WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Because I'm Happy 0:00:03.760 --> 0:00:06.680 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:13.040 The Bengals Booth Podcast, the Because I'm Happy edition, as 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:15.640 we take a look at the Bengals Hall on Day 0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:18.599 three of the NFL Draft and provide an overview of 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.159 a draft class featuring a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, a 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:26.280 big play threat and wide receiver, and three newcomers at 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:30.080 the team's most obvious position of need. The Bengals Booth 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.920 Podcast is presented by Prime Sport, the official fan, travel 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:37.879 and hospitality partner of the Cincinnati Bengals. And here's a 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.080 quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:44.239 this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:48.320 by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:54.160 thing since the little kid who imitated Joe Burrow's famous 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:57.960 victory cigar. This is courtesy of my friend and former 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:02.000 co worker Joe Daneman, amendous sports anchor at Fox nineteen 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:06.640 in Cincinnati. He challenged viewers to imitate their favorite Joe 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:10.880 Burrow gifts, and a six year old named Jake Hoffsteader, 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:14.160 with an assist from his dad, did a slow motion 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:19.080 video that perfectly mimics Burrow with his legs crossed, savoring 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:23.280 that victory cigar after the National championship win over Clemson. 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:26.640 If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.280 check it out. Just go to Twitter and look for 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:37.920 at hum Ken. That's hum k e n hum Ken. 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:42.720 Trust me, it's priceless. Now let's learn about the newest 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:46.040 Bengals from people who have watched them play. After choosing 0:01:46.040 --> 0:01:48.560 linebacker Logan Wilson with the first pick in the third 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.040 round on Friday night, the Bengals doubled down at the 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:54.720 position at the top of the fourth round on Saturday 0:01:55.080 --> 0:02:00.960 by selecting Appalachian States Akeem Davis Gaither. By traditional standards, 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:04.639 he's undersized for linebacker at six one two twenty four, 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:08.400 but the game is changing. Devin Bush is two inches 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:11.840 shorter and about ten pounds heavier and was the tenth 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.240 pick in last year's draft before having a strong rookie 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:18.600 season for the Steelers. For more on a Keen Davis Gaither, 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:23.079 here's Appalachian State play by play voice Adam Witton. A 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.520 Keem is one of those guys who is incredibly versatile 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.360 as a player. Dan, thanks for thanks for having me. 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:33.000 We're really excited as the Appalachian family to see him 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:36.880 get drafted so early and see a guy really who 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.079 has worked his tail off to get to where he has. 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:42.480 Everybody that's been drafted has their own story to get 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:44.519 to this point. But I think what people are really 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.600 gonna like about a team is his work ethic and 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:51.280 his motivation and his attitude. He's got the physical traits. 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:55.160 He's incredibly fast, he's strong, He's put on about fifty 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:57.519 pounds since he came on campus as one hundred and 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:01.600 seventy five pound freshman in twenty fifteen. But just to 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:06.000 see where he was and where he's gotten to now 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:09.440 is a true testament to his work ethic. That guy 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:12.919 is someone that wasn't very highly recruited out of high school. 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:16.760 He had one Power five offer really out of Thomasville 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:20.760 High School near Winston Salem in North Carolina. But he 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:25.680 has developed, he has learned, he has applied himself, and 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:28.840 now all of a sudden, he has taken that strong 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:33.160 work ethic and combined it with some amazing physical traits 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:36.680 to become the complete package and linebacker. I like that, 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:38.400 the fact that he can do a lot of different things, 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:41.080 you know, I think He's big enough to be somebody 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:43.880 that can tackle in space one on one. He's fast 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.000 enough to track guys down sideline to sideline on the perimeter, 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:51.240 and we've seen him a lot in coverage to being 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:54.280 able to cover tight ends or slot receivers and be 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.600 able to make plays and cause some destruction in the 0:03:57.640 --> 0:04:00.000 passing game as well. I think Bengal fans are really 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:02.200 gonna like this young man. We are talking to the 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:05.760 voice of Appalachian State, Adam Witton. He's a coaches kid. 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.800 Was that evident when you were around him? I think so. 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:12.320 But but the interesting thing about a team is that 0:04:12.360 --> 0:04:14.840 he didn't really have a love for football when he 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:17.040 was in high school until about midway through his high 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:20.599 school career. You know, his dad, Keith, has been a 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:24.120 coach for for a long time, and so it was 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:26.640 kind of something that was expected out of him when 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:29.200 when he was growing up. But it wasn't until midway 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:31.120 through his high school career that that he kind of 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:34.479 developed that love for football. But once he did develop 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:36.480 that love and that passion for it, you can really 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:38.880 see it. I mean, all the things that you look 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:42.080 for in someone who who grows up in a football family, 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:45.320 and a coach's son um. You can see the discipline, 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.200 you can see the attention to detail, you can see 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:52.280 the attitude. He is mature way beyond his years because 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:54.240 he has learned a lot of those traits I think 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.240 from his upbringing, and so yes, you can you can 0:04:57.320 --> 0:05:01.440 certainly see that come across not watching him play, but 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:03.479 when you get a chance to speak to him and 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:06.640 be around him off the field as well. He has 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.359 special teams experience at Appalachian State. He told us that 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.599 he was the special teams player of the year early 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:16.279 in his career in college, and that's likely something he'll 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.200 be asked to do in Cincinnati. Do you see him 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:23.240 contributing right away in that department? I do you know 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:27.520 a tame One of the highlights of his career was 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.360 this past season and it was on special teams. You know, 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.080 he early in the year, you see guys like him 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:36.960 that are on cover junits, getting down, making tackles, causing 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:39.800 havoc in the kickoff return game when you're on the 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:43.599 other side. But Akame's biggest play, maybe in his career, 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:45.480 one of the ones that he's going to be remembered for, 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.560 is he blocked the field goal to beat North Carolina 0:05:49.640 --> 0:05:51.800 early in the season. For the Mountaineers, it was a 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.320 monumental win for the program, beating an ACC program from 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:58.080 within the state, their first win over a P five 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:01.719 program since Michigan into seven, and a team had the 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:05.279 game winning play by by blocking the kick to give 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:09.200 Appalachian a three point win. So, whether it's in coverage, 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:14.000 making tackles on kickoff coverage or punk coverage, or even 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:17.320 on the block units to be able to make a 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.320 play and field goal block or even punk block, he's 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:22.160 got a lot of different ways he could potentially help 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:25.520 on special teams. You mentioned that he's added about fifty 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.960 pounds since enrolling in college one seventy five to two 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:32.479 twenty five. Is that about all that he can grow 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:34.800 to or is there still room to maybe add a 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:39.480 little more size. It's a good question. You know, we've 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.640 seen this at places like Appalachian where guys, you know, 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:46.880 traditionally at a a G five program like an app state, 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:49.240 you'll tend to get guys who are super talented but 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.159 maybe a little bit under size. But we've seen them 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:55.080 graduate into the NFL and then put on a lot 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.360 more bulk. You know, one of the team's biggest strengths 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:03.880 is his speed. He is uniquely quick as a linebacker, 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:07.320 and he was able to play an outside linebacker position 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:09.720 in a three to four bass because of that speed 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:12.120 and the way that he could get out of the 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:15.720 quarterback or track guys down in space. And so I 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:17.280 don't know. I think it kind of remains to be 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:20.640 seeing whether or not getting larger than two twenty five 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:22.520 is going to be a benefit for him, because I 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:25.360 think even at two twenty five, he's strong enough and 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:29.679 has good enough technique to still tackle bigger guys. So 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:31.520 you know, the one thing that you don't want to 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:33.800 do is do anything to make him lose some of 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:36.640 the things he's really good at, which is certainly his quickness. 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:40.920 Final question for Appalachian State broadcaster Adam Whitton. I was 0:07:40.960 --> 0:07:43.880 surprised to learn that a team suffered a stress fracture 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:47.000 in his foot in Week three and kept playing, made 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.760 it through the season, played in the Senior Bowl, then 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:53.120 had foot surgery in March. What does that say about 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:56.800 a Keen Davis Gaither? It certainly shows his toughness, and 0:07:57.920 --> 0:07:59.640 you know that that's one way to look at It's 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:01.600 because I think a lot of us kind of learned 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.560 towards the end of the season just what he was 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:06.440 dealing with throughout twenty nineteen. The fact that you said, 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:08.920 you know, it happened in that North Carolina game that 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.640 we just talked about. Um, but we saw, we saw 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:15.000 those signs of him slowing down. He was still as 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:18.680 good as ever and continued to improve his stock at 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.680 the season went along. Um. You know, he was impressive 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:25.760 in the Senior Bowls, as we've discussed, and so I 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:30.080 think if anything, it says his ability to to really 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:33.760 do whatever is required for him to get the job accomplished. UM. 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:38.160 I've talked about his determination, which is which is apparent 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:41.120 as we've seen him throughout his Appalachian career. But the 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.960 fact that he was still just as productive as he 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:48.000 was even battling that injury in his senior season. You know, 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:52.520 ideally it says, man, after now a long time to 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:56.800 heal from from that procedure, you know, imagine, could he 0:08:56.880 --> 0:08:59.120 be even better than than what we saw in his 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:03.000 senior season Appalachian, which was pretty spectacular. So hopefully it 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.880 gives maybe even a higher ceiling than we originally thought. 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:10.720 Excellent luck at fourth round pick Akeem Davis Gaither courtesy 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:14.600 of broadcaster Adam Witton. In the fifth round, the Bengal 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:19.120 selected Notre Dame defensive end Khaled Kareem, a six four, 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.640 two hundred and sixty eight pounder who was a two 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:25.000 year starter for the Fighting Irish and had thirteen sacks 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:27.920 over the last three years. Here's a closer look at 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:32.320 Kareem from Bengals defensive coordinator lou Anna Rumo. You know, 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:34.640 at this point in the draft, when you get a 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:38.480 guy that's as big and as tall and as long 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:40.760 as you know, a guy's an eighty four inch wingspan, 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:45.640 you know, had thirteen somewhat sacks in his career, was 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:48.120 a captain and Notre Dame last year you're talking about 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:52.439 some and has passed rush ability again in the fifth round. 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:54.600 I think that's, uh, those are traits that we like. 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:58.560 Seems like everybody year draft and has been a team 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:03.000 captain was severing elegance. I mean, it's it's it's building 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:05.400 a heck of a culture. It seems like, yeah, it helps. 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:08.480 I mean those guys, Uh, you know, anybody anytime you've 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:11.760 got leaders, uh you know that we're leaders in college. 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.560 Certainly that uh that Lens lends itself to being a 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:17.920 better leader in the pro so and at a place 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:20.760 like Notre Dame, you know, which is uh obviously is 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:24.280 what it is. So we're very excited about it. You've 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:28.080 got five free agents that could start. Logan Wilson was drafted. 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.920 Now this player from Notre Dame. Can you talk about 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:36.640 how the talent on defense had just been transformed? Well, 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:39.920 you know it was over the last few years. You know, 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:43.800 obviously got here late last year, but uh, um, you know, 0:10:43.840 --> 0:10:45.520 as I've said, since I've gotten here, this has been 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:48.680 a proud place when it comes to defense, uh, you know, 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:50.640 for a long long time, and it hasn't been that 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:52.920 way the last few years. And uh, you know, some 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.079 of the players getting older and you know, for whatever 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.040 the reasons. But part of it is our job is 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:01.480 to evaluate and uh get younger bodies in here that 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:03.960 can compete for spots, and you know, who ends up 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:07.400 starting and all that will play itself out. But our 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:11.800 jobs is to get a pool to create competition and 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:13.679 then the best guys will bubble up and play. And 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:16.520 we're doing that with both free hc in the draft. 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:19.640 Before we get to the Bengal sixth round pick, here's 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:22.200 a quick reminder that you can take your Bengals pride 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:25.120 to the next level in twenty twenty with an official 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:29.559 Bengals fan package from Prime Sport. The Bengal selected one 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:34.000 offensive lineman in this year's draft, Hakim Identagy, a four 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:37.960 year starter at Kansas who played tackle there before taking 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:41.200 some snaps at guard and the Senior Bowl. He's six four, 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:44.559 three hundred pounds and had a fourth round grade according 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.880 to draft guru Dane Brugler, but fell to the Bengals 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.160 at the top of round six. From more on Identagy, 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:55.439 here's the voice of the Kansas Jayhawks, Brian Haney. Well, Dad, 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:57.600 thanks a lot for having me on. I'm so excited 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.680 for a Kim and picks it Cinnati stats be pumped two. 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:03.120 This was a guy who was the model of consistency 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:06.400 from the first day he arrives on campus. And I 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:08.960 know we'll talk about the circumstances that led to him 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:11.640 being a Jayhawk, but he comes in the middle of 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.760 the summer before his true freshman year and winds up 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:18.959 starting all forty eight games as his collegiate career. Twice 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.640 over was an All Big Twelve lineman, including first team 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.520 all big twelve senior years. So he was the model 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:28.040 of consistency and just a really productive player that got 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:30.960 stronger as he grew into his body and added to 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:34.240 his frame, played through injuries a couple of times in 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:36.760 the middle of his career for lengthy stretches, and yet 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:39.160 never came off the field. So you gotta love a 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:41.360 guy like that. He's gritty, he's tough, and he's a 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.880 really high character young man. It'll be a tremendous addition 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:48.840 to your franchise. If not for a Cashew allergy, he 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:52.439 would not have wound up at Kansas, Isn't that crazy? Yeah, 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:54.600 he was supposed to go to air Force. His brother 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:56.920 had played at Air Force, and he was always planning 0:12:56.960 --> 0:12:59.800 to follow in his brother's footsteps. And he shows up 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:03.080 on campus and in the medical reports there pops up 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:06.000 the allergy. And at a place like air Force, that's 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:09.800 enough to derail your acceptance. And so it's June of 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:13.760 the summertime to perceives his first semester as a college 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.760 student athlete, and thankfully for him, his Garland High school 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:20.240 and coach Jeff Jordan, had just taken the job for 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:24.559 another Garland graduate at the time, Kansas head coach David Beatty. 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:27.680 And so you know, one door closes, another opens, and 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:31.839 a Kim has a tremendous perspective on that. You never know, 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:34.520 you know what curveball life's going to throw you in 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:36.720 some ways, this weekend was a curveball because I know 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:38.079 he really felt like he was going to go on 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:40.679 the fourth round. But he's been a guy that's always 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.320 accepted whatever cards he's dealt, and that makes the most 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:45.600 of them. In this case, he comes to Kansas and 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.640 as I said, within about six weeks he's won himself 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.080 a starting job and he never let lucifit his entire career. 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:55.439 Got to finish up playing his last season for Less Miles, 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:58.200 a future Hall of Famer and his own right, and 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:01.600 learned a lot from coach Miles former lineman himself, So 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:03.800 he had a chance to play for several guys he 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:05.719 never would have dreamed he would have played flore had 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:08.040 it not been for the Cashoe Ala Geet. But all 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:10.160 the while he felt like it was happening for a 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:12.000 reason and he was getting blessed by it. And here 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:14.839 he is now fulfilling his NFL dream. Because of it, 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:16.760 we're spending a few minutes with the voice of the 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:21.680 Kansas Jayhawks, Brian Haney. When Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.240 was asked about Hakim, the first thing that he spoke 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.280 of was his smarts. Did that stand out in your 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:32.680 interactions with him? Absolutely, very football savvy, a guy that 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.360 always on Tuesdays and we got to talk to the players, 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:37.320 you could always count on a great sound buy from 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:39.760 him because whether they'd only had a day or so 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.640 a film study, he'd already been watching in the weeks 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:45.080 leading up on that next opponent coming up. So he 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.320 always had a head for the scouting report in the 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:50.240 opposition coming up. And on top of that, he's just 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:53.280 a delightfully young guy to talk to. His mother is 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:56.960 from Nigeria and she was actually a broadcast TV star 0:14:57.080 --> 0:15:01.520 back in Nigeria as a reporter, anchor journalists, and so 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:04.080 he's always been a very well spoken young man. And 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:06.120 when you're adding how much he studies the game and 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:08.760 how well prepared he is weeken and we got I 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:11.280 think you'll find him from a media perspective as one 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:13.800 of your favorites to talk to. It seems like in 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.680 this particular draft, if you are not a team captain, 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:20.920 the Bengals aren't interested. It's been one team captain after 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:24.480 the next. And that was the case for a team identity. 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:29.120 What traits stood out that his teammates would want him 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:32.600 in that role? Great question. And you know when you 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.480 think about his four years of Kansas, and I talked 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.240 earlier about no matter what the circumstances are, always finding 0:15:39.240 --> 0:15:42.480 a positive adjust to move forward, starting with how he 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:45.760 arrived here to then the adversity of going through three 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:49.560 different offensive line coaches and two head coaches in his 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:54.160 time here. He was always the same consistent, eyes on 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:57.160 the prize, looking ahead as opposed to looking behind, and 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.680 all that type of mentality, and I think that's what 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.520 you needing a leader, a next playoff, next man up, 0:16:02.560 --> 0:16:05.240 that kind of mindset, and he had that throughout and 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:08.080 no matter who was doing the coaching on the sidelines 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:11.320 or who the headman was atop the program, he adjusted. 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:13.600 And Akim was the same guy, bringing his lunch pail 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:17.480 to work every single day, same approach, same hard work, 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:20.440 a rock steady solid and I think that's what you 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.880 want from leaders. Obviously, he didn't obviously enjoy as much 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.920 winning here as we would like the last time, well 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:28.560 not the last time, I guess you guys took Tanner 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:31.520 Hockinson in twenty thirteen, but before that, when you took 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.640 a Kansas offensive lineman in two thousand and eight, Anthony Collins, 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:37.960 he'd just come off twelve wins and the Orange Bowl championship. 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.000 And Ke never got that. But he was the part 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:45.720 of some really big individual moments, like beating Texas as 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:49.160 a sophomore, first time k You've beaten ut in fifty years. 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:51.880 He helps k you beat Boston College on national TV 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:55.440 this year, beat Texas Tech. I think he's excited to 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:58.320 get in with the great franchise. It's clearly on the 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.080 rise now at Joe Burrow and Tiggins and all these guys, 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:03.600 and be a part of a young nucleus that's going 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.240 to do a whole lot more winning than what he 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:09.320 ever achieved on the collegiate gridiron. And because he's so consistent, 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:12.520 so well prepared, and so determined, I think he's going 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:15.120 to fit into that pedigree at DNA with the rest 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.359 of those guys like Burrow and Higgins. Thanks to Brian 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:22.560 Haney for that in depth look at Hakim Adenagee, the 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:27.600 Bengal seventh and final pick was another linebacker, Marcus Bailey, 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:31.080 who grew up in Columbus before his standout career at Purdue. 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:34.080 He was still available with a two hundred and fifteenth 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.760 pick in the draft due to knee problems. Marcus toward 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:40.840 the ACL and his left knee as a freshman, then 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:44.160 toward the ACL and his right knee early last season. 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:47.840 Here's a closer look at Marcus Bailey from Purdue radio 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:52.720 voice Tim Newton. Marcus Bailey is a really instinctive football player. 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.320 When he hits somebody, they usually go down. He doesn't 0:17:56.359 --> 0:17:59.520 miss a lot of tackles. He's very good in open space, 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:02.439 going up against some of the best athletes in the 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:04.480 Big Ten one on one in the flat. He was 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:07.960 able to get guys to the turf with regularity. And 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:10.760 if he can stay healthy, I think the Bengals had 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:14.119 one of the steels of the draft. A Bengals coach 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:18.879 described him as a football junkie. Is that accurate? I 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:21.000 think it is. He would see him all the time 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.439 over in the football complex. You know he's a good student. 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:27.119 He was a three time academic All Big Ten. He 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:30.560 graduated early. In fact, was actually into his second year 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:35.199 of grad school starting the last season. So he's a 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:37.640 guy that is a student of the game. I think 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:41.240 again that matched with his instinctiveness on the football field, 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.640 has really made him a very productive player. And it's 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:46.639 a shame that his last season was cut short, just 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:49.439 as his first season was. But he's a guy that 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:51.640 football is very important to him. And I think he's 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:54.159 also a great leader, and that was shown by the 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:57.280 fact that his teammates voted him captain. We are visiting 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:00.240 with Purdue radio voice Tim Newton. When he suffered that 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:04.280 knee injury last year, second torn ACL of his Purdue career. 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:09.000 How devastating was that for the entire program. I think 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:11.080 of all the losses that Purdue had, and I've never 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.840 seen a team as ravaged last year by injury as 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.800 this team was. His was the biggest loss of all. 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.560 And it wasn't just the fact that he was probably 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.680 the best defensive player in terms of production, but he 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:25.960 was also the best leader. And I think that's really 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:28.359 where a lot of things went sideways in the season 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:31.120 last year for Purdue is after he got hurt, there 0:19:31.160 --> 0:19:33.960 wasn't that guy that could bring everybody together in the huddle, 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:37.240 in the midst of battle and say Okay, let's settle down. 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:39.120 We need to do this, that or the other thing. 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:43.040 They really really suffered after he went out last season, 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:45.600 So it was a huge loss booth from what he 0:19:45.640 --> 0:19:48.240 was able to do production wise, but also his leadership. 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:51.000 You mentioned him that you think he could turn out 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:53.879 to be a steal if he stays healthy. Did you 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:57.320 have any sense prior to his injury for how high 0:19:57.359 --> 0:20:02.120 he might have been drafted. I think he had. I believe, 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:05.320 and this is talking to some people in both in 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:08.440 the scouting business and on the coaching staff. I think 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:10.800 he was a second or third round talent. I really 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:14.640 believe that, just again from his productivity and the fact 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:17.600 that he is good in space. He's an outstanding athlete, 0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:19.480 and he played with a little bit of a chip 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:21.840 on his shoulder. He's a kid from Columbus that was 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:25.680 not recruited by his hometown team, and in twenty eighteen 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:28.720 he got a measure of revenge by taking an interception 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:31.200 in for a touchdown in the big win over Ohio State. 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:33.639 So he was a kid that was motivated from the 0:20:33.640 --> 0:20:36.639 time he got on campus. But I think when he 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:39.000 was healthy he was easily one of the best five 0:20:39.040 --> 0:20:41.919 linebackers in the conference. Mets saying a lot with some 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:44.920 of the talent we have at places like Ohio State, Michigan, 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:49.760 Penn State. But he was really a legitimate All Big 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:52.119 Ten player and I think was going to have a 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:56.159 great senior season. The Bengals have really struggled in recent 0:20:56.240 --> 0:21:00.080 years to find linebackers with coverage ability. You mentioned his 0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:03.680 pick six against the Buckeyes. He had six interceptions in 0:21:03.720 --> 0:21:07.400 his career at Purdue. Is that a strength it is? 0:21:07.480 --> 0:21:09.399 I think he's able to get out. I mentioned the 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:11.360 fact that he can get guys down in one on 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:14.280 one situations, but he's also going to be somebody that 0:21:14.320 --> 0:21:16.320 will be able to cover running backs coming out of 0:21:16.359 --> 0:21:19.080 the backfield. I think whether he had to pick up 0:21:19.080 --> 0:21:20.920 a tight end or a running back, he'll be able 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:24.720 to play in space and he's able to cover a 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:29.439 lot of ground. He's a sidelined a sideline players. I 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:31.760 think he's really again the whole package is the only 0:21:31.760 --> 0:21:34.639