WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: My Name Is 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.439 Hi, can everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:11.799 the Bengals Booth Podcast. The Hi My Name Is edition, 0:00:12.280 --> 0:00:15.000 because we take a look that the two players selected 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:17.800 by the Bengals on Day two of the draft, Plums 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:21.960 and wide receiver T Higgins and Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson. 0:00:22.239 --> 0:00:24.639 You'll learn about them from two people that know them well. 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:28.040 And then Dave Lapham joins me to discuss those picks 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:30.240 and look ahead to the final four round to the 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:34.400 draft on Saturday. The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:38.839 Prime Sport, the official fan, travel and hospitality partner of 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:41.720 the Cincinnati Bengals. And here's a quick reminder that you 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:45.280 can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered write 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:49.400 to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:54.800 get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since the TV 0:00:55.000 --> 0:01:00.560 coverage of this draft, all things considered, it's been remarkably smooth, 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.360 and that's a miracle in my opinion. They've bounced around 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:07.679 to hundreds of locations all over the country, between the 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:11.200 commissioner's basement and the homes of players, coaches, and gms, 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:14.560 and they've done it all with very few glitches. I 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:17.120 learned very quickly in my days as a TV sports 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:21.560 anchor that it is truly a team effort and everybody 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:24.480 involved in putting on the coverage of this draft has 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:29.040 done an incredible job. Now let's get to the newest Bengals. 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.000 With the first pick in the second round, the Bengals 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:35.520 chose six foot four inch two hundred and fifteen pound 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:39.440 Clemson wide receiver T Higgins, who left school after his 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.399 junior year and had a first round grade on the 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:47.000 Bengals board. He had twenty seven career touchdown catches to 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.200 tie for the most in school history with Tigers legends 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:54.160 DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. And here's the first thing 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:56.600 that T said when he did a zoom call with 0:01:56.720 --> 0:02:01.880 Cincinnati area reporters, quote in just getting the call from 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:06.400 my favorite team in the NFL, It's just surreal. Yep. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:10.600 Higgins is a Bengals fan because his favorite player is 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:13.720 a j Green. To learn more about T Higgins, I 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:17.520 spoke to the radio voice of the Clemson Tigers, Don Munson. 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.800 First and foremost, they're getting a young man who is 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:24.839 going to do a lot for the franchise there. He's 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:28.040 not going to be a problem off the field. He 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:31.919 is very coachable. He likes to go and work. He's 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:33.520 not afraid of going out there and work, and he's 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:35.440 not afraid of going out there and earning, you know, 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:38.320 his spot on the field. You know, he's he will 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:41.480 step on the practice field once we get going again 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:44.200 here and he'll go out there and try to compete 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:46.200 for a starting job. And I think that he's a 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:48.280 guy that that can win it. Now. I think he 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:49.920 needs to pick up a little bit more strength, to 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:51.960 be real honest with you, Dan, I think that that's 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:54.960 you know, when you draft a kid that's that hasn't 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:57.280 gone through four years of school, and I think that 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.200 you know, you're drafting a little bit of a younger guy. 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.399 So people need to I think understand that a little bit. 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:04.919 That he still has some maturing to do as far 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:07.640 as his body is concerned. But man, I'm telling you 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:11.440 two three years from now, I think that te Higgins 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:14.120 is going to be just an all world kind of player. 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:17.000 We had the opportunity to visit with him on a 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:19.799 zoom type conference a few minutes ago. The kids got 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.399 a megawatt smile. He seemed like he had a very 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:27.839 engaging personality. What was he like with his teammates. Oh, 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:30.800 he was like that from the time that he set 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:33.280 foot here on the on the Clemson campus. I mean 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:34.960 that was that's just who he is. And you know 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:36.880 that that was the other thing was to watch his 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:40.520 leadership ability grows as he went along here in his 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:43.760 Clemson career. You know, there there are certain kids that 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:45.600 you can just tell from the moment they sit on 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:48.280 step foot on campus that they're going to be an 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:51.320 impact in their group and then also in the locker room. 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:53.800 And and T was certainly able to do all of that. 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:56.480 We are visiting with the voice of the Clemson Tigers, 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.400 Don Munson. T did not knock it out of the 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:04.480 park in his pre draft testing. Does he play faster 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.320 than he ran? Yeah, I believe that that he does. 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:09.640 I mean if he's a very good route runner. You know, 0:04:09.800 --> 0:04:13.040 you don't see that that often with guys that are 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:16.000 big wide receivers. And that's what you're getting obviously. You know, 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:19.520 he's got size to him, he's got length, he's um, 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:22.840 he's got you know, really good hands that I think 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:25.479 that the basketball side of him also comes. You know, 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:27.839 he was a he was an all star basketball player 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.680 in high school and coach Sweeney and coach Scott at 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:32.800 the time when he was here as wide receivers coach. 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.120 They love those kind of guys, guys that are multiple 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:39.159 sport athletes. And he is a guy that you know, 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.080 he competes at high points for the ball, not afraid 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.520 to go out there and mix it up. Um. So 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:47.520 you know, I think you look at all those variables, 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.320 and you know, I think that if you're if you're 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.640 a Bengals fan right now, you got a smile on 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:54.080 your face. Yeah, and I do. I can tell you 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:58.080 that I believe he has an eighty one inch wingspan. 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.760 Catch radius, I guess is the hot phrase these days 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:04.279 when it comes to wide receivers and tight ends, and 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:07.159 it looks like that's one of his biggest strengths. And 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:09.920 he's a guy also yards after catch dan, I mean, 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:11.720 he's he's a guy when you go back and you 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.360 really watch what he did on film, you know a 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:17.160 lot of times he may be catching something that's only 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:19.599 six eight yards down the field, but then he's able 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:22.640 to shed tacklers and then go get extra yards. And 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:25.239 he's got enough speed where he can take at the distance. 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:29.240 I mean, he really can. So those are things that 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:32.080 T is just going to continue to improve upon. Again, 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:35.240 is he gets more physically mature than that part of 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:38.360 his game, I think grows even more so. I don't 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:40.280 know if this ever came up in one of your 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:44.400 conversations with T, but he is apparently an AJ Green 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:48.479 fanatic and a Cincinnati Bengals fan. Yeah, he was a 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:51.040 huge Bengals fan growing up as a kid, Bengals or 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:54.039 his favorite as his favorite team as well. You know, 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:56.440 he grew up right outside of Knoxville, so you can 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:59.680 kind of understand that that you know, really not that 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:03.840 far and probably in that market, got got some Bengals games, 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:05.840 and also you know, go back to the days when 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:08.359 the Bengals were successful. That's that's kind of in his 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.120 youth era. So you know he's he's used to, you know, 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:14.040 seeing some of those things. So, um, you know all 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:17.040 of that. I think, you know, Bodswell, whenever you draft 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:19.960 a guy that all of a sudden that that was 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:22.360 their favorite team as well, I think there's there's a 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:26.200 little bit more from that fellow to go into the 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:30.039 franchise and say, Okay, I'm you know, I'm not scared 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:32.520 to be here. I'm not I'm not upset that you 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:36.200 drafted me. I'm actually enthused that you drafted me. And 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:38.680 you know, anytime that you can get that, then man, 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:40.360 you lay hold of that and you run with it. 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:44.600 One more topic for Clemson broadcaster Don Munson. You called 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.760 the National Championship game last year. Unfortunately that one didn't 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.240 turn out well for the Tigers, largely because of Joe Burrow. 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:54.839 Share with us what the Clemson coaches were talking about 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:57.720 as they studied him going into the game, and then 0:06:57.760 --> 0:07:02.479 your impressions of what Joe did in that National Championship game. Well, 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.800 i mean the talk of Joe Burrow going into the 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:09.279 game certainly was one was his accuracy and two was 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:12.600 a way that he extended plays. And then those two 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:16.680 actually actually melded to be perfect because he would extend 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:19.280 plays and he would still make throws where he was 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:21.920 you know, dropping the ball into a bucket. Well, we 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:27.840 saw that obviously against Clemson there and they're in New Orleans. 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:30.360 I mean, he came out and just absolutely put on 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:32.600 a show. Things did not go well for him, you know, 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:35.720 first fifteen, seventeen, eighteen minutes of the game, but he 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:38.320 was able to shake all of that stuff off, and 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:40.640 you know, that's that's something that you know as a 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:44.280 as a quarterback, you love, I mean just absolutely love. 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:47.440 We saw some of that from our own quarterback. Obviously 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:50.600 in the semifinal game against Ohio State. Things weren't going 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:53.800 Clemson's way and still Trevor Lawrence stayed right in it. Well, 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:56.280 that's what that's what Joe Burrow did. And then you 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:57.960 know the way they came out and finished off the 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:01.360 second quarter, particularly scoring that that touchdown right before the 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:03.320 end of the first half, and that was a little 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.920 bit of a dagger that they were able to throw 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.400 at Clemson. A lot of that was because of Joe 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:11.920 Burrow and just the confidence that he had in that game. 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:13.920 He's this is a guy with a lot of swag. 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.080 He has a lot of confidence when he steps on 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:18.480 the field. I don't think that there's many throws that 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:20.600 he does not feel like that he can make. I 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:23.080 think he's got a better arm. Probably the most people 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:26.800 expect h you know, for being the number one overall 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.720 pick of the draft. He's he's got to come and 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:32.719 perform because it is a game of performance. But I 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:36.280 fully expect Joe Burrow to do exactly that. Burrow to 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:40.760 Higgins could be interesting. Yes, I am. I'm looking forward 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:44.160 to to that, to that combination. I think that that's 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:46.199 going to go very very well. You know, as long 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:49.480 as everybody can stay healthy, then those things will go 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:52.320 very very well for the Cincinnati Bengals. Don thanks for 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:54.440 hopping on the phone on short notice. I appreciate the 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:57.840 time absolutely, and good luck to all the Bengals fans up. 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:00.200 There'll be a lot of fun and watching you. I'll 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:03.439 play here in the coming year. Te Higgins was ranked 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:06.400 twenty fifth overall on the Pro Football Focus Draft board, 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:09.640 and they wrote that he is probably the most complete 0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:13.480 big receiver to come into the NFL in some time. 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:16.920 In the third round, the Bengals addressed their most pressing 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:21.080 need by selecting linebacker Logan Wilson from Wyoming, a six 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:24.000 to two hundred and fifty pounder who was a one 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:27.679 hundred ninety five pound defensive back in high school. He 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.079 was a four year starter and a three time captain 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:33.320 at Wyoming who was not only a tackling machine for 0:09:33.360 --> 0:09:37.800 the Cowboys, but finished with ten career interceptions. To learn 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:41.440 more about Logan Wilson, I spoke to Wyoming's radio color 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:46.120 commentator Kevin McKinney. Well, number one, we're really thrilled for him. Dan. 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:50.280 He's a great, great guy. Of course, he's a Woming native, 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.400 highest draft pick for a Woming nat ever to play 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:59.199 for Wyoming. So that's a piece of news in itself. 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:04.200 Came one as a walk on from Casper, and you 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:08.120 know it just worked so hard to make himself what 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:12.040 he is. He's wounding through and through. In fact, the 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:16.200 team calls him the governor and a very popular guy. 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:20.080 Of course, a team captain and all those things that 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:24.200 are intangible. But on the field, he is number one. 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:28.800 He can run, he's about two forty and he can fly. 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.720 That was a sideline, the sideline guy that we were 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:37.000 always impressed by, and I think from the very beginning 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:42.080 it was his speed that caught everybody's attention. He worked 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:44.520 hard to get himself to the size he is, but 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:49.320 he could always run, and obviously that was a big 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:52.440 attribute for him through his career. We're visiting with Woming 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:56.360 broadcaster Kevin McKinney. The Bengals saw him at the Senior Bowl. 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.280 Cincinnati coached the South team and Logan played for the 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:04.199 North team and the observation that we've heard is that 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:08.320 he was all business while he was there, immobile. Is 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:11.199 that a good description of his personality? It totally is. 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:16.880 He Uh, he comes to play, He's always ready to play, 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:21.000 and if you're not playing at his level, he's not 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:23.839 happy with you. So he's one of those guys that 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:29.800 just motivates everybody and he raises your level of play. 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:33.920 And I think that's always impressive for a guy. But 0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:38.559 he's uh, he's kind of a quiet guy, but uh 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:45.480 just really does such a great job of leading by example. 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:51.120 Looking at his career statistics, I see ten interceptions. What 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:54.480 does that say about his ability and pass coverage? Well, 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:58.360 I think Dan number one. He's a great student of 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:02.880 the game, and so nobody was any more prepared to 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:06.440 take the field than Logan, and so he always seemed 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:08.360 to be in the right place at the right time, 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.960 you know, that coach on the field type thing. And 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:15.199 a lot of it really was his experience. I mean, 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:19.200 he played four years and he told me one day, 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.600 he says, sometimes I feel like I know what's going 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.520 to happen before it happens, and that's just because I've 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:27.240 played a lot and have been around so he has 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:31.680 seen a lot of football and studying as he does 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.000 and being prepared as he is. He always seemed to 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:38.839 be in the right place fifty two consecutive starts, which 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:42.440 speaks to his durability. Did he play through a lot 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:44.240 of stuff? Is he one of those guys that just 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:46.840 no matter what bumps and bruises he might have had, 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:50.079 he wouldn't come off the field. Yeah, And that's exactly 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:52.760 what it was Dan. He had. He didn't have any 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:56.640 major injuries knock on wood. He was very fortunate there. 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:59.439 But you know he had a hand injury and he 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:04.000 at this injury and he had that injury, but nothing serious. Um, 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:08.199 you know, he's he's very sturdy, but he is durable. 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:11.719 He would not miss a start. He would play no 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.520 matter why. I think he played with a brace on 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:18.840 his hand in a couple of games. But um, you know, 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:22.480 he wasn't gonna he wasn't gonna come out of the lineup, 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:25.959 that's for sure. And and just a great team leader 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:30.199 because of that, Because of that kind of mentality. First 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:33.800 picking the third round, what was your anticipation for where 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:35.800 he might go, not in terms of team, but where 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.640 in the draft he might go. Going in. Well, I 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.080 think we honestly felt Dan that he would be a 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:47.120 third round guy, maybe late second round if things fell right, 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:51.400 But we were gonna be I think a little bit 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.280 disappointed if he didn't go in in the third round, 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.720 and uh, you know it was. It was one of 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.559 those deals that got it out of the way right away, 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:02.959 and I think that was good for him. You can 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:07.040 enjoy the evening, but we felt like from what we 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.439 had heard and from what teams were saying, that he 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.760 would be a high third round pick. The Governor is 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.640 coming to Cincinnati and we're excited about it. Kevin, I 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:19.640 appreciate the information. Thanks your time, you bet, Dan my pleasure, 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:23.800 and we're gonna be Bengal fans in Wyoming. Now. Now 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:26.520 time for a Day two recap and we'll look ahead 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:29.280 to the final day of the draft with my broadcast 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:32.720 partner Dave lapham Lap. When we spoke last night after 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:34.720 the first round of the draft, I asked you for 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:37.000 your prediction for the Bengals at the top of round 0:14:37.040 --> 0:14:41.120 two and your answer was the top wide receiver on 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:44.080 their board. Well, we learned who that was a little 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:48.640 bit after seven pm. Clemson's t Haggins a long time 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:53.640 Cincinnati Bengals fan, AJ Green fanatic, and a guy with 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:58.560 an AJ Green physique, six four long arms, good leaping ability, 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:02.440 and obvious lee. Somebody that the Bengals hope to pair 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:05.080 with Joe Burrow for a long time. Yeah, and I 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:09.040 think he's the type of guy that's likes to utilize 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:11.200 the middle of the football field. You know, they raved 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.480 about the coaches raved about it as did. He kind 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.000 of not brag about it, but listed it as one 0:15:17.040 --> 0:15:19.640 of his strengths as his toughness and ability to catch 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.640 the football sacrifice his body over the middle of the 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.880 football field. You know, he's one of He averaged over 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.960 eighteen yards per per reception. He's only twenty one years 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:33.080 old as well, So I mean, here's another guy that 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:38.000 from a culture standpoint in in the free agency, every 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:42.840 single player they signed, all eight players came from playoff programs, 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:48.560 playoff teams. So this kid, he's been in the College 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:53.480 Football Championship Series every year, playing for national championships at Clemson, 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.280 so he's he knows what it's supposed to look like. 0:15:56.720 --> 0:16:00.160 And I think they're looking for him to have some 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:04.600 energy and in stet a temple for the receiver physician, 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:06.880 even though he's on the younger end of things. I mean, 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:09.840 he seems to be a very competitive guy, and uh, 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.960 you know, he plays for championships, so he plays for keeps. 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.280 Nothing wrong with that. Bring as many of those guys 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:17.920 into the culture of the locker room as you possibly can. 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:21.480 The kids got a mega watt smile. I don't know 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:25.160 who his dentist is, but he's done a wonderful job, 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:30.000 but a very engaging personality, much like Joe Burrow. Last night, 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:34.160 I thought he showed himself extremely well in his zoom 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.720 call with Cincinnati area reporters. I agree with you, Dan, 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.920 And it's interesting that you know, Aj Green is the 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.480 guy that that he kind of has looked up to 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:48.560 and became a Bengal fan because of Aj Green. AJ 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.040 Green was the number one basketball player in the state 0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:54.320 of South Carolina, and this young man, he Higgins, was 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:58.160 an accomplished basketball player as well, and his junior year 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:02.040 he decided to special and just football and gave up 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:06.040 the basketball dreams and hopes he had some basketball opportunities. 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:07.919 I mean, it was probably a tough decision for him 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:10.720 to make. So there's a commonality there, you know, of 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:14.760 the athleticism, and um, I'm a g I think I 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:18.159 think a J. Green ish. I think he's definitely faster, 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.000 um but you know, as AJ ages, maybe not a 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:26.200 whole lot faster. But I do think that everybody, everybody 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:30.120 in the wide receiver corps has got their niche John 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:33.800 Royers unhealthy take the top off the T Higgins can 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.560 work the middle of the football field. AJ Green can 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:39.239 do everything. You can line him up anywhere and let 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:42.280 him do anything. And I think the thing they liked 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:45.200 about te Higgins is he's got some position versatility as well, 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.960 um Donald Clemson. They felt that they could line him 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:51.960 up anywhere and try and strive to find the best 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:54.479 match out that he wasn't limited. You know, it's just 0:17:55.080 --> 0:17:58.560 the split end position only, or the flank position only, 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:04.160 or the slot received for position only. So having as 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:06.880 many guys you possibly can being able to line up 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.960 anywhere puts a lot of pressure on defenses and in 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:13.359 trying to match up properly. So T Higgins did not 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:16.000 knock it out of the park when it came to 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:19.040 testing in the run up to the draft, ran a 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.680 four or five four forty at the combine, just a 0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:25.200 thirty one inch vertical leap. His one point six six 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:29.159 ten yards split was especially poor. Now, apparently he was 0:18:29.200 --> 0:18:31.920 dealing with a groin issue at the time, so that 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:35.720 may have influenced those numbers. It probably did. But then 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.920 I look at his career statistics average twenty yards. It 0:18:39.000 --> 0:18:42.240 catches a freshman sixteen yards. It catches a sophomore twenty 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:46.480 yards to catch as a junior, So his big playability 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.959 was there even though his testing numbers were a bit 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.800 of a head scratcher. Yeah, he's he's got a big 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:55.760 catch radius, you though. He's he's a big kid, tall, 0:18:56.480 --> 0:19:00.359 excellent hands, probably too good size hands, and any presents 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:03.440 himself as a you know, as a viable target for sure. 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:07.679 He's I think he's going to find that, um, you know, 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:10.199 contested catch is going to be a big deal and 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:12.560 for him, and I think he'll probably win his share 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:16.600 of those. So it's it's gonna be interesting to see how, 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:20.959 in fact, everybody's roll of balls because the wide receiver position, 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:23.760 I guess. You know, you draft a guy like Joe 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:27.440 Burrow with the first pick in the draft, the first 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:30.280 thing you want to do is give him as many weapons, 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:33.159 as many opportunities as possible. I don't know. Maybe the 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:37.000 way that you know they spread the football field down 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:40.560 there at LSU, maybe the Bengals should um see if 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:42.879 they can get a rule change in the NFL and 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:47.600 allow the Canadian Football League and twelve players use as 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:50.800 many receivers as possible and spread the stield even more. Uh, 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:54.080 you know, I do think that that's Joe Borrow strength, 0:19:54.240 --> 0:19:56.600 you know, is uh just you know, spread it out 0:19:56.640 --> 0:20:00.399 and just rip you apart, and as many many quality 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:03.120 people as you can't get that done, I mean, act 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:07.160 this is John Ross top ten pick, AJ Green top 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:11.639 five pick. Now T Higgins first round draft choice, basically 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:14.840 first pick of the second round. So you know it's 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:17.680 they've they've got they've got some talent. You know, you 0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:21.320 get tylert Boyd second round pick, not just high it 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.560 second round pick as T Higgins, but you've got you 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:27.880 got some pretty darn good, pretty darn good talent going there. 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:30.560 And the wide receivers kept flying off the board in 0:20:30.600 --> 0:20:33.080 the second round of the draft. T Higgins first pick 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:35.920 of the second round, Michael Pittman out of USC second 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:40.400 pick of the second round, then in order, Leviscus Channault, 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:47.560 kJ Hammler, Chase Claypool, Van Jefferson, and eventually, close to 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:51.800 the end of the second round, Denzel Mims, a player 0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:54.879 that had frequently been mocked draft, is a possibility to 0:20:54.880 --> 0:20:57.440 the Bengals at the top of round two. Well, and 0:20:57.560 --> 0:21:00.280 you look at him, U he led the country with 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:03.720 twenty contested catches. He had the best three cone times 0:21:03.760 --> 0:21:06.680 six point six six of any wide receiver. So obviously 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:10.640 you can go up and fight for the contested ball, 0:21:10.680 --> 0:21:14.400 the fifty fifty ball, and you know he can change direction, 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:16.760 sink his hips, get in and out of cuts with 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.480 that three cone drill. So I mean, he tested extremely well. 0:21:19.640 --> 0:21:22.040 And he's a good size, good sized guy as well. 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:26.480 So honestly, I think too. That's why you know, a 0:21:26.480 --> 0:21:29.320 lot of a lot of general managers and scouts around 0:21:29.359 --> 0:21:32.000 the league would say with the wide receiver position, you 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.600 may get the same guy at sixty four as you 0:21:35.680 --> 0:21:38.560 got at thirty two. There's very little difference between those 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:42.280 guys because it's so deep wide receiver position. I mean, 0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:44.880 six were taken in the first round and at least 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:47.200 the HACO doesn't hear it sounds like in the second round, 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:51.600 and you know, I know there's at least forty that 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:54.960 people feel are going to be draftable. In thirty three 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:58.200 of those forty may go in the first four rounds 0:21:58.200 --> 0:22:01.200 to the draft, So it's only just one. Yeah, it 0:22:01.240 --> 0:22:04.240 was seven in the second round. To be specific, Why 0:22:04.280 --> 0:22:07.520 do you think Josh Jones and Zach Bond were not 0:22:07.600 --> 0:22:10.800 taken in the first two rounds. I think Josh Jones 0:22:11.240 --> 0:22:15.880 um his length of his arms, it's it's not proportionate 0:22:15.920 --> 0:22:18.480 to his to his body. I mean, he's a he's 0:22:18.520 --> 0:22:21.879