Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Cashius Howell a SURPRISE Pick, Brings Serious Pass Rush Juice | Day 2 Bengals Draft Recap

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cincinnati Bengals added some serious pass rushing juice in the second round and some body types they didn't have in the edge rushing room and in the quarterback room. Let's break down day two of the Bengals draft. 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 Locked on Bengals podcast. He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Liscoe and the Bengals. added juice with Cassius Howl, a type of pass rusher they haven't had. We're going to start

Starting point is 00:00:41 there. We're going to get to the Bengals second round pick, Jacario Davis, and the work they have left to do, the Cincinnati Bengals, on day three of this NFL draft. And some of the things that maybe stood out on day two, if we have time as well. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandle. Right now, you can bet $5 and get $250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Head to fandul.com. to get started. And James, we spent a lot of time talking about linebackers, talking about cornerbacks. And we also discussed the possibility of an edge rusher falling

Starting point is 00:01:17 that the Bengals felt like would be valued that superseded the other positions of need. And that is what happened with Cassius Howell. I would guess they had a first round grade on him, probably a late first round grade on him. They didn't think he was going to make it today too. And then when he made it to their pick, I'm sure they were ecstatic.

Starting point is 00:01:37 And like I said, yeah, it's a type of pass rusher that this team hasn't had in my memory, like such a different style than Carlos Dunlap, Mike Johnson, Trey Hendrickson, any pass rusher you can remember for the Bengals. Howell is different in the way he approaches the game. And for those reasons, and for what Al Golden is looking for to rotate on the defensive line, the Bengals don't go cornerbacker, the linebacker, and take Hal, who is not a player that we talked about, about very much for this fit.

Starting point is 00:02:08 No, we didn't because we didn't think they would pick him. We did mention him, and he was certainly something that we mentioned leading up to the draft multiple times on the show. But this week, we didn't. Why didn't we? Because he was 250, because he was the guy who was the pass rush specialist. And literally, like, that's what I thought of. I was like, man, Cassius How brings the juice.

Starting point is 00:02:32 Cassius Howe makes a lot of sense. The Bengals aren't in on. the Cassius How guys or usually if they are in and there's been times in their history we know they've been in on those guys but they've been a little bit lower than some of the others and so even if you did think oh well they're going to like Cassius Howe I didn't think that he would be number one on their board and he was number one on their board he was their top guy like that that's what Al Golden and Mike Pod said after like this is the top guy we identified going into day two and I think some people roll their eyes at that like oh yeah

Starting point is 00:03:05 well, but Colton Hood and this and that, no, like I, I believe that this was their top target 24 hours ago once the first round ended. And they reset their board. By the time they start, Cassius Howe was at the top of it. And you're right. Maybe part of it is how different he is. But for me, when I look at this defense and how it is and trying to, figure out how the edge rusher spot is going to be improved without a Trey Hendrickson.

Starting point is 00:03:44 Better when you have Trey Hendrickson leaving and his 17 and a half sax and back-to-back years in 23 and 24. Well, I'm thinking this way where it's you got the Shamar Stewart and the Miles Murphy. You have Boya and Maffei. And then you have this bendy young athletic juice rusher. And that's what Cassius Howell is. And so like they complement each other. really well.

Starting point is 00:04:06 And now I look at this defensive line room. And man, oh man, what a difference? A 6-4-345-pound guy and Dexter Lawrence does. But it just feels like the pieces have all come together now. This is the deepest front the Bengals have had in a long time. And in the waves that Al Golden was talking about, it's going to be wavy like the ocean here in Cincinnati because they have those. It's a great thing.

Starting point is 00:04:33 I'm really excited about this pick. I was pleased that they were willing to make it because it really felt like corner. And we nailed one thing we nailed, they were all in on defense. There was not a one offensive player on their short list when it came to the 41st pick. And so that part we got, I didn't think they had it in them to take Cash's Howl. And I'm happy to be wrong because I think it's an excellent pick. I agree. I think that we knew they had interest in a guy like Nolan Smith in previous years.

Starting point is 00:05:01 Jalen, what was his name last year from Georgia? Jalen, what's his last name? Yeah, the running or the linebacker type. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't remember his name. That's okay. But he was 240. And so there were a couple of smaller guys that they've had interested in the past didn't draft.

Starting point is 00:05:17 And in here they actually pulled the trigger. And there are a lot of people that are going to be thinking things like, see, man, like they like they like their linebackers. They didn't have a linebacker. Jalen Walker. Yeah. They didn't have a linebacker in free agency. They didn't draft a linebacker on day two of the draft. They saw the linebacker position get picked over almost immediately after they

Starting point is 00:05:34 picked. I mean, what was it, the next pick or two picks later, Jacob Rodriguez was picked and goes to the Miami Dolphins. So the Bengals didn't prioritize linebacker ahead of a falling Cassius Howl here, but considering linebackers, they were considering corners, I think, with this pick. And it just so happened that Howell was the guy that they identified. And this is a bursty, get-off bendy player, like you said. And it's really exciting for me to have the Bengals adding a guy that brings an element in a style of a pass rushes that they just don't have. Like the guy that's going to win with a getoff and a ghost move. And if you like David Bailey, the way David Bailey pass rushes, stylistically, the similarities with Cassius Howl are there in terms of the moves. They use the spin move, the ghost move, winning with the getoff.

Starting point is 00:06:24 And the Bengals just haven't had that guy. Like they've had the Dunlap and the Mike Johnson, the bigger guys that are going to win with size and power and technical ability. And Trey Hendrickson, who's winning with speed around the outside, sure, but he's winning with power quite a bit, the writ move that he liked to go to and just running through guys, he would occasionally win by just running around guys. But like the little Eurostep that you see, if you watch Cassius Howl's tape, when he sets up that ghost move and he gives you that ghost move enough times and you start to set to the corner. And then he takes that Eurostep and gets inside and just runs. he juke essentially the offensive tackle and takes that straight line to the quarterback. Change of direction ability looks good. Didn't test agility testing at the combine, but there are a number of plays on tape where I think change of direction looks good for him.

Starting point is 00:07:08 And so many matchups like tracking down Lamar Jackson. You're not going to have Sam Hubbard and not intending to throw a shade at Sam, but it's a memorable play, right? Sam Hubbard ends up on the ground and Lamar Jackson throws a touchdown pass. And Lamar gets everybody. So maybe he does get hell and this gets clifed. throwing in my face or something like that, James. But Hal has the movement ability to stick with those kinds of quarterbacks. And it's just really exciting for me to see them take the plunge and go this route with this

Starting point is 00:07:37 kind of player who is that pass rushing juice, man, like from a profile in this class, one of the top pass rushers. Pure pass rushers has some of the best pass rushing data in this class in terms of win rate, pressure rate, has the productivity you're looking for. The only blemish is that like we've talked about, a little bit undersized, short arms, just over the inch arms, and a little bit older. He's 23, but I'm pretty excited about this pick, James.

Starting point is 00:08:04 I see it highly. I praise this pick. And I like the direction it takes the Bengals with all of the different things they can do now with that defensive front. Yeah, well, that's it. It rounds out the defensive front. And there's going to be a lot of talk about what about linebacker, right? and for me going into free agency,

Starting point is 00:08:31 I said I would love, would love to address the front, bolster the pass rush, feel really good about that, and make sure that Gino Stone isn't playing safety. Like, you know, like it's just, and so it is important, yes, they have not a dress linebacker.

Starting point is 00:08:45 Do I want them to? Absolutely I do. But my God, did I not think that? There's no way I thought, boy, Amafay, Dexter, Lawrence, Jonathan Allen and a guy in Cassius Howley just bringing some juice we're all going to enter that room like it feels much much different and we'll have plenty of time to talk about that but I I love this pick too I just I do and we hadn't talked about it you and I have not talked about this pick until just now when we hit record and we went on and yeah I think there's a little bit more there a little bit more about what else was there what we thought and then obviously we have to get to round three and then what they could do tomorrow as the NFL draft rolls on. So we'll do that coming up next. We're on today, three of the NFL draft, where preparation meets opportunity, and we're

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Starting point is 00:11:29 just final thoughts on Cassius Howe. It was a surprise. I love the juice. I really love the idea. And one thing that Al Golden mentioned, he mentioned T.J. Slayton, and I think that was noteworthy. I think that was very intentional.

Starting point is 00:11:44 This defensive line, it feels pretty complete now. Like, it feels like, all right, ready to go. If there was a game tomorrow, like they have, There are different variations of guys that they could use, the different styles that they could use and everything that they could ask for realistically from a pass rush standpoint, considering where they were, heck, just a month and a half ago when we knew Trey was out the door in all of the unknowns going into free agency and the draft. Yeah, I just like the risk that they're taking here from their point of view, probably. I don't know, maybe they just love them and there's no ambiguity to them, but we just haven't seen them take this kind of player.

Starting point is 00:12:21 and we've had the inkling that they've been in on players like it. It's just cool to see them take that plunge. I do think that all of the people that were like, oh, man, why not just take DeAngelo Ponds? Why not just take Jacob Rodriguez or Jake Golda or C.J. Allen or whoever your linebacker of choice was there or Emmanuel McNeil Warren who went a little bit later. I hear you. I guess I'm a little surprised.

Starting point is 00:12:49 It's not a name that we talked about a lot. the guy that I thought would make them pull the trigger on a pass rusher that we did talk about more was t.J Parker and of course he got picked pretty quickly there but i compared to some of the alternative options this is a pretty good outcome to me and checks a lot of boxes pretty exciting player who can fit into the rotation immediately and be part of the waves that you're talking about james remember the beach water park that's still that's gone now right it's gone yeah Kings Island has a wave pull. Kings Island has a wave pool.

Starting point is 00:13:24 Yeah. Yeah, I think about like what I believe their board looked like. And what I had said on Friday versus what we actually got info on way off, right? So there were some surprises there. But just looking at it, yeah, I think I agree with you. I mean, they were in on corner and we're going to get to corner in a second. But man, like, just looking at these guys, what fits, what makes sense? What could they be lacking in October that they need?

Starting point is 00:14:01 Well, going into Friday is probably another pass rusher. Because if Shamar didn't take that step, if Miles wasn't a consistent pass rusher, well, then you have Mafei, who there's questions there. You just need another guy. Another guy, you take a flyer, maybe get to five or six sacks that year some consistent pressure, some good high-quality snap. So I just, you're right, I like the risk. I think that makes sense.

Starting point is 00:14:25 And there's going to be, do you have anything else on how before we get to round three? Last note is, and we were talking about this while we were streaming, I was streaming with Joe Goodberry and Mike Santageta during the draft. And, you know, going back to last year, obviously Shamar Stewart, same defensive line, right? And that was part of the presser. Was it Al? Yeah, Al and Potts were asked, did you guys ask Shamar about Cassius? And they said, no, we didn't.

Starting point is 00:14:49 we didn't have to. But you go back and watch that tape, and Mike said it while we were streaming. Like, Howl is the best pass rusher out of that group that produced Nick Skirton and and Shamar, obviously. And Shamar goes midfirst and Skirton goes early. So exciting toolkit with Cassius Howl. Excited to watch how it plays out for the Bengals. That's my last thought. Just the commentary of seeing all three of those guys together on A&M last year in the draft prep process.

Starting point is 00:15:18 And Mike's comment about that. stood out during our stream. Yeah. Yeah, it's a good point. And hopefully they can get the most out of each other, right? And hopefully that pass rush gets there. And then Takario Davis, I did have one one thing. The trash talking, the trash talking from how it's going to be fun, especially with the bit about Kansas City. Like, oh, yeah, I noticed Kansas City. He grew up a, he grew up a cheese fan. And we talked about this on the brief clip that we've posted that I did earlier, grew up a cheese fan. And he noticed that they went a different direction. as an edge rusher.

Starting point is 00:15:51 So that'll be a fun element, especially for that rivalry. But he's a big trash talker, I've been told. So that'll be fun. Yeah, I mean, I saw video of him talking trash, like opposite to different offensive tackles and things like that. But on that point, he wore red. He thought the chiefs were going to take him. Like, he was wearing red.

Starting point is 00:16:13 Like, if you've seen images, like, it's chief's red. And it gave me the Jamar. Remember when Jamar, were the orange and black and white sneakers on draft day? Can you imagine if the Falcons had picked him and he's in those sneakers? Like that's how it felt. Those are the vibes. And so the chiefs pass on them.

Starting point is 00:16:32 They take a pass rusher. Someone the Bengals did not have ranked above, just to be clear, did not have ranked above how. And then bam, yeah, instant beef. I asked him how much he'd be looking forward to sacking Patrick Mahomes. And he certainly was already on board. I like it. I like the trash talk.

Starting point is 00:16:51 I like how he plays. I like the risk. It rounds out the room. It's much needed. And the Bengals came in knowing they needed a corner. We've talked about this. I really tried to hammer home the outside idea because I just knew that they, that's, they wanted an outside guy. And Takario Davis, 6-4, 194 pounds, 80-plus inch wingspan, 33-plus-inch arms.

Starting point is 00:17:18 Like this dude is long, he's tall, he can run, he ran a 4-4-1, and the Bengals took him with the 72nd pick. What was your reaction? Yeah, size speed, right, traits pick. The reaction was negative, to be honest. This was a reach by consensus board, by the work that we do with Joe Goodberry every year. And it is partially because the play didn't really continue from the level it was at three years ago. When he was a sophomore in Arizona, he was seen as a future first. round pick because he put up like 12 PBUs in a year. And, and you do see that on tape. Like,

Starting point is 00:17:53 you can go watch the cut up of the PbUs. They're impressive. Like, the recovery speed for him, using that length to his advantage and weaponizing the length. Like, he knows how to use it, but didn't really keep up, especially after the transfer to Washington. There's a, there's a fun clip of him in practice against Tedroya. I can't say his name, McMillan, who is a good NFL receiver now. And Takario beats him. gets an interception and a one-on-one rep. So that's a fun one. It's an upside bet, and that's how it was discussed by the Bengals brass,

Starting point is 00:18:29 and that was Trey and Al Golden again. Trey Brown. Trey Brown described as one of the favorite cornerback targets in the draft with the upside that he brings. But there is some development here for Chuck Birx, and Chuck loved him, I think. That was a comment during the presser. but has some work to do, I think, to get there.

Starting point is 00:18:53 But you don't find six, four corners often with 34. I mean, he's got nearly 34-inch arms. Yeah, I undersold him. I undersold him. Yeah. You're right. And I think once you get past the, I mean, because they were in on Delane. And before McCoy, his health, they were in on him.

Starting point is 00:19:15 Like, the corner was very much in play at 10. Warner still, and McCoy is still not picked, crazy. Yeah, yeah, and we can dive into that for sure. But I think they wanted a guy that they felt like could at some point start for them outside. Yeah. And that was a priority for them. And as you get deeper, it's like, all right, well, which trades translate? And I think that was a big part of it.

Starting point is 00:19:46 We can continue the conversation, Takario Davis, just because you're right. It was something I had mentioned him and you're like, before draft. And I knew he could be in the mix and he was in the mix. And if the board fell a certain way, well, he could be pick 72 and he is pick 72. We'll continue the conversation coming up next.

Starting point is 00:20:07 We're well into the NFL draft. And every pick is a tradable moment on Cal She. If you go back to the first round, you could talk about David Bailey and Arvel Reese. And maybe you can go find Germad McCoy right now on Cal She. and try to figure out who will end his fall with what must be serious concerns about that knee. But the point is with Cali, you're trading against peers in a live market, and you can trade every draft pick. There's no house, and as a probabilities change, you can buy in, you can get out of your position.

Starting point is 00:20:38 You can trade the draft pick. You can trade a game. You can trade so much more with Cali. For a limited time, you can download the Calci app and use our code locked on. You'll get $10 when you trade $10. K-A-L-S-H-I trade on anything. James, let's talk a little bit more about Takario Davis, who comes at a part of the draft where,

Starting point is 00:21:03 honestly, there are a bunch of reaches. It's not the worst reach of the day by any means. It's not even close in that regard. The tight ends that were picked, where they were picked Marlon Klein out of Michigan at 59, and that's just a couple picks after Nick Borkature from Texas A&M at 56. I mean, those are pretty massive reaches as well. Ticario Davis was 112 by consensus. The Bengals pick him at 72, which is about 40 picks early. And look, the Bengals are good for a

Starting point is 00:21:36 pick like this once a draft, at least, right? We've talked about this a lot. They'll go off the reservation sometimes. They will go against consensus sometimes. And honestly, the track record isn't great when they go against consensus. But if you're going to go against consensus with a player like this, at least this is a bet on trade. And you can talk yourself into a world where this is a young player who previously had a first round caliber year. People were, like I said, talking about him as a future first rounder after his sophomore year at Arizona. And you can see him putting it all together. The height, the build works for him, works against him a little bit.

Starting point is 00:22:11 He's going to be a little bit stiff because he's six four trying to change direction. I mean, that's going to be natural for a corner that's built that way and is as long lind as he is. but I also understand where they're coming from. It wouldn't have been my first choice. I mean, even the next pick, Oscar Delp, I would have loved here. But like you said, they wanted to go corner pretty badly here. And he was their guy at this pick. He had the speed they're looking for,

Starting point is 00:22:37 some of the other candidates at corner for this spot. I think don't check the speed or size checkmark they're looking for. And Takario Davis checks both with some good tape in his college career, just not as consistent as it needed. to be for him to go higher, be ranked higher. But I know there are some people out there that were huge Jacario Davis people. And they love this pick. So we'll see how it works

Starting point is 00:22:58 out, right? What were your thoughts about Takario Davis in the third round? Well, yeah, I mean, it's something that I certainly thought was in the mix. And when I heard a, Davis could be the pick. It's like, yeah, that makes sense. That tracks with what everything. I mean, they did a ton of homework on

Starting point is 00:23:14 him. You're right. Chuck Berks loved him. They, yeah, he went to California. and met with him and visited with him. And it's just the outside part of it. Like, it feels like there's a lot of deep, like it's a deep corner class until you realize like half of them who are like, nah, we're good because of size or speed

Starting point is 00:23:32 or versatility or whatever. Like, and suddenly that board gets much shorter. It gets much tighter, much tighter. And, like, I know how happy they are that they got Takario Davis. Like, in not just one coach, not just one person in the building, like there are a bunch of people in this building and not just the ones that talked that are excited obviously we know chuck is excited but man i mean they are they are excited some of the things that they like about them because i i'm tech like if you've seen me on youtube here because you've seen i have my phone i've been i'm texting to try to get some of the info here because this is the pick that people are going to really question the ticario davis pick

Starting point is 00:24:12 and so things they really like one obviously size length all those things that we talked about but they love how he can track the ball downfield. Yeah. And I think that that's a really underrated thing that people overlook with corners. And some corners just can't do it. And that sucks. You can't really use your length. If you're not going to be able to track the ball and you're going to lose the ball

Starting point is 00:24:32 because then you're going to get beat because Jamar Chase is going to get you. The vertical route ball tracking and ability to find the ball on verticals contests on verticals shows up. A lot of his past breakups are coming on vertical route tree kind of work. And they believe he can win right at the line with that length. Yep. What win in man to man. And they love the attitude and the mindset and like what drives them and that as well.

Starting point is 00:24:58 I mean, it's not like they're known for taking 6410 corners. Like this is a very unique thing for them. Much like how, like the built. I can't remember a time when they've done this. When's the last time they've taken even a 6-3 corner that, you know, they haven't. The tallest is Drake, Kirkpatrick, 2012. if he was almost 6-2, 186.

Starting point is 00:25:21 Almost. Yeah, and he's lean. He ran a 4-5. Yeah, like this guy, they love him. And so we'll see if it works out, but they think he can be a stud. Yeah, I think the scheme fit also makes sense on paper, like the press man. And if you're not going to be a man, because maybe it doesn't hold up with NFL level wide receivers, I think he would struggle, for example, with like a Jamar Chase or a Zay Flowers.

Starting point is 00:25:48 If you don't get hands on him at the line of scrimmage, you can't press him to the sideline on the release. You get beat on the release. It's tough. He has good recovery speed, though. Like that speed does show up with the recovery ability for him, and the length shows up when he needs to recover. But I think the other part that is a projection for him,

Starting point is 00:26:04 and Dame Bruegler points this out, like the cover three ability for him. Like, that's kind of the natural fit, be a cover three corner, play the deep third, use that vertical ability, because that's one of the strengths in his game. You kind of mix those two things together. If you're going to be a press man corner, you're going to play a cover three deep third. That makes sense for the skill set for him.

Starting point is 00:26:23 And he's a good tackler. Didn't necessarily have the strongest run game production, but has been a good tackler and knows how to use that length as a tackler as well. So again, I can kind of see the vision here. And we'll just have to see how it comes together for him. And if he can get the tools translating into production on the field and consistency on the field for him. But if it does click, you have a rare,

Starting point is 00:26:48 rare physical specimen that can be an outside starting corner for you down the road. Yep. And that's it. And that's what they're banking on. They're saying, hey, we're going to get that in the third round. We're going to get it out of them. And who knows? Maybe he's a starting outside corner for them at some point in year two.

Starting point is 00:27:07 You know, it just depends on Dax and D.J. And that's part of it. Like, that is part of why they wanted a corner. Obviously, they lost K. They wanted more depth there. But that is definitely a factor. It's pretty obvious. Dax final year, DJ final year.

Starting point is 00:27:20 They pay one, potentially let the other walk. We'll see what happens there. If that is the case, if that does happen, hopefully you just pay both plenty of time to discuss that. There was also the comparison to Trey Flowers that is obviously like the easy connection for recent Bengals big corners, right? Like the hard, tight ends be the big corner.

Starting point is 00:27:38 And that could be his immediate role. It's like Dax. This year. Matchups. Yeah, Dax has done that in the past. But maybe you leave Dax on the outside. Ticario Davis is getting those. you know, man package matchups with tight ends or bigger receivers or whatever it is.

Starting point is 00:27:51 Yeah, well, and the FDK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, like there's a lot of pretty good side. They're not a bunch of Zayflowers is in the division now. Heck, the, uh, Boston went to, to Cleveland as well. He's got pretty good size, I think. We didn't do a lot on receivers, but, um, yeah, Boston is going to be like their big outside vertical guy probably. Yeah. Inception is going to be their, like, route runner.

Starting point is 00:28:11 You don't want Ticario dealing with Concepcion probably, but with Boston, that's probably a better match up there. Yeah, Dax and DJ. Like, they compliment each other well. Dax D.J and Tacharra. They do. You know, it is like catches. Like, you can see the fit.

Starting point is 00:28:24 So we'll see. We will see. They clearly wanted to get a corner today. And just going to tomorrow, I think corner's still on play. I think that they would be open to a nickel in doing that. I doesn't mean that it's going to be pick 110 in the fourth round. But at some point, they're going to have to go offense, man. I'll tell you that.

Starting point is 00:28:44 At some point, they're going to have to go offense. I'm going to riot because offense, not really, but yeah, kind of. They need to help the offense a little bit. They haven't done anything to help the offense this year. Like, they weren't perfect on offense last year. So hopefully they can bolster the offensive line tomorrow for sure. No doubt there's room for improvement on the offensive side of the ball. We've talked about that Cleveland game at the end of the year.

Starting point is 00:29:07 They couldn't figure it out. They kept putting the ball on the ground. One of the big things is going to be cleaning up turnovers, but we've talked a lot about interior offensive line depth. We've talked about swing tackle. the tackles are pretty well picked over at this point as far as I know. Caleb Tiernan going late on day two of the draft. So what direction they go on the offensive line will be interesting.

Starting point is 00:29:30 The highest guys that we have available will be like a Brian Parker, who has a clear Cincinnati connection. So we'll see if Bengals have the interest there with Brian Parker. They also play center. Yep, play tackle in college can play center in the NFL. They also had the 30. visits with Fabcei Wu from Oklahoma, who we've mentioned in Yeager Burton from Kentucky, who there was some discussion about Yeager Burton sneaking in today, too. And that obviously

Starting point is 00:29:55 hasn't happened. Those guys are still out there. And so we'll see if those guys are targets for the Bengals, especially those 30 visits, because this year we didn't have a visit tracked with Takario. They obviously met out, you mentioned it at the Pro Day, but the Bengals did have a 30 visit with Cassius Howell this year. And so keeping an eye on those guys and Bengals have had contact with and trying to keep tabs on those guys as we proceed through the draft. Wee Wu and Yeager Burton. Like in the all-name draft,

Starting point is 00:30:25 those guys were already long gone. Yeah. Yeah, and maybe they just go interior. Honestly, I'm team like Sign Jonah. Like, and that's a whole other thing. Like the swing tackle now that you get, like what is that going to be? Like, I'm really bummed that our guy,

Starting point is 00:30:44 Eli Reardon out of Notre Dame went to freaking New England. Like, why New England? Get the hell out of here with your BS. Really annoying the heck out of me for that, because that would have been one at 110 that I would have loved. I think, yeah, so I almost went to force offensive line. Did Tray Zune get picked tonight? Texas A&M, versatile linemen.

Starting point is 00:31:08 I'm checking. He did. He went, picks 27 in the third round to the Raiders. So there you go. Austin Barber got picked. Mark Hell Bell got picked. Jennings Dunker got picked. Caleb Tiernan got picked.

Starting point is 00:31:19 That's kind of the next tier of tackles. And like the only other one that stands out is Jude Bowery, who we've mentioned a couple times. The Bengals had a 30 visit with him as well. Boston College Consensus 127. So we'll see. We'll see what direction they go. Maybe they look at tight end.

Starting point is 00:31:33 Tight end. Again, pretty well picked over. If you're hoping for Oscar dealt to fall into the fourth round, he didn't. Sam Roush, didn't. Eli Bairdon, didn't. Tight end, pretty well picked over. I mean, even Bocas Merritt from Ohio State, who is consensus 168 goes early. Marlon Klein, I mentioned, goes early.

Starting point is 00:31:48 So these tight ads are getting picked, too. And teams are picking at this point, like some of the reaches, like Kalin Black, picked in the third round. We're talking about him in the sixth round. Like some of these guys are getting picked real early now. And so it'll be very fun to see where some of these guys land on day three, James. Yeah, it will. And I think the Bengals, they're going to be, like, it's going to be pretty positionless now. I think they're into that nickel corner spot.

Starting point is 00:32:14 I think they'd be open to safety in the right scenario. Not going to force it. Offensive line, of course. Wide receiver, tight end, running back. Quarterback is one that could certainly be in the mix as well. Do you think there is a point? And we can't talk about this for long. We've got to get out of here.

Starting point is 00:32:30 James, it's late. We got it. We got to go. We got to get to tomorrow. We got to survive the draft weekend here. Is there a world where McCoy becomes a target for the Bengals? I hope at pick 110. I would too.

Starting point is 00:32:47 I don't know. That's where they would start to consider, right? Unless he doesn't have a leg anymore. Yeah. Like we just saw him run a 4-3-8. Like if he has to take a year off, it's round four. And he's like this is, like you took Eric All in round four coming off of an ACL. That's the comparison, right?

Starting point is 00:33:07 That's where they might be willing to do the risk. This guy is. it would be like Brock Bowers, right? Like Brock Bowers having the same coming off of that and then falling to round four. Like from a prospect standpoint. Yeah. Worth the risk.

Starting point is 00:33:25 So yeah, round four. Are we doing that? Are we taking Zavian Thomas from LSU, who's a guy that I mentioned like this? Yeah, I know. That's what I'm saying. Like he went in the third round. He's 564th on our board,

Starting point is 00:33:36 270th by consensus, and he goes in the third round. Like, would you rather take Jamal McCoy? Yes. See you see where he is. Well, by the way. Jeff Caldwell, me. Pick 189, Bearcat.

Starting point is 00:33:49 There you go. Give me him. We'll be back with you after day three of the draft. We'll see what the Bengals do. No trades today. Also a bit of a surprise. And we'll see if that is in the cards for the Bengals on day three. But until next time, thanks for listening to this episode of the Blacktown Bengals podcast,

Starting point is 00:34:06 Hootay and have a good.

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