April 29, 2025 • 47 mins
Dan Hoard provides great insight into the Bengals’ 2025 draft picks by speaking to their former college teammates and their new position coaches. Then, we go inside the Bengals draft room with the team’s director of college scouting Mike Potts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Higain everybody, I'm Dan Horden. Thanks for downloading The Bengals
Booth Podcast, the Listen.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Edition.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
As we get great insight into the Bengals twenty twenty
five draft class from their new position, coaches and or
former college teammates. Then it's my one on one conversation
with the team's director of college Scouting, Mike Potts. The
Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
(00:33):
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.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Of the Bengals.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the
latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet,
or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's
the greatest thing since finishing a great book. I don't
read nonsports stuff as often as I should, but I
recently finished the book Killers of the Flower Moon, and
(01:09):
I'm so glad I picked it up. It's a book
about a series of murders in the nineteen twenties, and
the research done by author David gran to explain exactly
what happened and why is nothing shorter remarkable. I know
it was made into a movie a couple of years ago,
but in my experience, the book is almost always better
than the movie. So if you're looking for something interesting
(01:32):
to read, Killers of the Flower Moon gets a draft
grade of A. Now let's get to my first guest.
Now that the twenty twenty five draft is in the
rearview mirror, I thought it would be interesting to learn
more about the Bengals six picks from guys who either
already know them or are about to work with them
(01:53):
very closely. First round pick Shamar Stewart was one of
three Texas A and M defensive linemen selected in the
first two rounds this year. Nick Gordon and Shamar Turner
were the others. Furthermore, Walter Nolan, the player selected one
spot ahead of Stuart by the Arizona Cardinals, was his
teammate for two years at A and M before playing
(02:14):
his final college season at Ole Miss. All of those
guys looked up to fellow defensive lineman and two time
captain McKinley Jackson, who had some interesting things to say
about Stuart's low sack total with the Aggies. How do
you describe your former teammate Shamar Stewart.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
First of all, he's a great individual, willing to learn
and listen. Never had proud of by itself, never uh,
just never been afraid to learn, always been a student
of the game. And you know he's he's a specimen.
And I honestly like guys like six six to AE
send it by to eighty is freaking nature. I mean
you've seen the numbers. I mean there's a lot of
(02:54):
speculations about production all that, but I mean ton of
tape on and you'll see, matter of fact, turn of
two and watch every prospect that was on the tape
with him. I mean there's the other first round. These
guys want to take a round. I mean between Shamon
Stule and Walston Noland for their days, Samar Turner, guys
on on so forward.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Like it's hard to.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Make those plays when guys like that are playing around you,
Like it was hard to get those numbers like that
when guys like that are playing around you. But like
from a collective standpoint, I mean we did. We did
some well, and I give all the props to our coaches,
Terry Price with the Lajah Robinson, because I mean, look
at them, like I said, look at the numbers, like
look at the tape, like it's this draft pick at
the draft pick each year and we go to those guys.
(03:38):
But chamorro Chamar's gonna be special tenant for us.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
As the seventeenth pickers approaching. And you're I assume you're
following the drafts were you're getting excited about the possibility.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Walter got drafted to the Cardinals. I mean, I haven't
played with them. I didn't play with them this past year.
Of course I'm in the NFL and he went to
all missed, but you know, it's still support and love
with my end.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
So I was glad then.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
And then I figured we was on the clock next saying,
I was like, damn, I heard I have seen Mi
dres about some more stoud getting dragged to us, and
I'm like, damn, I hope, I hope it's him right here.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
And I'm watching it and I got and I've seen
it like everybody ever seen it.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And I was like, Damn, I'm parut of this kid,
because I love the work he put it in. And
I'm just more so power because because I was a
guy he looked up to and learned from. And I'm
glad he's part of his journey and I'm glad I
can help him, help him out at his next level.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
It's from an experience I got being here for a year.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I might not have much knowledge, but you know I
got I got some jewels to drop for him.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
As you mentioned, we've all seen the combine numbers and
some of the crazy stuff that he did in terms
of this athleticism. What was the craziest thing you ever
saw that that made you think, Holy cow, this guy's
a different cat.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I mean, the first day he walked on campus, like
seventeen eighteen years old, looked like a full mon secuity guard.
I'm just like, damn, I'm like, how dore you just
with a big baby face, a big smile full of golds,
And he's just like, I'm madteam, I'm like, damn, So.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
You ready to work? He said, of course?
Speaker 3 (05:00):
And every since then, even Boughting started off with you
know kind of like you know, just like young, young natured, uh,
just your football capability, just god giving ability, and you know,
just didn't have to take mequ but like as we
started getting older and started learning and start learning how
to use what God gave us, that's when we're seeing
those this production in the sec like we did.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
It sounded like you were a little bit annoyed by
how much people are focusing on the low stat or
low sack number in his college career.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I mean from the blind eye where you don't turn
the tape and watch the tape. I could I could
get while you say that, you know, it's kind of
disturbing for someone that plays.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
The sport and actually.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
See what's going on and knows what's going on and
just beyond their level. I know it's going on the
second level, third level, a lot of things to go
in to play.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
So you know, I'm just I'm.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Looking at the tape rather than looking at the numbers,
and the tape is freaking immaculate.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Like this guy's special.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
I mean he's like a freaking a foot freaking bullet train,
like just running through through the get I mean, I mean,
turn the Arkansas game, turn it on from twenty twenty
three and twenty twenty four, and you to me, like
the one year difference for him, and he still looks
exposed from both. Well, I'm just glad. I guess I'm
glad to see like the traditioner he had this year
and just understanding his place that and the capability he has.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Later on the podcast, I'll talk to scouting director Mike
Potts on the Bengals plan for making Stewart a better
pass rusher. But now let's turn the second round pick
Demetrius Knight, who could be in the mix to start
next to Logan Wilson at linebacker. Here's this new position
coach and a newcomer to the Bengals coaching staff. Mike Hodges.
(06:39):
What impressed you most about Demetrius Knight on tape?
Speaker 5 (06:44):
The speed, the running hit, Uh, there's some there's some
flash plays with him that are really exciting to watch.
And you know this game is a speed game and
so he fits right into it.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
After meeting him in person, it's impossible not to root
for the guy. His personality lights up the room. How
important are intangibles at linebacker?
Speaker 5 (07:08):
I think if anybody goes through an evaluation process without
weighing that part of the process or using that data point,
they're they're felling the system because it is critical because
at the end of the day, like it or don't
like it, they're gonna end up being the captains of
the defense and or at least the most vocal person.
So the way they carry themselves, the way they do
(07:30):
those things, really it can really heighten the defense as
a whole. And so if you bring those types of
guys in, you know, hopefully the tide rises and we're
all rising together. So those are the I mean, the
character in the makeup of the linebacker room right now
is really in a good place, and I'm excited about it.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
He spent six years in college football, but really only
played linebacker full time the last couple of years. How
much upside is left for a guy who will be
twenty five in July.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
Yeah, I think that there is some growth there. There's
always areas for growth, myself included, and so we're always
going to identify those. And so there's clear I see,
I don't see his best football yet. I see I
hope that that's with us, and so we're going to
work to maximize him from day one.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Night spent last year at South Carolina and the year
before at Charlotte Prior to that, he was mostly a
special team stand out at Georgia Tech, where his teammate
for one season was Bengals offensive lineman Devin Cochrane. You
were with Demetrius kind of before his career took off.
What do you think of what he's become over the
(08:40):
last couple of years.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Oh, man, If I had to put in a one word,
I'd just say resilience. You know, I've seen him when
I was at Tech. I saw the work ethic he had.
I saw just the type of guy was. You know,
I think he's married with kids now too, just family guy.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
You know. Honestly, it didn't surprise me.
Speaker 6 (09:02):
You know, I knew that a guy like him would
would excel wherever he went, and that's exactly what he did.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
He seems like a really easy guy to root for.
I would imagine as a former teammate, you had to
be thrilled.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
Absolutely, it was awesome to see that he got picked
up here. And then now I have to think about
blocking him. So that's another thing, you know, because I
remember just how hard he went, you know, in practice
and every day just his day to day grind.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
You know, he's a guy who he's gonna bring it,
so you gotta be ready for.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Is he a culture center?
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Absolutely yeah, talked about her hit on it earlier. Just
him being a family guy, not really something you see.
And then you know on the defensive side of the
ball too. You know, for him to be as a
stink in stincschool as he is as a linebacker, but
then to be rooted in something that's bigger than you
know himself, is pretty is gonna be.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
I think he's going to be a guy to look for.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
He was a high school quarterback.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Did you at the stage that you played with him,
was he still developing the skills to be a linebacker?
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (09:58):
I mean I would imagine so I had no idea that,
But I mean I think seeing him, you know, body
type framework, you know what he the way he lifted
when we would work with coach Lewis Carroll.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Again, I'm not surprising at all.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Later, Mike Potts discusses the reasons for choosing Night number
forty nine overall. In the third round, Cincinnati chose six five,
three hundred and twenty five pound Dylan Fairchild. Offensive line
coach Scott Peters traveled to Georgia for a hands on
workout with the Bulldogs starting left guard for the past
(10:38):
two seasons. Coach, what sold you on Dylan Fairchild?
Speaker 7 (10:43):
Oh, it's a number of factors, you know, Dylan.
Speaker 8 (10:45):
We did obviously did a lot of work in the
draft looking at, you know, every guard that was conceivably
available for the draft, and one thing that really stood
out with Dylan is is his just his size, athletic ability,
in his play, strength, He's he's one of the strong
people I've ever tied up with. Very strong. He's a
great kid. He's humble, you know, he works very hard.
(11:06):
He's extremely tough, and I think, you know, all that
stuff with his dimensions, his physical nature, the way he
plays extremely hard, those are the things that we you know,
really stood out to me.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
You know.
Speaker 8 (11:16):
I think he can set a firm anchor in there.
He's got the tools to play long, which is something
we emphasize as in protection.
Speaker 7 (11:23):
He's got good feet to move.
Speaker 8 (11:25):
And I think, you know, he's got all the tools
you're looking for in a player, especially a guard.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You know.
Speaker 8 (11:30):
So I think for for us, it was a no
brainer at that point in time just to take Dylan
because I think, you know, like I said, he has
all the traits so that you're looking for in an
elite guard.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
You referenced tying up with him. One of the most
famous draft stories in Bengals history involves Anthony Munyo's and
you may know this Forest Greg goes out to California
to work them out. Forrest gives him a little pass
rush move. Anthony jams him and knocks him on his butt,
and Forrest was convinced, all right, I've got my guy.
When you tied up with Dylan, how instrumental was that
(12:02):
in making you think, Okay, I've got my guy.
Speaker 7 (12:05):
It was actually very big. It's so it's funny that
that happened.
Speaker 8 (12:07):
I I have heard that story from Jim McNally, and
you know, I like to put hands on guys because
you get a sense for how strong they are. The
biggest thing for me is understanding, like how quickly can
they learn not just the things that they learn on
the playbook, you know, that's very important too, to understand
the offense and what we're trying to do.
Speaker 7 (12:23):
And they're they're kind of.
Speaker 8 (12:23):
Their collective football IQ, But how quickly can they put
that mind body connection together when they learn a new skill?
And uh, when I got with Dylan. I was, I
was very imps I left very impressed. I thought, you know,
this is a guy that can learn. He can physically
apply things from you know, the classroom right to the grass.
He can make those micro adjustments with his body, you know,
when he's told to do that.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
I think it was I.
Speaker 8 (12:46):
Was, I was thoroughly impressed, and I thought, you know,
in fact, I kind of pushed to pull on him
in a drill and I wasn't budgeing this guy. And
I can't say that that's the first time I've actually
had a player that strong, honestly and in the many years.
Speaker 7 (12:58):
I've been doing this. So to me, uh yeah, it
was kind of a it was.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
It was.
Speaker 8 (13:03):
It was exciting because I thought I'd love to get
this guy, and so it just happened to work out
that way that we picked him.
Speaker 7 (13:08):
So so I'm really real pumped about it.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
I think he gave up one sack in more than
eight hundred pass blocking snaps at Georgia. Obviously most of
those games are in the SEC. Is that his strength
right now? His past protection ability.
Speaker 8 (13:23):
I'd say that Dylan is a raw player still, so
you know, his strength is his are the attributes he
has and and his strengths are really the character, the person,
the football character. That's that's really how you project a guy,
because you say, well, he has the physical tools to.
Speaker 7 (13:38):
Do all this stuff that we wanted to do.
Speaker 8 (13:40):
And of course, like you know, everybody's different in college,
I mean, players are trained differently. So I would say
that the strength that he has is his ability to
learn techniques and you know, the raw canvas that he brings,
it's it's a really solid foundation.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
He's strong, he's long, Like I said, he can anchor.
Speaker 8 (13:55):
He's powerful, he's got, you know, a good head on
his shoulders, and he really wants to be great at football.
So those are the things I look at right now.
I think from everything else is kind of a process.
We're gonna train him, we're gonna develop him, get him
doing the things that we do here. So I'm reluctant
to say his strength is passed pro I'm gonna say
his strength is all the traits that we like about
him right now. And I think as he grooms, as
(14:16):
we groom him and build him, I think we'll start
to see a lot of these things start to shine through.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Later.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
I'll ask Mike Potts if there were so many good
guards in this draft that the Bengals figured they would
be able to get a starter in the first three rounds.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
In the fourth.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Round, the Bengals doubled down on the linebacker position with
a selection of Barrett Carter, a team captain last year,
who one NFL scout describes as follows a total slam dunk.
Not the biggest or longest guy, just a super tough, competitive,
physical leader. Once again, here's linebackers coach Mike Hodges.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Well, he's a really smart player. He's been a cat
and for a long time. He's he's probably as more
of one of the more instinctual players in this draft class,
and so that pays dividends for him in a lot
of ways like it would anybody. But again, another high
character guy like you mentioned. I think he's gonna come
(15:17):
in here and he's gonna compete, and he's gonna be
able to be a swing guy if we need him
to because of his intelligence. So he's gonna give us
some flexibility. But he's a really good ad for our room.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
He never came off the field at Clemson, whether it
was on defense for every snap or special teams. The
overall value that he brings to a team strikes me
as being extremely high.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
I think everybody that we bring in has to have
some sort of value outside of just playing linebacker. And
so if they don't fit into Darren's room or they're
not the number one guy, they're not really the right fit.
So they got to be one of those two things.
They either need to be a guy that could play
all four downs or at least early downs in fourth
down or early downs and third down. You know that
that formula has to add up, and he has proven
(16:04):
to do that. And it's interesting because in college football
there's so much rotation. You're like, why is this guy
coming off? Demetrius is a perfect example of that. He
played less than seventy five percent of the snaps, but
this guy, they didn't want to take him off the
field and had They had a hell of a run
the last couple of years, particularly this last year, so
he's a big part of that. And you can't find
a person in that building that says anything negative about
(16:25):
this player.
Speaker 7 (16:26):
So excited to get him in the room.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Ales Murphy was Barrett Carter's teammate for two years at Clemson.
You obviously know Barrett Carter describe him on the field.
Speaker 9 (16:38):
Easy one is gonna give it his all, honestly, go
one hundred and ten miles an hour, every single play,
regardless of where he's at, one.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Of the linebacker, the special teams.
Speaker 9 (16:49):
Rushing the pass, and dropping in coverage.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
He's gonna let it, put it.
Speaker 9 (16:53):
He's gonna put his body on the line.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
That's for sure.
Speaker 9 (16:55):
Coachable, respectable dude, most a lockable persons up. I feel
like he's a just a great all around player in
my opinion.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
I saw some comments from coaches and other guys that
played with him last year. It sounds like a really
high character guy, captain qualities, a good person for culture.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Oh yeah, I say that's spot.
Speaker 9 (17:16):
On, right on, right on, a hit right on the head.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Honestly.
Speaker 9 (17:19):
Uh, play with him for two two seasons when I
was at Click Clemson and about I can attest to
all of those comments, and but that's that's just who
he is.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Played a lot of special team snaps in college. Obviously,
when you're drafted kind of middle of the draft, you're
expected to contribute in that area right off the bat.
Is that something he'll embrace in your opinion.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
I mean, I think so.
Speaker 9 (17:39):
Like I said, like, regardless of where you put him
on the field, as long as he's on the field,
he's gonna put his body on the line and go
all out ever reason could play.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
So I do feel like he's a I feel like
he's a player that's.
Speaker 9 (17:49):
Gonna make just make his Martin, just put his put
his name on the map, honestly.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Later, Mike Potts tells us why the Bengals doubled down
at linebacker at that stage of the draft. Cincinnati doubled
down again in the fifth round, this time on offensive
line by picking six to six, three hundred and twenty
pound Jalen Rivers. Once again, I discussed him with offensive
line coach Scott Peters. I'm not sure that I've ever
(18:17):
read about an offensive lineman at the college level that
played so many snaps at tackle and guard in.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
The same game.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
It's one thing to see a guy okay, in this
game he's needed to tackle, the next game, he's needed
at guard. He was playing twenty plus snaps at both
positions in just about every game he played in last year.
How unusual is that it is.
Speaker 8 (18:38):
Highly unusual, and it's but it's also highly attractive to
us because you know, you get a player that can
just make that transition and seamlessly, you know, jump from
one position to the.
Speaker 7 (18:47):
Next in the middle of a game. That takes a lot.
Speaker 8 (18:50):
And I think it really speaks to what Jalen brings
here too. I think he's got a you know, another
kid with a great head on his shoulders, an upstanding person,
good football IQ really wants to be great, works at it,
and you know nothing's too big for him. You just
he'll jump in and jump out and and again. Like
when you're you're looking at players in the draft, you know,
one of the biggest things that you're looking for is
(19:11):
position flexibility. And so that's one thing that Jalen has
going for him and I think he'll bring that to
us here in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
What are his best football traits.
Speaker 8 (19:21):
Jalen's got, I'd say this, we talk about strengths. I
think pass protection is clearly the best thing he does.
He's got great length, He's got a great build for
pass pro. He moves well. You know, he has good
hand placement, really good strikes. I think he can anchor,
he can do all the things you're looking for in
both a guard and a tackle, So you know, I
think for him, you know, those are the things we're
(19:42):
going to build on that foundation. So yeah, he's got
great traits there and you know, looking forward to gett
our hands on him too.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
He shared the story about how his father, his stepfather,
and his mother all spent more than thirty years in
the Navy. So it sounds like that discipline that you're
looking for as a coach has been something that's been
part of his life since he was an infant.
Speaker 8 (20:04):
That really does help, you know. I mean we're obviously
we run a regimented program here and being a professional,
those are things that come naturally to him.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
He you know, he's a.
Speaker 8 (20:13):
He's a great worker, a great kid, very smart, very diligent,
detailed and and respectful and I think he's just a
good person all around. I think he'll do well here,
you know. So definitely, I think the military influences that
definitely had a positive effect. A lot of times you
get players that come from backgrounds like that, and you know,
it really is very similar in a sense. It's with
the regimented programs that we run, So you know, those
(20:35):
are those are nice things you don't have to worry
too much about a kid like that showing up on
time and and and doing the things that he needs
to do.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
To, you know, to be a pro.
Speaker 8 (20:42):
And that's where, you know, one of the things again,
when you get rookies in the building, sometimes it's a
it's a it's a process to get them just to
learn how to be a professional. Uh, that's all separate
from the things that they got to do on the field.
So but Jalen, great kid, great character, Super excited to
get the chance to work with them.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Matt Lee was drafted in the seventh round by the
Bengals last year. The previous season, he started on the
University of Miami's offensive line with Rivers. What are the
Bengals getting in your former Miami teammate Jalen Rivers.
Speaker 10 (21:15):
Jalen's a a lot of stuff, man. He's a first off,
high character guy in and out of the building football
and his own personal life. Super high character, really good friend,
really good teammate. He's versatile. He can even could take
some snaps if you wanted to at center. Obviously played
guard and tackle. He's played both of those a bunch
in college. Strong, physical, smart.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
Is gonna know the offense. He's a I think he'd
be good. It'd be good.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, sounds like you could have been a Bengals scout.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
With that rave review.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Yeah, dude, No, And he's a.
Speaker 10 (21:49):
Jalen is out of everyone I've played with, one of
the highest character dudes and one of the dudes that
just prepares himself for success. You know, his body and
knowing what he's got to do for the most part
on the skimatite and how he comes in and works,
and how he treats his teammates and coaches. And I
know he's in Miami for five years. I was only
there with him for a year, but it was that
times ten. You know, captain leader in the room and
(22:11):
one of the leaders, and I think that'll help him
really well transition into this level.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
He mentioned versatility.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
I was really surprised by how many times he played
a lot of snaps at tackle and guard in the
same game last year. I know you weren't with him
last year, but is his versatility unusual in the sense
that he seems like he's good at both, not like
really good at one and could do the other in
a pinch.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Yeah, I think.
Speaker 10 (22:37):
I mean he originally I think went to college really
to play guard, and then because of personnel and stuff
like that, I ended up playing a lot of tackle,
and last year playing guard and tackle.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Two. I know when I was with him he played
exclusively left tackle.
Speaker 10 (22:49):
Based on what he looks like and what I know
about him, I think he'd probably be better suited to
play on the inside, but he's tall enough, big enough,
long enough, strong enough, quick enough to play outside as
well well. I think his physical attributes and his strength
and stuff is probably playing guard, but I don't see
why he couldn't do it outside too.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
In my upcoming conversation with Mike Potts, I'll ask him
if Scott Peters has a type whenen't choosing offensive lineman.
The Bengals final pick was running back Taj Brooks out
of Texas Tech, the fourth leading rusher in Big Twelfth history,
behind three guys that played at least eight years in
the NFL, Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams, and Darren Sprolls. Here's
(23:32):
Bengals running backs coach Justin Hill. Coach, you've got a
history with Taj Brooks, apparently going back to when he
was like in ninth grade.
Speaker 11 (23:42):
Yeah, yeah, going all the way back to my days
at Tulsa as they recruited him. I think we were
his first offer, and he committed to us pretty early
and started our strong, but couldn't finish it. Obviously obviously
went to Texas Tech. He had a great career. He's
a guy that I'll followed just because I spent so
much time with him and his family, his mom and dad,
(24:05):
him his little sister. They come up to campus, had
toldso quite a bit, so got to know them pretty well.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
I followed his career and.
Speaker 11 (24:12):
It's pretty cool, cool weekend, pretty cool, just everything, watch
everything come back full circle.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Get a chance to actually work with him.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
This was a really deep running back class, and of
all of these great running backs, Taj had some of
the greatest production of them all. Fifteen hundred plus yards
last year, fifteen hundred plus yards the year before, top
one hundred yards in every game last season in a
different year. Does he go much higher in the draft?
Speaker 11 (24:41):
I mean yeah, you could say he could. I mean
you can make arguments for a lot of these guys.
I think it all comes down to fit, and we're
just fortunate that he fell to us when he did.
But love the fit, Love the guy high character. He
checks a lot of boxes. So yeah, you could absolutely
make that argument that in a different class maybe he
does go higher. But I'm just excited that we got
(25:03):
a chance to get them, get a chance to work
with them.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Describe his running style, his skill set, and what he
adds to your room.
Speaker 11 (25:09):
Yeah, he's extremely versatile. I'm excited about him because you know,
as you turn on the tape and you watch guys,
you watched all these all these guys in this draft class.
You're looking for fit and you're looking at what are
their skill sets, what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses?
And Tiz has got he checks a lot of boxes.
As a back in this league, it's not just about
(25:31):
how would you run the ball on first and second down?
You gotta add value in other ways too. It's about,
especially in all offenses, what do you do in the
past game? What are you doing past protection? Obviously, how
would do you run the ball? Do you do you
add value as a short short artist back as well?
And then on top of that, do you have can
you add value on special teams? That's a big part too.
(25:51):
You know, if we've got three guys up on game day,
two of those guys are probably gonna have to play
pretty of a role on special teams. So those all
things that factor in. I think Tis he checks a
ton of boxes for us. Extremely versatile, he's tough to tackle,
He's got great lateral quickness and body control. He can
make miss anywhere on the field, and so that was
(26:13):
that's something really exciting to watch him as he plays.
And then the past protection piece too. I mean, not
every guy is gonna be a finished product. None of
these guys. I mean there was a ton of them
that were really good in protection. But rarely do you
see a college running back transition to the NFL and
immediately make an impact on third down. As far as
past protection goes, that takes time. That's that's tough for anybody.
(26:36):
But the one thing you are looking for is willingness.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
Uh.
Speaker 11 (26:40):
Do they have the want to techniques not gonna be
great always, but but is he willing?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
Does he step up?
Speaker 11 (26:46):
Does he have some traits that you can work with?
And like I said, Tis he checked a ton of
boxes for us, So I think he's a guy that
can can step in and fill a ton of different
roles for us. Uh, And they just kind of see
how his career progresses, but I think he's gonna have
a really good career here.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
When it comes to protection for running back, what is
more important will or skill?
Speaker 4 (27:08):
I think it's the one two personally.
Speaker 11 (27:10):
I mean, you can you can talk about scheme and
talk about technique.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
All you want to, but when it's.
Speaker 11 (27:18):
Third down and we're playing these divisional games and you
get some tough looks, it's all about want two as well.
And it's not even third down. That's about first and
second down. To a simple plug pressure, you gotta be
willing to step up and take on a bull rush
or an athletic guy that might try to cross your face.
So there's a ton of different things that go into it,
(27:38):
but the one thing I look at is how unselfish
are you? And how well do you play without the
ball in your hands? How well do you run routes
when you know you might not be the primary target,
And then how well do you block for your quarterback?
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Do you take pride in that?
Speaker 11 (27:56):
And some guys you can tell right away what type
of guy they are in TAJ when you turn on
the tape, and a lot of these guys in this class,
and I think the guys that we have on this
roster right now, talking about Chase, talking about Samaje uh,
and then adding times to the mix as well. Those
guys know the value and pass protection, especially in our offense.
(28:18):
We're gonna be a dropback team. That's that's what we do.
We're gonna throw the ball around. We've got the greatest
quarterback in the universe. We've got the greatest receivers in
the universe. So we're gonna give them their opportunities. So
with that being said, we got to do our job
as backs and step up and protect. It's not just
Ted in the line. You know, they got to keep
Joe healthy, it's us too. We got to keep them
(28:39):
up right. And so we take a lot of pride
in that in the running back room.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Uh.
Speaker 11 (28:43):
And I think we've got we've got a room full
of guys that take pride in that as well. And
then where that is a badge of honor.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
My conversation with Mike Potts is next. But first, here's
a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought
to you by Paid Corps, proud to be the Bengals
official 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
(29:14):
of the Bengals. Now Here's director of college scouting Mike Potts. Mike,
let's start with first round pick Shamar Stewart. Was his
combine performance among the best you have ever seen by
a man his size?
Speaker 12 (29:28):
Yeah, it was outstanding.
Speaker 13 (29:29):
There's not too many people that have those type of
measurables that he has, and it was really impressive to see.
But the good thing is you see those measurables show
up on tape in terms of his size, explosiveness, speed,
and then also what stands out about him is just
how hard he plays and how violent he plays. So
the measurables certainly show up, and then when you go
(29:50):
to the combine and see him put those numbers up,
it's really impressive.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
It's been portrayed as a traits more than production pick,
but I want to push back a little bit on
the word production because he had the fifth best run
stopping grade in the country for edge people according to
Pro Football Focus. He had a bunch of pressures. He
was top ten in the SEC in terms of quarterback pressures.
(30:15):
What he didn't have were sacks. So it's not production,
it sacks. How can the Bengals help him in that area?
Speaker 13 (30:24):
Yeah, you're right, he was very disruptive. He shows up
all over the tape. I think our coaches have a
plan for him. They want to work with this guy.
They're eager to work with him and develop them. Our
coaches have worked with guys with similar backgrounds in the
past to Schmar, so that makes you feel good about it.
We had a ton of discussions on him. I think
part of what you like about him is how hard
(30:45):
he plays. Sometimes maybe we can reel him back in
a little bit. You never want to rhal them in
too much in terms of that effort and high motor
that he plays with. But if you can come under control,
he may may give him a better chance to finish
some of those sets that you're talking about. But again,
he is a very disruptive player. He shows up all
over the tape, plays with violence, and I'm glad that
(31:08):
we ended up with him, and he's got a ton
of upside to keep getting better and better.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Were there's several people in play when you were on
the clock at number seventeen or with Stewart's significantly higher
on your board than anybody else still available.
Speaker 13 (31:22):
There were a number of people in play at every
draft slot that we were at.
Speaker 12 (31:26):
You're always constantly talking to other teams.
Speaker 13 (31:28):
We had a lot of potential trades sketched out with
other teams, whether it was to move back or move up,
and you just constantly talk through it. We're always prepared
for every possible scenario. We discuss the pick leading all
the way up to it, from seventeen picks in advance
and then all the way up until three to one
(31:49):
picks prior, and we have a board hashed out and
it's up there. There's no panic at the last minute,
and the communication is excellent in our draft room. So
I commend everybody that was in there in terms of
that process, and we're glad with the result.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
In the second round, you took linebacker Demetrius Knight. NFL
dot Com projected him to go in the second.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Or third round.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
I saw some other gurus that said maybe the third.
Did you have reason to believe that he would not
be there if you waited?
Speaker 13 (32:18):
That was a risk at the end of the day
that Duke has to make the final decision on. You know,
he's in that decision maker chair. And he was a
guy that we had consensus on between our coaches and
our scouts that looked at him. We had a vision
for him as a player as scouts before Al and
some of the new defensive coaches even got here, and
(32:39):
then their vision aligned with our vision for the player.
Speaker 12 (32:42):
We all really liked them.
Speaker 13 (32:43):
We had consensus and conviction on them. So, yeah, you
always weigh the different scenarios of you could take this
guy and then run the risk that this guy could
be there later. Could you possibly make a trade here
or a trade there. So we talked through all of
those scenarios and at the end of the day, all
of those options were presented to Duke and he made
(33:05):
the final decision. And I commend him for the discipline
and the patients that he showed throughout the process to
take the player that he felt was the best player
for us.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
How much did Al Golden's input influence the guys that
you chose on defense?
Speaker 13 (33:20):
Al certainly had a strong voice in the process. We
had a prior relationship with Al, so it was a
very easy transition in terms of this process and getting
on the same page with him, and he was great
to work with, so I think that's a good thing
about our process. Everybody has a strong voice in the room.
(33:40):
Everybody is really good listeners and really open minded to
everybody's thoughts and opinions, and Al was certainly a big
part and a guy that had a strong voice in
those discussions.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
He went offensive lineman in round three with Dylan Fairchild,
PFF's number one graded past blocking guard in this draft.
Is that the most important skill that you were looking
for when it came time to choose a guard.
Speaker 13 (34:05):
I think with the amount of times that we throw
the ball in our offense, certainly pass protection is at
the forefront and very important. Dylan is a really athletic player.
He's got all the size, strength, measurables that you could
ask for. They speak about him like he's the strongest
person in their program. I'm sure you've seen the wrestling
background with sixty seven to zero heavyweight wrestler, state champ,
(34:28):
all of those things. I think you see that element
in his game on tape as well, just with the
strain and the finish that he plays with in his
hand use. You know you can see the wrestling background
on his tape, But yes, to answer your question, we
think he's got a lot of upside in pass pro.
He's far from a finished product right now. He is
a good player as it is, but I think his
(34:50):
upside is as good as most offensive linemen in this draft,
and we're really excited about what he can become working
with our coaches.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
We're visiting with Bengal scouting director Mike Potts. Zach Taylor
and Dan Pitcher said right after the Dylan Fairchild pick
that it's pretty clear that the left guard job is
his to win as a rookie. Did you go into
this draft thinking there are enough good guards will be
in a good position to potentially take a starter in
the first three rounds.
Speaker 13 (35:19):
I think we thought that, but you never know, so
you have to play the board. You have to put
values on guys, you have to be ready to take
another position if your guys get wiped out at a
certain spot. We felt good about Dylan being a guy
that we targeted there in the third round. There were
some other guys that were in the discussion in the
top three rounds as well, so you never know. It's
(35:43):
a hard process to pin down and predict at times,
but all we can do is have our discussions from
every different angle, evaluate every possibility, and put our board together.
And at the end of the day, the board speaks
to you. And we thought the value met the need
there at that round in the third and we're happy
that we ended up with Dylan Fairchild.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
In the fourth round, you doubled down at linebacker, taking
Clemson's Barrett Carter. Dabosweeney raves about him both in terms
of his playing ability and his character, having already taken
a linebacker. Was this a case of a guy that
was simply too good to pass up at that point?
Speaker 13 (36:19):
Yeah, he was the top guy on our board there.
And again there's different scenarios that you can play. You
can take different positions, you can potentially explore a trade,
and at the end of the day, all of the
options and opinions were discussed. Everybody voiced their opinions and
thoughts leading up to that pick, and Duke's in the
(36:40):
chair to make that final decision, and he decided that
we go with this top guy on our board. Once
he does that, everybody's on board with it. We're very
happy that Barrett Carter, who's a guy that you could
argue maybe we could have even taken earlier than the
fourth round. For sure, he could have been a target
in earlier rounds for us. But at the end of
the day, he was still there. We did not think
(37:00):
he would last much longer than that if we didn't
take him there in the fourth round. So we ended
up revamping that linebacker room with Barrett and Demetrius as well.
So I'm really excited about the young talent that we
added to that room.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Barrett rarely came off the field at Clemson, between defense
and special teams. He played nearly twenty five hundred snaps
in his college career. Do you expect a big special
teams role from him right away?
Speaker 13 (37:25):
Yeah, Darren had a high regard through him for him
throughout the process. He's very athletic, he can run, He's
played on special teams throughout his career there at Clemson.
He is a physical guy who's a good tackler. So
he's going to really help Darren in whatever role Darren
has carved out for him, and he's going to help
our defense as well. So he's a really well rounded
(37:46):
player that can help on all four downs.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
In the fifth round, he went back to the offensive
line and took the University of Miami's Jalen Rivers. Last year,
he played twenty or more snaps at left tackle and
left gold in the same game six times. I'm not
sure that I've ever seen that before. You might have
a guy that played left guard one year, left tackle
the next, but to do it for many snaps in
(38:11):
the same game and basically half of their games is
highly unusual. How big a factor was his versatility in
selecting him when you did.
Speaker 12 (38:19):
That was a huge factor.
Speaker 13 (38:20):
It's unbelievable the ability he had to bounce back and
forth between two positions in almost every game. Like you said,
series to series, he may not know the next series
where he was going to end up lining up, but
that just shows you the trust that Miami staff had
in him, his football intelligence, his instincts, his makeup. We
(38:41):
had him in here on a visit. His character is exceptional,
and I think you see elements of that in his
game when you flip the tape on. He's a very
instinctive player, very aware. He's got long arms, and he's
really good in pass protection. So that kind of circles
back to what you had originally asked about Dylan Fairchild
and upside element of his game. So he's another guy
(39:04):
that we were a little surprised was still there in
the fifth round at that point. Offensive Line is a
position that is of the utmost priority for most teams,
but our team for sure, and that's a spot that
we wanted to address, and again the need met the
value there in the fifth round.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
You've got a new offensive line coach this year in
Scott Peters. Does Scott have a type and is it
different from Frank Pollock's type.
Speaker 12 (39:31):
I don't know if Scott has a type.
Speaker 13 (39:32):
I wouldn't want to speak for him, but it's been
great to get to know him. It's been great to
spend a lot of time with him. I was with
him out on the Pro day circuit several different places
and had a ton of discussions in the office, in
person and or over the phone about you know, just
getting on the same page with guys that he liked,
different techniques that he's.
Speaker 12 (39:52):
Going to use.
Speaker 13 (39:53):
So it's been great to work with him. It's been
great to see him get hands on some of these players.
Just being with him at the Pro days, and working
with these guys. So I wouldn't want to speak for
him in terms of his type, but he was a
huge asset to us in this scouting process and I'm
looking forward to working with him moving forward.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
You had one more pick.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
It was in the sixth round Texas Tech running back
Taj Brooks. Anybody that watched him last year against UC
likes this pick. He had thirty two carries for one
hundred and seventy two yards in that game. In a
really talented running back class. What jumped out to the
Bengals about Taj Brooks.
Speaker 12 (40:31):
We really liked the running back class this year. We
thought it was really deep.
Speaker 13 (40:35):
Again, I was a little surprised that he was there
in the sixth round, but I think that just speaks
to the depth of the draft class at that running
back position. He's a guy that we had targeted throughout
the process. You absolutely love his production, his makeup. I mean,
going for over fifteen hundred yards each of the past
two seasons, all of the touchdowns that he had, He
(40:55):
catches the ball well. He's got upside and ability and
pass protection, so he's really a well rounded player. He
could potentially help Daron as well. On special teams units.
So there's really not a whole lot to dislike about
Taj Brooks. And again, if you're not talking about such
a high quality running back draft class, he's probably a
guy that goes earlier than where we were able to
(41:17):
select him there in the sixth round. So he's another
guy that we're really excited about. Running Back is a
position that we went into the draft at multiple different
levels with the potential to address that position, and we
waited till our last pick in the sixth round.
Speaker 12 (41:32):
And again, we were really excited.
Speaker 13 (41:35):
That he was still available in the sixth round because
he's a guy that we could have Sawn could have
could have potentially saw going earlier in the draft.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
The Bengals have not announced the college free agents that
are likely to join the Bengals, so I can't ask
you about specific names yet. But only having six picks
did that make it a little bit easier to sell
opportunity to some of the guys that went undrafted?
Speaker 12 (41:58):
For sure, we're.
Speaker 13 (41:59):
Really excited about some of the college free agents that
we've agreed to terms with. We can announce those later
once the contracts are officially finalized.
Speaker 12 (42:06):
But yeah, when you only have.
Speaker 13 (42:08):
Six picks, two of them on the O line and
two of them are in the linebacker room. So that
leaves only two other positions that we actually addressed in
the draft. So some of the positions that we didn't
didn't address. That's an attractive spot for some of these
undrafted players and their agents as well. So that's part
of the selling point that we get on the phone
(42:29):
and sell those guys on in terms of the opportunity here.
And like I said, we're really excited about some of
the players that we've agreed to terms with and I
think they've got a chance to really help us.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
You didn't draft to safety.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Is that just the way the board fell or is
it a reflection of how you feel about the guys
that are already here.
Speaker 12 (42:47):
It's a combination of both.
Speaker 13 (42:48):
Safety is a position that we valued a number of
guys in this draft at different levels, and there were
a lot of guys that were in the discussion in
almost every round that we could have addressed that safety position.
Like you said, it didn't work out that way. That's
just not the way the boards shook out for us.
So we do like the safeties that we have on
(43:10):
the roster right now, and we think, you know, some
of our guys even have more upside to potentially ascend
and get better than what they've been so far. So
that's a position that will continue to monitor throughout the offseason.
But we do like the guys that we have in
the room right now. But it's an ongoing process leading
all the way up until Week one of the season
(43:30):
in terms of evaluating the options that are out there
to upgrade the roster.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Similar question about defensive tackle. You re signed BJ Hill,
you signed TJ.
Speaker 2 (43:39):
Slayton.
Speaker 1 (43:40):
You drafted two defensive tackles high last year, Chris Jenkins
in round two the Ckinley Jackson in round three. How
did that impact your approach to the defensive tackles in
this draft.
Speaker 13 (43:50):
Yeah, it was a really good defensive tackle class as well.
Similar to the safeties, that just didn't shake out perfectly
for us there with only six picks and not making
any trades and adding additional picks, we weren't able to
address that defensive tackle position.
Speaker 12 (44:04):
Unfortunately.
Speaker 13 (44:05):
There definitely were guys, Like I said with the safety,
there was guys in almost every round at defensive tackle
that were in the discussion. It just didn't break that
way for us, and again we'll continue working through all
the defensive tackle options. You mentioned some of the undrafted
guys that could be options for us to help out
the roster and then other avenues as well. But that's
definitely something that we have our eyes on.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Who do you view as the best candidates to give
you an inside pass rush from the guys that you
already have on the roster.
Speaker 13 (44:33):
Well, a lot of our guys in that defensive end
room have a lot of versatility. You saw Joseph Osai
kick inside there last year camp sample has done a
lot of it in the past. Miles Murphy maybe is
a guy, and then also Shamar Stewart. I think all
of those guys have some potential versatility. I'm not going
to speak for Al Golden and our defensive staff in
(44:55):
terms of their vision on it, but I do think
they have a plan to move some guys around and
have some different versatility through different spots. But again, our
two young draft picks in the defensive tackle room from
last year, we think are going to continue to develop
and get better and better, and again we'll continue to
monitor what's out there, and that interior pass rush is
(45:15):
definitely something that we want to upgrade this season, and
there's going to be a lot of different ways that
we can attack that.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Like I said on this podcast after Round three or
Day three rather on Saturday, that reminds me a little
bit of the twenty twenty draft. Not that there's a
Joe Burrow that doesn't happen very often, but in twenty twenty,
every guy you picked, except for T Higgins was a
college captain, and he would have been had he stayed
for another year at Clemson. Similarly, it seems like every
(45:44):
guy in this draft class was loved by his college
coach and his college teammates. Was that character piece by
design or again just kind of the way it fell.
Speaker 12 (45:56):
A little bit of both in that regard.
Speaker 13 (45:57):
We definitely went into that, and it's interesting we even
had discussions about the parallels to that twenty twenty draft.
I know a lot was made of the captains coming
out of that. It sounds like an exaggeration, but all
six of these guys that we drafted are excellent character
guys that are completely raved about by our scouting sources
at their respective colleges. So we're really excited about the
(46:21):
guys that we added to the locker room. The board
did fall great that way in terms of taking those
high character guys, but we did go into this draft
with the intention of adding guys that add to our
locker room in a really positive way, bring leadership, have
the right type of makeup that we want to help
impact our team.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
I've met three in person, I've talked to the other
three on the phone. They all seem like great guys
that I think we are going to easily be able
to root for going forward and hopefully they're very successful
in Bengals uniforms. Appreciate your time. Congratulations on a great draft.
Speaker 12 (46:56):
Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (46:58):
That's going to do it for this edition of the
Bengals Booth podcast 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 for the best fans. Kettering Health is
the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. If you haven't
(47:21):
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
Higain everybody, I'm Dan Horden. Thanks for downloading The Bengals
Booth Podcast, the Listen.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Edition.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
As we get great insight into the Bengals twenty twenty
five draft class from their new position, coaches and or
former college teammates. Then it's my one on one conversation
with the team's director of college Scouting, Mike Potts. The
Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,
proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by
(00:33):
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.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Of the Bengals.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the
latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet,
or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's
the greatest thing since finishing a great book. I don't
read nonsports stuff as often as I should, but I
recently finished the book Killers of the Flower Moon, and
(01:09):
I'm so glad I picked it up. It's a book
about a series of murders in the nineteen twenties, and
the research done by author David gran to explain exactly
what happened and why is nothing shorter remarkable. I know
it was made into a movie a couple of years ago,
but in my experience, the book is almost always better
than the movie. So if you're looking for something interesting
(01:32):
to read, Killers of the Flower Moon gets a draft
grade of A. Now let's get to my first guest.
Now that the twenty twenty five draft is in the
rearview mirror, I thought it would be interesting to learn
more about the Bengals six picks from guys who either
already know them or are about to work with them
(01:53):
very closely. First round pick Shamar Stewart was one of
three Texas A and M defensive linemen selected in the
first two rounds this year. Nick Gordon and Shamar Turner
were the others. Furthermore, Walter Nolan, the player selected one
spot ahead of Stuart by the Arizona Cardinals, was his
teammate for two years at A and M before playing
(02:14):
his final college season at Ole Miss. All of those
guys looked up to fellow defensive lineman and two time
captain McKinley Jackson, who had some interesting things to say
about Stuart's low sack total with the Aggies. How do
you describe your former teammate Shamar Stewart.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
First of all, he's a great individual, willing to learn
and listen. Never had proud of by itself, never uh,
just never been afraid to learn, always been a student
of the game. And you know he's he's a specimen.
And I honestly like guys like six six to AE
send it by to eighty is freaking nature. I mean
you've seen the numbers. I mean there's a lot of
(02:54):
speculations about production all that, but I mean ton of
tape on and you'll see, matter of fact, turn of
two and watch every prospect that was on the tape
with him. I mean there's the other first round. These
guys want to take a round. I mean between Shamon
Stule and Walston Noland for their days, Samar Turner, guys
on on so forward.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Like it's hard to.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Make those plays when guys like that are playing around you,
Like it was hard to get those numbers like that
when guys like that are playing around you. But like
from a collective standpoint, I mean we did. We did
some well, and I give all the props to our coaches,
Terry Price with the Lajah Robinson, because I mean, look
at them, like I said, look at the numbers, like
look at the tape, like it's this draft pick at
the draft pick each year and we go to those guys.
(03:38):
But chamorro Chamar's gonna be special tenant for us.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
As the seventeenth pickers approaching. And you're I assume you're
following the drafts were you're getting excited about the possibility.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Walter got drafted to the Cardinals. I mean, I haven't
played with them. I didn't play with them this past year.
Of course I'm in the NFL and he went to
all missed, but you know, it's still support and love
with my end.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
So I was glad then.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
And then I figured we was on the clock next saying,
I was like, damn, I heard I have seen Mi
dres about some more stoud getting dragged to us, and
I'm like, damn, I hope, I hope it's him right here.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
And I'm watching it and I got and I've seen
it like everybody ever seen it.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And I was like, Damn, I'm parut of this kid,
because I love the work he put it in. And
I'm just more so power because because I was a
guy he looked up to and learned from. And I'm
glad he's part of his journey and I'm glad I
can help him, help him out at his next level.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
It's from an experience I got being here for a year.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I might not have much knowledge, but you know I
got I got some jewels to drop for him.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
As you mentioned, we've all seen the combine numbers and
some of the crazy stuff that he did in terms
of this athleticism. What was the craziest thing you ever
saw that that made you think, Holy cow, this guy's
a different cat.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I mean, the first day he walked on campus, like
seventeen eighteen years old, looked like a full mon secuity guard.
I'm just like, damn, I'm like, how dore you just
with a big baby face, a big smile full of golds,
And he's just like, I'm madteam, I'm like, damn, So.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
You ready to work? He said, of course?
Speaker 3 (05:00):
And every since then, even Boughting started off with you
know kind of like you know, just like young, young natured, uh,
just your football capability, just god giving ability, and you know,
just didn't have to take mequ but like as we
started getting older and started learning and start learning how
to use what God gave us, that's when we're seeing
those this production in the sec like we did.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
It sounded like you were a little bit annoyed by
how much people are focusing on the low stat or
low sack number in his college career.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I mean from the blind eye where you don't turn
the tape and watch the tape. I could I could
get while you say that, you know, it's kind of
disturbing for someone that plays.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
The sport and actually.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
See what's going on and knows what's going on and
just beyond their level. I know it's going on the
second level, third level, a lot of things to go
in to play.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
So you know, I'm just I'm.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Looking at the tape rather than looking at the numbers,
and the tape is freaking immaculate.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Like this guy's special.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
I mean he's like a freaking a foot freaking bullet train,
like just running through through the get I mean, I mean,
turn the Arkansas game, turn it on from twenty twenty
three and twenty twenty four, and you to me, like
the one year difference for him, and he still looks
exposed from both. Well, I'm just glad. I guess I'm
glad to see like the traditioner he had this year
and just understanding his place that and the capability he has.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Later on the podcast, I'll talk to scouting director Mike
Potts on the Bengals plan for making Stewart a better
pass rusher. But now let's turn the second round pick
Demetrius Knight, who could be in the mix to start
next to Logan Wilson at linebacker. Here's this new position
coach and a newcomer to the Bengals coaching staff. Mike Hodges.
(06:39):
What impressed you most about Demetrius Knight on tape?
Speaker 5 (06:44):
The speed, the running hit, Uh, there's some there's some
flash plays with him that are really exciting to watch.
And you know this game is a speed game and
so he fits right into it.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
After meeting him in person, it's impossible not to root
for the guy. His personality lights up the room. How
important are intangibles at linebacker?
Speaker 5 (07:08):
I think if anybody goes through an evaluation process without
weighing that part of the process or using that data point,
they're they're felling the system because it is critical because
at the end of the day, like it or don't
like it, they're gonna end up being the captains of
the defense and or at least the most vocal person.
So the way they carry themselves, the way they do
(07:30):
those things, really it can really heighten the defense as
a whole. And so if you bring those types of
guys in, you know, hopefully the tide rises and we're
all rising together. So those are the I mean, the
character in the makeup of the linebacker room right now
is really in a good place, and I'm excited about it.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
He spent six years in college football, but really only
played linebacker full time the last couple of years. How
much upside is left for a guy who will be
twenty five in July.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
Yeah, I think that there is some growth there. There's
always areas for growth, myself included, and so we're always
going to identify those. And so there's clear I see,
I don't see his best football yet. I see I
hope that that's with us, and so we're going to
work to maximize him from day one.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Night spent last year at South Carolina and the year
before at Charlotte Prior to that, he was mostly a
special team stand out at Georgia Tech, where his teammate
for one season was Bengals offensive lineman Devin Cochrane. You
were with Demetrius kind of before his career took off.
What do you think of what he's become over the
(08:40):
last couple of years.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Oh, man, If I had to put in a one word,
I'd just say resilience. You know, I've seen him when
I was at Tech. I saw the work ethic he had.
I saw just the type of guy was. You know,
I think he's married with kids now too, just family guy.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
You know. Honestly, it didn't surprise me.
Speaker 6 (09:02):
You know, I knew that a guy like him would
would excel wherever he went, and that's exactly what he did.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
He seems like a really easy guy to root for.
I would imagine as a former teammate, you had to
be thrilled.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
Absolutely, it was awesome to see that he got picked
up here. And then now I have to think about
blocking him. So that's another thing, you know, because I
remember just how hard he went, you know, in practice
and every day just his day to day grind.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
You know, he's a guy who he's gonna bring it,
so you gotta be ready for.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Is he a culture center?
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Absolutely yeah, talked about her hit on it earlier. Just
him being a family guy, not really something you see.
And then you know on the defensive side of the
ball too. You know, for him to be as a
stink in stincschool as he is as a linebacker, but
then to be rooted in something that's bigger than you
know himself, is pretty is gonna be.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
I think he's going to be a guy to look for.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
He was a high school quarterback.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Did you at the stage that you played with him,
was he still developing the skills to be a linebacker?
Speaker 4 (09:58):
Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (09:58):
I mean I would imagine so I had no idea that,
But I mean I think seeing him, you know, body
type framework, you know what he the way he lifted
when we would work with coach Lewis Carroll.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Again, I'm not surprising at all.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Later, Mike Potts discusses the reasons for choosing Night number
forty nine overall. In the third round, Cincinnati chose six five,
three hundred and twenty five pound Dylan Fairchild. Offensive line
coach Scott Peters traveled to Georgia for a hands on
workout with the Bulldogs starting left guard for the past
(10:38):
two seasons. Coach, what sold you on Dylan Fairchild?
Speaker 7 (10:43):
Oh, it's a number of factors, you know, Dylan.
Speaker 8 (10:45):
We did obviously did a lot of work in the
draft looking at, you know, every guard that was conceivably
available for the draft, and one thing that really stood
out with Dylan is is his just his size, athletic ability,
in his play, strength, He's he's one of the strong
people I've ever tied up with. Very strong. He's a
great kid. He's humble, you know, he works very hard.
(11:06):
He's extremely tough, and I think, you know, all that
stuff with his dimensions, his physical nature, the way he
plays extremely hard, those are the things that we you know,
really stood out to me.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
You know.
Speaker 8 (11:16):
I think he can set a firm anchor in there.
He's got the tools to play long, which is something
we emphasize as in protection.
Speaker 7 (11:23):
He's got good feet to move.
Speaker 8 (11:25):
And I think, you know, he's got all the tools
you're looking for in a player, especially a guard.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You know.
Speaker 8 (11:30):
So I think for for us, it was a no
brainer at that point in time just to take Dylan
because I think, you know, like I said, he has
all the traits so that you're looking for in an
elite guard.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
You referenced tying up with him. One of the most
famous draft stories in Bengals history involves Anthony Munyo's and
you may know this Forest Greg goes out to California
to work them out. Forrest gives him a little pass
rush move. Anthony jams him and knocks him on his butt,
and Forrest was convinced, all right, I've got my guy.
When you tied up with Dylan, how instrumental was that
(12:02):
in making you think, Okay, I've got my guy.
Speaker 7 (12:05):
It was actually very big. It's so it's funny that
that happened.
Speaker 8 (12:07):
I I have heard that story from Jim McNally, and
you know, I like to put hands on guys because
you get a sense for how strong they are. The
biggest thing for me is understanding, like how quickly can
they learn not just the things that they learn on
the playbook, you know, that's very important too, to understand
the offense and what we're trying to do.
Speaker 7 (12:23):
And they're they're kind of.
Speaker 8 (12:23):
Their collective football IQ, But how quickly can they put
that mind body connection together when they learn a new skill?
And uh, when I got with Dylan. I was, I
was very imps I left very impressed. I thought, you know,
this is a guy that can learn. He can physically
apply things from you know, the classroom right to the grass.
He can make those micro adjustments with his body, you know,
when he's told to do that.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
I think it was I.
Speaker 8 (12:46):
Was, I was thoroughly impressed, and I thought, you know,
in fact, I kind of pushed to pull on him
in a drill and I wasn't budgeing this guy. And
I can't say that that's the first time I've actually
had a player that strong, honestly and in the many years.
Speaker 7 (12:58):
I've been doing this. So to me, uh yeah, it
was kind of a it was.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
It was.
Speaker 8 (13:03):
It was exciting because I thought I'd love to get
this guy, and so it just happened to work out
that way that we picked him.
Speaker 7 (13:08):
So so I'm really real pumped about it.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
I think he gave up one sack in more than
eight hundred pass blocking snaps at Georgia. Obviously most of
those games are in the SEC. Is that his strength
right now? His past protection ability.
Speaker 8 (13:23):
I'd say that Dylan is a raw player still, so
you know, his strength is his are the attributes he
has and and his strengths are really the character, the person,
the football character. That's that's really how you project a guy,
because you say, well, he has the physical tools to.
Speaker 7 (13:38):
Do all this stuff that we wanted to do.
Speaker 8 (13:40):
And of course, like you know, everybody's different in college,
I mean, players are trained differently. So I would say
that the strength that he has is his ability to
learn techniques and you know, the raw canvas that he brings,
it's it's a really solid foundation.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
He's strong, he's long, Like I said, he can anchor.
Speaker 8 (13:55):
He's powerful, he's got, you know, a good head on
his shoulders, and he really wants to be great at football.
So those are the things I look at right now.
I think from everything else is kind of a process.
We're gonna train him, we're gonna develop him, get him
doing the things that we do here. So I'm reluctant
to say his strength is passed pro I'm gonna say
his strength is all the traits that we like about
him right now. And I think as he grooms, as
(14:16):
we groom him and build him, I think we'll start
to see a lot of these things start to shine through.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Later.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
I'll ask Mike Potts if there were so many good
guards in this draft that the Bengals figured they would
be able to get a starter in the first three rounds.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
In the fourth.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Round, the Bengals doubled down on the linebacker position with
a selection of Barrett Carter, a team captain last year,
who one NFL scout describes as follows a total slam dunk.
Not the biggest or longest guy, just a super tough, competitive,
physical leader. Once again, here's linebackers coach Mike Hodges.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Well, he's a really smart player. He's been a cat
and for a long time. He's he's probably as more
of one of the more instinctual players in this draft class,
and so that pays dividends for him in a lot
of ways like it would anybody. But again, another high
character guy like you mentioned. I think he's gonna come
(15:17):
in here and he's gonna compete, and he's gonna be
able to be a swing guy if we need him
to because of his intelligence. So he's gonna give us
some flexibility. But he's a really good ad for our room.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
He never came off the field at Clemson, whether it
was on defense for every snap or special teams. The
overall value that he brings to a team strikes me
as being extremely high.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (15:39):
I think everybody that we bring in has to have
some sort of value outside of just playing linebacker. And
so if they don't fit into Darren's room or they're
not the number one guy, they're not really the right fit.
So they got to be one of those two things.
They either need to be a guy that could play
all four downs or at least early downs in fourth
down or early downs and third down. You know that
that formula has to add up, and he has proven
(16:04):
to do that. And it's interesting because in college football
there's so much rotation. You're like, why is this guy
coming off? Demetrius is a perfect example of that. He
played less than seventy five percent of the snaps, but
this guy, they didn't want to take him off the
field and had They had a hell of a run
the last couple of years, particularly this last year, so
he's a big part of that. And you can't find
a person in that building that says anything negative about
(16:25):
this player.
Speaker 7 (16:26):
So excited to get him in the room.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Ales Murphy was Barrett Carter's teammate for two years at Clemson.
You obviously know Barrett Carter describe him on the field.
Speaker 9 (16:38):
Easy one is gonna give it his all, honestly, go
one hundred and ten miles an hour, every single play,
regardless of where he's at, one.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Of the linebacker, the special teams.
Speaker 9 (16:49):
Rushing the pass, and dropping in coverage.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
He's gonna let it, put it.
Speaker 9 (16:53):
He's gonna put his body on the line.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
That's for sure.
Speaker 9 (16:55):
Coachable, respectable dude, most a lockable persons up. I feel
like he's a just a great all around player in
my opinion.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
I saw some comments from coaches and other guys that
played with him last year. It sounds like a really
high character guy, captain qualities, a good person for culture.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Oh yeah, I say that's spot.
Speaker 9 (17:16):
On, right on, right on, a hit right on the head.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Honestly.
Speaker 9 (17:19):
Uh, play with him for two two seasons when I
was at Click Clemson and about I can attest to
all of those comments, and but that's that's just who
he is.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Played a lot of special team snaps in college. Obviously,
when you're drafted kind of middle of the draft, you're
expected to contribute in that area right off the bat.
Is that something he'll embrace in your opinion.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
I mean, I think so.
Speaker 9 (17:39):
Like I said, like, regardless of where you put him
on the field, as long as he's on the field,
he's gonna put his body on the line and go
all out ever reason could play.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
So I do feel like he's a I feel like
he's a player that's.
Speaker 9 (17:49):
Gonna make just make his Martin, just put his put
his name on the map, honestly.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Later, Mike Potts tells us why the Bengals doubled down
at linebacker at that stage of the draft. Cincinnati doubled
down again in the fifth round, this time on offensive
line by picking six to six, three hundred and twenty
pound Jalen Rivers. Once again, I discussed him with offensive
line coach Scott Peters. I'm not sure that I've ever
(18:17):
read about an offensive lineman at the college level that
played so many snaps at tackle and guard in.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
The same game.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
It's one thing to see a guy okay, in this
game he's needed to tackle, the next game, he's needed
at guard. He was playing twenty plus snaps at both
positions in just about every game he played in last year.
How unusual is that it is.
Speaker 8 (18:38):
Highly unusual, and it's but it's also highly attractive to
us because you know, you get a player that can
just make that transition and seamlessly, you know, jump from
one position to the.
Speaker 7 (18:47):
Next in the middle of a game. That takes a lot.
Speaker 8 (18:50):
And I think it really speaks to what Jalen brings
here too. I think he's got a you know, another
kid with a great head on his shoulders, an upstanding person,
good football IQ really wants to be great, works at it,
and you know nothing's too big for him. You just
he'll jump in and jump out and and again. Like
when you're you're looking at players in the draft, you know,
one of the biggest things that you're looking for is
(19:11):
position flexibility. And so that's one thing that Jalen has
going for him and I think he'll bring that to
us here in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
What are his best football traits.
Speaker 8 (19:21):
Jalen's got, I'd say this, we talk about strengths. I
think pass protection is clearly the best thing he does.
He's got great length, He's got a great build for
pass pro. He moves well. You know, he has good
hand placement, really good strikes. I think he can anchor,
he can do all the things you're looking for in
both a guard and a tackle, So you know, I
think for him, you know, those are the things we're
(19:42):
going to build on that foundation. So yeah, he's got
great traits there and you know, looking forward to gett
our hands on him too.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
He shared the story about how his father, his stepfather,
and his mother all spent more than thirty years in
the Navy. So it sounds like that discipline that you're
looking for as a coach has been something that's been
part of his life since he was an infant.
Speaker 8 (20:04):
That really does help, you know. I mean we're obviously
we run a regimented program here and being a professional,
those are things that come naturally to him.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
He you know, he's a.
Speaker 8 (20:13):
He's a great worker, a great kid, very smart, very diligent,
detailed and and respectful and I think he's just a
good person all around. I think he'll do well here,
you know. So definitely, I think the military influences that
definitely had a positive effect. A lot of times you
get players that come from backgrounds like that, and you know,
it really is very similar in a sense. It's with
the regimented programs that we run, So you know, those
(20:35):
are those are nice things you don't have to worry
too much about a kid like that showing up on
time and and and doing the things that he needs
to do.
Speaker 7 (20:41):
To, you know, to be a pro.
Speaker 8 (20:42):
And that's where, you know, one of the things again,
when you get rookies in the building, sometimes it's a
it's a it's a process to get them just to
learn how to be a professional. Uh, that's all separate
from the things that they got to do on the field.
So but Jalen, great kid, great character, Super excited to
get the chance to work with them.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Matt Lee was drafted in the seventh round by the
Bengals last year. The previous season, he started on the
University of Miami's offensive line with Rivers. What are the
Bengals getting in your former Miami teammate Jalen Rivers.
Speaker 10 (21:15):
Jalen's a a lot of stuff, man. He's a first off,
high character guy in and out of the building football
and his own personal life. Super high character, really good friend,
really good teammate. He's versatile. He can even could take
some snaps if you wanted to at center. Obviously played
guard and tackle. He's played both of those a bunch
in college. Strong, physical, smart.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
Is gonna know the offense. He's a I think he'd
be good. It'd be good.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, sounds like you could have been a Bengals scout.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
With that rave review.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Yeah, dude, No, And he's a.
Speaker 10 (21:49):
Jalen is out of everyone I've played with, one of
the highest character dudes and one of the dudes that
just prepares himself for success. You know, his body and
knowing what he's got to do for the most part
on the skimatite and how he comes in and works,
and how he treats his teammates and coaches. And I
know he's in Miami for five years. I was only
there with him for a year, but it was that
times ten. You know, captain leader in the room and
(22:11):
one of the leaders, and I think that'll help him
really well transition into this level.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
He mentioned versatility.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
I was really surprised by how many times he played
a lot of snaps at tackle and guard in the
same game last year. I know you weren't with him
last year, but is his versatility unusual in the sense
that he seems like he's good at both, not like
really good at one and could do the other in
a pinch.
Speaker 4 (22:35):
Yeah, I think.
Speaker 10 (22:37):
I mean he originally I think went to college really
to play guard, and then because of personnel and stuff
like that, I ended up playing a lot of tackle,
and last year playing guard and tackle.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Two. I know when I was with him he played
exclusively left tackle.
Speaker 10 (22:49):
Based on what he looks like and what I know
about him, I think he'd probably be better suited to
play on the inside, but he's tall enough, big enough,
long enough, strong enough, quick enough to play outside as
well well. I think his physical attributes and his strength
and stuff is probably playing guard, but I don't see
why he couldn't do it outside too.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
In my upcoming conversation with Mike Potts, I'll ask him
if Scott Peters has a type whenen't choosing offensive lineman.
The Bengals final pick was running back Taj Brooks out
of Texas Tech, the fourth leading rusher in Big Twelfth history,
behind three guys that played at least eight years in
the NFL, Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams, and Darren Sprolls. Here's
(23:32):
Bengals running backs coach Justin Hill. Coach, you've got a
history with Taj Brooks, apparently going back to when he
was like in ninth grade.
Speaker 11 (23:42):
Yeah, yeah, going all the way back to my days
at Tulsa as they recruited him. I think we were
his first offer, and he committed to us pretty early
and started our strong, but couldn't finish it. Obviously obviously
went to Texas Tech. He had a great career. He's
a guy that I'll followed just because I spent so
much time with him and his family, his mom and dad,
(24:05):
him his little sister. They come up to campus, had
toldso quite a bit, so got to know them pretty well.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
I followed his career and.
Speaker 11 (24:12):
It's pretty cool, cool weekend, pretty cool, just everything, watch
everything come back full circle.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Get a chance to actually work with him.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
This was a really deep running back class, and of
all of these great running backs, Taj had some of
the greatest production of them all. Fifteen hundred plus yards
last year, fifteen hundred plus yards the year before, top
one hundred yards in every game last season in a
different year. Does he go much higher in the draft?
Speaker 11 (24:41):
I mean yeah, you could say he could. I mean
you can make arguments for a lot of these guys.
I think it all comes down to fit, and we're
just fortunate that he fell to us when he did.
But love the fit, Love the guy high character. He
checks a lot of boxes. So yeah, you could absolutely
make that argument that in a different class maybe he
does go higher. But I'm just excited that we got
(25:03):
a chance to get them, get a chance to work
with them.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Describe his running style, his skill set, and what he
adds to your room.
Speaker 11 (25:09):
Yeah, he's extremely versatile. I'm excited about him because you know,
as you turn on the tape and you watch guys,
you watched all these all these guys in this draft class.
You're looking for fit and you're looking at what are
their skill sets, what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses?
And Tiz has got he checks a lot of boxes.
As a back in this league, it's not just about
(25:31):
how would you run the ball on first and second down?
You gotta add value in other ways too. It's about,
especially in all offenses, what do you do in the
past game? What are you doing past protection? Obviously, how
would do you run the ball? Do you do you
add value as a short short artist back as well?
And then on top of that, do you have can
you add value on special teams? That's a big part too.
(25:51):
You know, if we've got three guys up on game day,
two of those guys are probably gonna have to play
pretty of a role on special teams. So those all
things that factor in. I think Tis he checks a
ton of boxes for us. Extremely versatile, he's tough to tackle,
He's got great lateral quickness and body control. He can
make miss anywhere on the field, and so that was
(26:13):
that's something really exciting to watch him as he plays.
And then the past protection piece too. I mean, not
every guy is gonna be a finished product. None of
these guys. I mean there was a ton of them
that were really good in protection. But rarely do you
see a college running back transition to the NFL and
immediately make an impact on third down. As far as
past protection goes, that takes time. That's that's tough for anybody.
(26:36):
But the one thing you are looking for is willingness.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
Uh.
Speaker 11 (26:40):
Do they have the want to techniques not gonna be
great always, but but is he willing?
Speaker 4 (26:45):
Does he step up?
Speaker 11 (26:46):
Does he have some traits that you can work with?
And like I said, Tis he checked a ton of
boxes for us, So I think he's a guy that
can can step in and fill a ton of different
roles for us. Uh, And they just kind of see
how his career progresses, but I think he's gonna have
a really good career here.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
When it comes to protection for running back, what is
more important will or skill?
Speaker 4 (27:08):
I think it's the one two personally.
Speaker 11 (27:10):
I mean, you can you can talk about scheme and
talk about technique.
Speaker 4 (27:15):
All you want to, but when it's.
Speaker 11 (27:18):
Third down and we're playing these divisional games and you
get some tough looks, it's all about want two as well.
And it's not even third down. That's about first and
second down. To a simple plug pressure, you gotta be
willing to step up and take on a bull rush
or an athletic guy that might try to cross your face.
So there's a ton of different things that go into it,
(27:38):
but the one thing I look at is how unselfish
are you? And how well do you play without the
ball in your hands? How well do you run routes
when you know you might not be the primary target,
And then how well do you block for your quarterback?
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Do you take pride in that?
Speaker 11 (27:56):
And some guys you can tell right away what type
of guy they are in TAJ when you turn on
the tape, and a lot of these guys in this class,
and I think the guys that we have on this
roster right now, talking about Chase, talking about Samaje uh,
and then adding times to the mix as well. Those
guys know the value and pass protection, especially in our offense.
(28:18):
We're gonna be a dropback team. That's that's what we do.
We're gonna throw the ball around. We've got the greatest
quarterback in the universe. We've got the greatest receivers in
the universe. So we're gonna give them their opportunities. So
with that being said, we got to do our job
as backs and step up and protect. It's not just
Ted in the line. You know, they got to keep
Joe healthy, it's us too. We got to keep them
(28:39):
up right. And so we take a lot of pride
in that in the running back room.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Uh.
Speaker 11 (28:43):
And I think we've got we've got a room full
of guys that take pride in that as well. And
then where that is a badge of honor.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
My conversation with Mike Potts is next. But first, here's
a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought
to you by Paid Corps, proud to be the Bengals
official 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
(29:14):
of the Bengals. Now Here's director of college scouting Mike Potts. Mike,
let's start with first round pick Shamar Stewart. Was his
combine performance among the best you have ever seen by
a man his size?
Speaker 12 (29:28):
Yeah, it was outstanding.
Speaker 13 (29:29):
There's not too many people that have those type of
measurables that he has, and it was really impressive to see.
But the good thing is you see those measurables show
up on tape in terms of his size, explosiveness, speed,
and then also what stands out about him is just
how hard he plays and how violent he plays. So
the measurables certainly show up, and then when you go
(29:50):
to the combine and see him put those numbers up,
it's really impressive.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
It's been portrayed as a traits more than production pick,
but I want to push back a little bit on
the word production because he had the fifth best run
stopping grade in the country for edge people according to
Pro Football Focus. He had a bunch of pressures. He
was top ten in the SEC in terms of quarterback pressures.
(30:15):
What he didn't have were sacks. So it's not production,
it sacks. How can the Bengals help him in that area?
Speaker 13 (30:24):
Yeah, you're right, he was very disruptive. He shows up
all over the tape. I think our coaches have a
plan for him. They want to work with this guy.
They're eager to work with him and develop them. Our
coaches have worked with guys with similar backgrounds in the
past to Schmar, so that makes you feel good about it.
We had a ton of discussions on him. I think
part of what you like about him is how hard
(30:45):
he plays. Sometimes maybe we can reel him back in
a little bit. You never want to rhal them in
too much in terms of that effort and high motor
that he plays with. But if you can come under control,
he may may give him a better chance to finish
some of those sets that you're talking about. But again,
he is a very disruptive player. He shows up all
over the tape, plays with violence, and I'm glad that
(31:08):
we ended up with him, and he's got a ton
of upside to keep getting better and better.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Were there's several people in play when you were on
the clock at number seventeen or with Stewart's significantly higher
on your board than anybody else still available.
Speaker 13 (31:22):
There were a number of people in play at every
draft slot that we were at.
Speaker 12 (31:26):
You're always constantly talking to other teams.
Speaker 13 (31:28):
We had a lot of potential trades sketched out with
other teams, whether it was to move back or move up,
and you just constantly talk through it. We're always prepared
for every possible scenario. We discuss the pick leading all
the way up to it, from seventeen picks in advance
and then all the way up until three to one
(31:49):
picks prior, and we have a board hashed out and
it's up there. There's no panic at the last minute,
and the communication is excellent in our draft room. So
I commend everybody that was in there in terms of
that process, and we're glad with the result.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
In the second round, you took linebacker Demetrius Knight. NFL
dot Com projected him to go in the second.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Or third round.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
I saw some other gurus that said maybe the third.
Did you have reason to believe that he would not
be there if you waited?
Speaker 13 (32:18):
That was a risk at the end of the day
that Duke has to make the final decision on. You know,
he's in that decision maker chair. And he was a
guy that we had consensus on between our coaches and
our scouts that looked at him. We had a vision
for him as a player as scouts before Al and
some of the new defensive coaches even got here, and
(32:39):
then their vision aligned with our vision for the player.
Speaker 12 (32:42):
We all really liked them.
Speaker 13 (32:43):
We had consensus and conviction on them. So, yeah, you
always weigh the different scenarios of you could take this
guy and then run the risk that this guy could
be there later. Could you possibly make a trade here
or a trade there. So we talked through all of
those scenarios and at the end of the day, all
of those options were presented to Duke and he made
(33:05):
the final decision. And I commend him for the discipline
and the patients that he showed throughout the process to
take the player that he felt was the best player
for us.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
How much did Al Golden's input influence the guys that
you chose on defense?
Speaker 13 (33:20):
Al certainly had a strong voice in the process. We
had a prior relationship with Al, so it was a
very easy transition in terms of this process and getting
on the same page with him, and he was great
to work with, so I think that's a good thing
about our process. Everybody has a strong voice in the room.
(33:40):
Everybody is really good listeners and really open minded to
everybody's thoughts and opinions, and Al was certainly a big
part and a guy that had a strong voice in
those discussions.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
He went offensive lineman in round three with Dylan Fairchild,
PFF's number one graded past blocking guard in this draft.
Is that the most important skill that you were looking
for when it came time to choose a guard.
Speaker 13 (34:05):
I think with the amount of times that we throw
the ball in our offense, certainly pass protection is at
the forefront and very important. Dylan is a really athletic player.
He's got all the size, strength, measurables that you could
ask for. They speak about him like he's the strongest
person in their program. I'm sure you've seen the wrestling
background with sixty seven to zero heavyweight wrestler, state champ,
(34:28):
all of those things. I think you see that element
in his game on tape as well, just with the
strain and the finish that he plays with in his
hand use. You know you can see the wrestling background
on his tape, But yes, to answer your question, we
think he's got a lot of upside in pass pro.
He's far from a finished product right now. He is
a good player as it is, but I think his
(34:50):
upside is as good as most offensive linemen in this draft,
and we're really excited about what he can become working
with our coaches.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
We're visiting with Bengal scouting director Mike Potts. Zach Taylor
and Dan Pitcher said right after the Dylan Fairchild pick
that it's pretty clear that the left guard job is
his to win as a rookie. Did you go into
this draft thinking there are enough good guards will be
in a good position to potentially take a starter in
the first three rounds.
Speaker 13 (35:19):
I think we thought that, but you never know, so
you have to play the board. You have to put
values on guys, you have to be ready to take
another position if your guys get wiped out at a
certain spot. We felt good about Dylan being a guy
that we targeted there in the third round. There were
some other guys that were in the discussion in the
top three rounds as well, so you never know. It's
(35:43):
a hard process to pin down and predict at times,
but all we can do is have our discussions from
every different angle, evaluate every possibility, and put our board together.
And at the end of the day, the board speaks
to you. And we thought the value met the need
there at that round in the third and we're happy
that we ended up with Dylan Fairchild.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
In the fourth round, you doubled down at linebacker, taking
Clemson's Barrett Carter. Dabosweeney raves about him both in terms
of his playing ability and his character, having already taken
a linebacker. Was this a case of a guy that
was simply too good to pass up at that point?
Speaker 13 (36:19):
Yeah, he was the top guy on our board there.
And again there's different scenarios that you can play. You
can take different positions, you can potentially explore a trade,
and at the end of the day, all of the
options and opinions were discussed. Everybody voiced their opinions and
thoughts leading up to that pick, and Duke's in the
(36:40):
chair to make that final decision, and he decided that
we go with this top guy on our board. Once
he does that, everybody's on board with it. We're very
happy that Barrett Carter, who's a guy that you could
argue maybe we could have even taken earlier than the
fourth round. For sure, he could have been a target
in earlier rounds for us. But at the end of
the day, he was still there. We did not think
(37:00):
he would last much longer than that if we didn't
take him there in the fourth round. So we ended
up revamping that linebacker room with Barrett and Demetrius as well.
So I'm really excited about the young talent that we
added to that room.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Barrett rarely came off the field at Clemson, between defense
and special teams. He played nearly twenty five hundred snaps
in his college career. Do you expect a big special
teams role from him right away?
Speaker 13 (37:25):
Yeah, Darren had a high regard through him for him
throughout the process. He's very athletic, he can run, He's
played on special teams throughout his career there at Clemson.
He is a physical guy who's a good tackler. So
he's going to really help Darren in whatever role Darren
has carved out for him, and he's going to help
our defense as well. So he's a really well rounded
(37:46):
player that can help on all four downs.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
In the fifth round, he went back to the offensive
line and took the University of Miami's Jalen Rivers. Last year,
he played twenty or more snaps at left tackle and
left gold in the same game six times. I'm not
sure that I've ever seen that before. You might have
a guy that played left guard one year, left tackle
the next, but to do it for many snaps in
(38:11):
the same game and basically half of their games is
highly unusual. How big a factor was his versatility in
selecting him when you did.
Speaker 12 (38:19):
That was a huge factor.
Speaker 13 (38:20):
It's unbelievable the ability he had to bounce back and
forth between two positions in almost every game. Like you said,
series to series, he may not know the next series
where he was going to end up lining up, but
that just shows you the trust that Miami staff had
in him, his football intelligence, his instincts, his makeup. We
(38:41):
had him in here on a visit. His character is exceptional,
and I think you see elements of that in his
game when you flip the tape on. He's a very
instinctive player, very aware. He's got long arms, and he's
really good in pass protection. So that kind of circles
back to what you had originally asked about Dylan Fairchild
and upside element of his game. So he's another guy
(39:04):
that we were a little surprised was still there in
the fifth round at that point. Offensive Line is a
position that is of the utmost priority for most teams,
but our team for sure, and that's a spot that
we wanted to address, and again the need met the
value there in the fifth round.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
You've got a new offensive line coach this year in
Scott Peters. Does Scott have a type and is it
different from Frank Pollock's type.
Speaker 12 (39:31):
I don't know if Scott has a type.
Speaker 13 (39:32):
I wouldn't want to speak for him, but it's been
great to get to know him. It's been great to
spend a lot of time with him. I was with
him out on the Pro day circuit several different places
and had a ton of discussions in the office, in
person and or over the phone about you know, just
getting on the same page with guys that he liked,
different techniques that he's.
Speaker 12 (39:52):
Going to use.
Speaker 13 (39:53):
So it's been great to work with him. It's been
great to see him get hands on some of these players.
Just being with him at the Pro days, and working
with these guys. So I wouldn't want to speak for
him in terms of his type, but he was a
huge asset to us in this scouting process and I'm
looking forward to working with him moving forward.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
You had one more pick.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
It was in the sixth round Texas Tech running back
Taj Brooks. Anybody that watched him last year against UC
likes this pick. He had thirty two carries for one
hundred and seventy two yards in that game. In a
really talented running back class. What jumped out to the
Bengals about Taj Brooks.
Speaker 12 (40:31):
We really liked the running back class this year. We
thought it was really deep.
Speaker 13 (40:35):
Again, I was a little surprised that he was there
in the sixth round, but I think that just speaks
to the depth of the draft class at that running
back position. He's a guy that we had targeted throughout
the process. You absolutely love his production, his makeup. I mean,
going for over fifteen hundred yards each of the past
two seasons, all of the touchdowns that he had, He
(40:55):
catches the ball well. He's got upside and ability and
pass protection, so he's really a well rounded player. He
could potentially help Daron as well. On special teams units.
So there's really not a whole lot to dislike about
Taj Brooks. And again, if you're not talking about such
a high quality running back draft class, he's probably a
guy that goes earlier than where we were able to
(41:17):
select him there in the sixth round. So he's another
guy that we're really excited about. Running Back is a
position that we went into the draft at multiple different
levels with the potential to address that position, and we
waited till our last pick in the sixth round.
Speaker 12 (41:32):
And again, we were really excited.
Speaker 13 (41:35):
That he was still available in the sixth round because
he's a guy that we could have Sawn could have
could have potentially saw going earlier in the draft.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
The Bengals have not announced the college free agents that
are likely to join the Bengals, so I can't ask
you about specific names yet. But only having six picks
did that make it a little bit easier to sell
opportunity to some of the guys that went undrafted?
Speaker 12 (41:58):
For sure, we're.
Speaker 13 (41:59):
Really excited about some of the college free agents that
we've agreed to terms with. We can announce those later
once the contracts are officially finalized.
Speaker 12 (42:06):
But yeah, when you only have.
Speaker 13 (42:08):
Six picks, two of them on the O line and
two of them are in the linebacker room. So that
leaves only two other positions that we actually addressed in
the draft. So some of the positions that we didn't
didn't address. That's an attractive spot for some of these
undrafted players and their agents as well. So that's part
of the selling point that we get on the phone
(42:29):
and sell those guys on in terms of the opportunity here.
And like I said, we're really excited about some of
the players that we've agreed to terms with and I
think they've got a chance to really help us.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
You didn't draft to safety.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Is that just the way the board fell or is
it a reflection of how you feel about the guys
that are already here.
Speaker 12 (42:47):
It's a combination of both.
Speaker 13 (42:48):
Safety is a position that we valued a number of
guys in this draft at different levels, and there were
a lot of guys that were in the discussion in
almost every round that we could have addressed that safety position.
Like you said, it didn't work out that way. That's
just not the way the boards shook out for us.
So we do like the safeties that we have on
(43:10):
the roster right now, and we think, you know, some
of our guys even have more upside to potentially ascend
and get better than what they've been so far. So
that's a position that will continue to monitor throughout the offseason.
But we do like the guys that we have in
the room right now. But it's an ongoing process leading
all the way up until Week one of the season
(43:30):
in terms of evaluating the options that are out there
to upgrade the roster.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
Similar question about defensive tackle. You re signed BJ Hill,
you signed TJ.
Speaker 2 (43:39):
Slayton.
Speaker 1 (43:40):
You drafted two defensive tackles high last year, Chris Jenkins
in round two the Ckinley Jackson in round three. How
did that impact your approach to the defensive tackles in
this draft.
Speaker 13 (43:50):
Yeah, it was a really good defensive tackle class as well.
Similar to the safeties, that just didn't shake out perfectly
for us there with only six picks and not making
any trades and adding additional picks, we weren't able to
address that defensive tackle position.
Speaker 12 (44:04):
Unfortunately.
Speaker 13 (44:05):
There definitely were guys, Like I said with the safety,
there was guys in almost every round at defensive tackle
that were in the discussion. It just didn't break that
way for us, and again we'll continue working through all
the defensive tackle options. You mentioned some of the undrafted
guys that could be options for us to help out
the roster and then other avenues as well. But that's
definitely something that we have our eyes on.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Who do you view as the best candidates to give
you an inside pass rush from the guys that you
already have on the roster.
Speaker 13 (44:33):
Well, a lot of our guys in that defensive end
room have a lot of versatility. You saw Joseph Osai
kick inside there last year camp sample has done a
lot of it in the past. Miles Murphy maybe is
a guy, and then also Shamar Stewart. I think all
of those guys have some potential versatility. I'm not going
to speak for Al Golden and our defensive staff in
(44:55):
terms of their vision on it, but I do think
they have a plan to move some guys around and
have some different versatility through different spots. But again, our
two young draft picks in the defensive tackle room from
last year, we think are going to continue to develop
and get better and better, and again we'll continue to
monitor what's out there, and that interior pass rush is
(45:15):
definitely something that we want to upgrade this season, and
there's going to be a lot of different ways that
we can attack that.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Like I said on this podcast after Round three or
Day three rather on Saturday, that reminds me a little
bit of the twenty twenty draft. Not that there's a
Joe Burrow that doesn't happen very often, but in twenty twenty,
every guy you picked, except for T Higgins was a
college captain, and he would have been had he stayed
for another year at Clemson. Similarly, it seems like every
(45:44):
guy in this draft class was loved by his college
coach and his college teammates. Was that character piece by
design or again just kind of the way it fell.
Speaker 12 (45:56):
A little bit of both in that regard.
Speaker 13 (45:57):
We definitely went into that, and it's interesting we even
had discussions about the parallels to that twenty twenty draft.
I know a lot was made of the captains coming
out of that. It sounds like an exaggeration, but all
six of these guys that we drafted are excellent character
guys that are completely raved about by our scouting sources
at their respective colleges. So we're really excited about the
(46:21):
guys that we added to the locker room. The board
did fall great that way in terms of taking those
high character guys, but we did go into this draft
with the intention of adding guys that add to our
locker room in a really positive way, bring leadership, have
the right type of makeup that we want to help
impact our team.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
I've met three in person, I've talked to the other
three on the phone. They all seem like great guys
that I think we are going to easily be able
to root for going forward and hopefully they're very successful
in Bengals uniforms. Appreciate your time. Congratulations on a great draft.
Speaker 12 (46:56):
Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (46:58):
That's going to do it for this edition of the
Bengals Booth podcast 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 for the best fans. Kettering Health is
the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. If you haven't
(47:21):
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
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!