board. We're picking 49th. Kevin Winston Jr. has a medical concern. He's 46th on our board. We have a guard who's 55th on our board. And like, that's not that unrealistic that that could be. And I'm just trying to hit the positions that you hit on. We already drafted a defensive lineman that helps in that area. So we're looking to address something else. Like I see how it could get there. And like I could, I, I could, certainly see them prioritizing a running back, potentially over a safety. I don't know that

Starting point is 00:15:20 they're going to say, all right, we definitely need a round two safety. Like, what if, what if Winston is gone or Xavier Watts? I think the league is pretty spread out on him, but what if he goes earlier than expected? It doesn't get to 49. I just, I do think that there are scenarios, but the main thing that has to happen for that to really play out is a Trevion Henderson can't be 46th on their board. He would need to be 35th or 33rd. Like, that's what needs to happen. So if Quinchon Junkins truly is 52nd on the Bengals board, well, then he won't be the 49th pick. But if he's 35th, and I've seen him as high as 38th on Daniel Jeremiah's board, then I could see that scenario. Same thing with Henderson, same thing with Caleb Johnson. So I do think that there are scenarios, but it would

Starting point is 00:16:05 have to fall a certain way. And clearly the Bengals are going through the process just in case it does go that route. And you need to be comfortable then. with whatever you haven't addressed. Maybe you did get banks in the first round. And then you need to be comfortable not taking a linebacker, safety, or defensive linemen. You're going to miss on two of those on the first two days of the draft, period. You need to be comfortable with that.

Starting point is 00:16:30 You need to be comfortable if you take a running back in the second round. And this is why it's so hard for me to get there. You need to be comfortable punting on one of these things where you need a player who can make an impact for you as a 90s. 90% of the snaps player or more right away at a guard, safety, linebacker, and maybe not safety, guard, linebacker, and a defensive lineman who's going to play like maybe 60% of the snaps, ideally, and maybe they don't see that kind of opportunity for a defensive lineman right now. It's possible, but I have a hard time getting there. I have a really hard time getting there on a running back that would then force you to then say, okay, we're just not going to address this thing in the draft with a pick that is premium enough for it to make a difference. Yeah, I think the safety element of it makes it hard for sure. Because there really is like six guys.

Starting point is 00:17:23 Like it's not like they're a ton. And it's do they feel like they need to go the 2018 Jesse Bates route? Yeah. Where obviously you want a Jesse Bates. I'm not saying that. But go that same route where you have George I. Loca. No one thought they were cutting George I. Loca in 2018.

Starting point is 00:17:40 George Iloca did not look like a lame duck. And Geno Stoll looks like more of a lame duck, but there's no clear indication there. Exactly. And so there's that, the Pratt element. It's the same scenario, really. Yeah, you have the trade request, whatever. The Bengals don't really care about your trade request remain. Like if they think you're more valuable, then they'll keep you.

Starting point is 00:18:00 We know that. But yeah, I get your point. And maybe it is as simple as they're like, hey, whoever we draft that safety, unless it's in round one, probably isn't starting over Gino. And maybe, by the way, they could just go safety. round one. And then it gets really tough because then if it's running back round two after safety, let's just say, then you definitely feel like you need to go guard round three. I'd be calling Brandon Shurf middraft like, hey, your ass better not retire. You're coming to play in stripes this

Starting point is 00:18:29 year. Like that's what's tough about it. So I agree. Like I, in an ideal world, you would get the running back in that Chase Brown, like rounds four through four through four, four, five, maybe six, but it's tough. At round six, I just take a do that you think can make it. Right. And at that point, it's a different, you enter a different part of the draft. Everyone does these mock drafts and then just puts running back in round six. That's kind of hard to go that route.

Starting point is 00:18:57 Like if they want to address it, I would put the, the Fandul odds in rounds four through five. But rounds two and three, I think one, there could be a chance that one of these guys just falls. because everyone likes some of that day three, that early day three depth. Maybe one does. Maybe probably not, but maybe. And if one does, then maybe they're in position in round three. But I think it is under consideration in round two. And that might also be because the powers that be like, hey, we are not trading a seventh round pick for a running back midyear again.

Starting point is 00:19:34 We are going to fix this. I'm not saying that's actually a thing. they probably see the talent with these guys. And so we'll see. We'll see if they do it. Now, if they do, whoever they get in round two needs to contribute right away, whether it's safety, linebacker, like you mentioned,

Starting point is 00:19:52 defensive line, guard, like right away. This can't be a Jackson-Carman thing. This can't be a insert, whatever second-round pick that you want to use. This needs to be a guy that contributes right away and is playing and is a big part of whatever they're doing, whether it's on offense or defense. And again, the way you wrap that up, a big part of what they're doing, I just have a hard time talking myself into running back being that answer with the way they play

Starting point is 00:20:18 offense. I get that it can make an impact. Don't get me wrong. But talking ourselves in circles a little bit here, I think, the last couple of days on this topic. Well, for sure. And if they plan on keeping Stone and Pratt, then it kind of changes things. But maybe not. Regardless, though, the beast is out.

Starting point is 00:20:36 You can get it and learn all about these running backs, linebackers, cornerbacks, and offensive linemen. Let's dive into some of our beast takeaways coming up next. A lot of the offensive linemen that I have thought about for the Bengals at some point throughout the process, maybe less so recently, maybe more so recently, have some pretty glowing praise from their coaches. It seems like the opportunity to draft a leader in the offensive line. room is there for the Bengals. I'm saying they need one. Orlando Brown, likely captain in 2025, right?

Starting point is 00:21:15 Like they have leadership in that room. Ted Karas, obviously a leader in that room. But those are the kinds of guys that we've associated with the Bengals in the past. We've gone through the beast and, you know, I've had my control F for captain and gone through the list and marked off how many years of captaincy certain players having our draft sheet over the years. Let's start with Kelvin Banks. A potential, I should say, first round pick for the Bengals, because I think there are a couple potential first rounders on the offensive line. But head coach Steve Sarkesian, whenever somebody comes to me and ask, coach, what do I

Starting point is 00:21:54 need to do and how do I need to do it? I say, be like Kelvin. He is a humble team captain, according to Dame Bruegler. And be like Kelvin is quite a coach. Quite a quote from his head coach in Texas. Yeah, that's it's exactly what you want, exactly what you're looking for in a first. Because historically, people are going to say historically they haven't prioritized guard, and that's fine. But maybe a month ago, they identified Kelvin as a guy like, oh, man, real contender at 17. And they're like, maybe that impacted them from a free agent standpoint. Now, we don't necessarily agree with that, but maybe it did.

Starting point is 00:22:35 and if you can get him, he feels very much like a plug-in-play guard, someone that's going to come in with the right approach, that's going to add to your room, it's going to start. Will there be some rough spots? Yeah, by the way, if the Bengals take a guard, especially early in round one, it's probably going to be a tackle-to-guard convert outside of Tyler Booker. Like, that's the only one that they could potentially go with.

Starting point is 00:23:00 And Dane does have Booker ahead of Kelvin Banks, Jr., and I thought that that was interesting. But yeah, Kelvin is mighty, mighty contender. He's our Nissan Armada player of the week for a reason, and certainly someone that Bengals fans should know. Along those same lines, you mentioned Tyler Booker, and that is not a player that we've talked about a lot on this podcast since he did not test well at the Combine.

Starting point is 00:23:23 Not that he was expected to test while at the Combine, but you're hoping for him to test a little bit better than he did, even though he's very obviously not an elite athlete when you watch him, play football. But I would say that perhaps the world is down on him a little bit more than the NFL who have a tendency to get past these sorts of things. But it's also very possible that he drops into the early part of the second round because of those athletic testing numbers. But again, the quote here describes himself as a natural, boring leader. And an NFL scout told Dame Bruegler. He keeps everyone accountable

Starting point is 00:24:05 in that locker room. After Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, Booker was the guy that got everyone back on track. A guard on Alabama, getting the entire team to rally after that Vanderbilt loss is an impressive note

Starting point is 00:24:21 for leadership. And again, here's another captain with Alabama. Yeah. And I do think he's a contender at 17. I think that's the other, that's the only guard, only guard that didn't play tackle, that would be in consideration. And I just think the Bengals, not that they don't value that athletic testing, but we know

Starting point is 00:24:43 that they'll overlook that for the right guy, the right prospect. And so I wonder, I wonder how they feel about him. I think we'll have a really good idea of that in the coming days. Obviously, you hope, weak, not weeks. but it's interesting to see the way the ebbs and flows of Tyler Booker have happened because I think a few months ago before the combine, he's one of those guys that could go top 12, top 13. It was to the point where it was like, if he's available,

Starting point is 00:25:16 you have to take him, was the kind of thing people were saying on social media a month ago. And now it's like, is he going to be there at 35? Does he fall out of the first round? Does he one of those first guys on day two that is the best available? And I would still say no. I think that especially coaches, they look at that film. And every coach looks at the film. The Bengals coaches, man, if you're Scott Peters and you love everything you see on film,

Starting point is 00:25:48 you're like, man, I can win with this guy. Well, you're going to pound the table for him. And so it wouldn't shock me. I think that's the other one. that Bengals fans should know from a guard standpoint. A couple more offensive line notes here. Josh Simmons? I don't have anything on Josh Simmons,

Starting point is 00:26:05 but I'll let you go there after I talk about Ariante Ursari, who is noted as a team leader, grew into a team leader, according to NFL scouts. That's feedback from Dane and the Beast. He's actually just ahead of Donovan Jackson. Both of these guys listed at tackle, and for the Bengals would probably begin their career.

Starting point is 00:26:25 Rears at least at Guard, but the tackle guard converse. And Donovan Jackson, who in the second round is a player that is highly intriguing to me for the Cincinnati Bengals, graduated with the 3.85 GPA, the highest on the team, according to Dane. And Texas is Baron Sorrell called Jackson the toughest tackle he faced in 2024, specifically because of his preparation and his work during the week, his film room work shows up on the field. He's also described as selfless return to his high school roots and played left tackle when Ohio State was hit with injuries with the Chip Kelly quote here. It's a credit for the kind of person. Donnie is one of the true leaders on our team.

Starting point is 00:27:07 A couple of players there that one of which the Bengals have had a direct 30 visit with and another of which I think the Bengals would certainly be interested in if they could get them in the second round in Donovan Jackson with that tackle guard experience and a lot of experience at Gart. Yeah, I think that's one of those. I think Tate Ratlidge is like more popular on social, but Donovan partially because you wonder if Jackson will be there. But the scenario where Ratledge goes earlier, maybe it pushes Donovan Jackson down the board. And that would be a tough one to pass on if he's there at 49. Just to go over the scenarios of like you're taking Donovan Jackson over his teammate,

Starting point is 00:27:49 Trivionand Henderson. You're taking him over a lot of the. these guys. Oh, I got one for you. Donovan Jackson or Tyleek Williams at Pick 49. Let's say they go safety round one. Go Jackson. I love Tyleek Williams. It's Donovan Jackson. Yeah. Is the need yelling at you? Is that what it is? Or do you think Jackson's a better prospect? I think they're probably pretty closest prospects, but the value to the Bengals in a guard that has tackle versatility who can be a long-term starter compared to a guy that I think has work to do to affect the passer consistently on on any kind of regular basis in Ty League.

Starting point is 00:28:31 That's kind of it. I love Tyleek Williams, a player. I don't think he's necessarily impacting the passer a ton early in his career. And so you get a guy that can make a big difference to the firmness of the middle of the pocket for the Bengals. That's just a pretty easy choice ultimately for where the Bengals are right now. And I think they would take Jackson too. And that's why, by the way, you mentioned that the pocket.

Starting point is 00:28:52 part of it. I think that's why they would consider Booker. It's just his ability to hold up there. I mentioned Josh Simmons. I just, sorry, I just keep going back to the, the Tyler Booker quote. I make people not love football anymore. I mean, what a mentality. And that's like, that's something the Bengals need. Yeah. Like last year, how many times I was like, I'm sick of Joe getting hit and it's borderline and no one's anything. And Orlando Brown Jr. comes back in his first game, he's like getting into it. And it's like, yeah, that's how it should be. Like, you guys see it on film, even if you don't see it because you're busy blocking and you don't see it in the play. You see it on film. So the next week, that should be in your head. And

Starting point is 00:29:38 and so, yeah, they need a little more nastiness. And so wherever that is, if they're taking a line, you want some nasty to you. And obviously you want a guy who's going to pass protect and keep nine upright and keep that pocket firm. And that's why I think Josh Simmons is interesting. because I don't think anyone really has a doubt he can play tackle. I wonder if the Bengals think he can play guard. Like it's kind of the opposite. It's like, all right, well, do you? How do you feel?

Starting point is 00:30:05 Because there's a scenario where maybe they don't feel as high on Tyler Booker or Kelvin Banks Jr. is gone. But maybe they think that Simmons is this just awesome offensive linemen that can do both and checks the medical box. And so I just, I want to mention him again because I do think when when talking about first round guards, while he is a tackle, and I think most view him that way, if the Bengals think he can play guard, certainly worth considering. I think that the big question there is medical, as Dan points out, the big question is,

Starting point is 00:30:36 how's he doing with that knee, the pettler tendon, significant injury, but if he's a guy that they think does have the ability to kick inside, and then he can go play tackle when they need him to play tackle, maybe Orlando Brown only gets a one contract in Cincinnati. I don't know what's going to happen there. But maybe that's the case. And then Simmons can go play tackle. That seems like a pretty reasonable plan. Sounds like one specific or two former Bengals that turned into really, really good players.

Starting point is 00:31:06 Or he's just an awesome guard. Also great. That's what's like if you take a guy and he's just really good at guard, I'd be leery of moving him. I'd be scared to that. The last offensive linemen that I want to mention here because we plan on spending two segments on the beast. So we'll have to come back to it over the next couple weeks, and we will.

Starting point is 00:31:28 We'll get into some other positions here. But today we end up focusing on the offensive line. Tate Ratledge, who we talked about a little bit earlier in the show, the strengths listed for Ratledge in the beast, you got mean dude. Takes it incredibly personally when the quarterback gets hit. Great, right? Check, check the box. Penalized just three times over the last two season. Pretty good.

Starting point is 00:31:53 His coach has raved about his practice, habits, and love for football. Very personal connects well in the locker room. Kirby Smart said, as special as they come because of his leadership, 95% of Georgia's 130 players voted him a 20-2014 captain. Talk about checking all of the character boxes, more than checking them, passing those with flying colors, like top, top character grade on Tate Routledge, I think. Yeah, and that's may go round one.

Starting point is 00:32:22 I mean, he might. Like, it wouldn't shock me. You know, he checks a lot of the boxes. And I think if you're, if you're a team looking for a guard, are you waiting in end to round two? If you could just get him in round one and check that starting guard box, I'm not sure. But to me, if he's there at 49, it's going to be really tough. If they haven't already addressed guard, and that would be, that would suck too.

Starting point is 00:32:47 If you take Kelvin Bank 17 and then Tate Ratlidge is there at 49, I think some people want you to double-diff and just make guard of strength, but certainly don't expect the Bengals to do that. Wouldn't mind it, though. Sava Naaya, also, I just keep seeing different pronunciations for his name. I tried to read the phonetic in the beast. Sava-a-anaia? I listened to him say it yesterday before we did our show, or two days ago, whenever it was.

Starting point is 00:33:13 Anyway, just a quick note on that one was that scouts say that he helped to maintain Arizona's culture after Jed Fish left after the 2022 season. The reason I mentioned it is because of Bengals, of course, have had him in for a visit. Another guy that has the culture notes. The culture notes are one of the more interesting things to me and the beast. Obviously, culture, medicals,

Starting point is 00:33:33 and we'll get to some of those other notes, I'm sure, when we're talking about some of the other Bengals targets over the next couple of weeks here leading into the draft. But for now, let's wrap up this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Two weeks. Two weeks.

Starting point is 00:33:49 that NFL draft and we'll have a lot of coverage between now and then. Until then, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, Ho day, and have a good one.

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