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Speaker 1: Higain everybody, I'm Dan Horden. Thanks for downloading The Bengals

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Speaker 1: Booth Podcast, the Listen.

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Speaker 2: Edition.

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Speaker 1: As we get great insight into the Bengals twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: five draft class from their new position, coaches and or

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Speaker 1: former college teammates. Then it's my one on one conversation

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Speaker 1: with the team's director of college Scouting, Mike Potts. The

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Speaker 1: Bengals Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps,

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Speaker 1: proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by

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Speaker 1: Alta Fiber, future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home,

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Speaker 1: business and community to a new level, and by Kettering

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Speaker 1: Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health

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Speaker 1: is the official healthcare provider.

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Speaker 2: Of the Bengals.

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Speaker 1: Now here's a quick reminder that you can have the

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Speaker 1: latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet,

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Speaker 1: or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's

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Speaker 1: the greatest thing since finishing a great book. I don't

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Speaker 1: read nonsports stuff as often as I should, but I

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Speaker 1: recently finished the book Killers of the Flower Moon, and

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Speaker 1: I'm so glad I picked it up. It's a book

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Speaker 1: about a series of murders in the nineteen twenties, and

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Speaker 1: the research done by author David gran to explain exactly

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Speaker 1: what happened and why is nothing shorter remarkable. I know

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Speaker 1: it was made into a movie a couple of years ago,

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Speaker 1: but in my experience, the book is almost always better

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Speaker 1: than the movie. So if you're looking for something interesting

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Speaker 1: to read, Killers of the Flower Moon gets a draft

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Speaker 1: grade of A. Now let's get to my first guest.

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Speaker 1: Now that the twenty twenty five draft is in the

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Speaker 1: rearview mirror, I thought it would be interesting to learn

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Speaker 1: more about the Bengals six picks from guys who either

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Speaker 1: already know them or are about to work with them

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Speaker 1: very closely. First round pick Shamar Stewart was one of

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Speaker 1: three Texas A and M defensive linemen selected in the

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Speaker 1: first two rounds this year. Nick Gordon and Shamar Turner

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Speaker 1: were the others. Furthermore, Walter Nolan, the player selected one

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Speaker 1: spot ahead of Stuart by the Arizona Cardinals, was his

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Speaker 1: teammate for two years at A and M before playing

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Speaker 1: his final college season at Ole Miss. All of those

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Speaker 1: guys looked up to fellow defensive lineman and two time

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Speaker 1: captain McKinley Jackson, who had some interesting things to say

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Speaker 1: about Stuart's low sack total with the Aggies. How do

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Speaker 1: you describe your former teammate Shamar Stewart.

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Speaker 3: First of all, he's a great individual, willing to learn

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Speaker 3: and listen. Never had proud of by itself, never uh,

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Speaker 3: just never been afraid to learn, always been a student

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Speaker 3: of the game. And you know he's he's a specimen.

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Speaker 3: And I honestly like guys like six six to AE

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Speaker 3: send it by to eighty is freaking nature. I mean

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Speaker 3: you've seen the numbers. I mean there's a lot of

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Speaker 3: speculations about production all that, but I mean ton of

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Speaker 3: tape on and you'll see, matter of fact, turn of

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Speaker 3: two and watch every prospect that was on the tape

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Speaker 3: with him. I mean there's the other first round. These

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Speaker 3: guys want to take a round. I mean between Shamon

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Speaker 3: Stule and Walston Noland for their days, Samar Turner, guys

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Speaker 3: on on so forward.

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Speaker 4: Like it's hard to.

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Speaker 3: Make those plays when guys like that are playing around you,

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Speaker 3: Like it was hard to get those numbers like that

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Speaker 3: when guys like that are playing around you. But like

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Speaker 3: from a collective standpoint, I mean we did. We did

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Speaker 3: some well, and I give all the props to our coaches,

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Speaker 3: Terry Price with the Lajah Robinson, because I mean, look

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Speaker 3: at them, like I said, look at the numbers, like

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Speaker 3: look at the tape, like it's this draft pick at

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Speaker 3: the draft pick each year and we go to those guys.

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Speaker 3: But chamorro Chamar's gonna be special tenant for us.

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Speaker 1: As the seventeenth pickers approaching. And you're I assume you're

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Speaker 1: following the drafts were you're getting excited about the possibility.

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Speaker 3: Walter got drafted to the Cardinals. I mean, I haven't

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Speaker 3: played with them. I didn't play with them this past year.

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Speaker 3: Of course I'm in the NFL and he went to

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Speaker 3: all missed, but you know, it's still support and love

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Speaker 3: with my end.

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Speaker 4: So I was glad then.

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Speaker 3: And then I figured we was on the clock next saying,

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Speaker 3: I was like, damn, I heard I have seen Mi

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Speaker 3: dres about some more stoud getting dragged to us, and

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Speaker 3: I'm like, damn, I hope, I hope it's him right here.

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Speaker 4: And I'm watching it and I got and I've seen

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Speaker 4: it like everybody ever seen it.

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Speaker 3: And I was like, Damn, I'm parut of this kid,

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Speaker 3: because I love the work he put it in. And

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Speaker 3: I'm just more so power because because I was a

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Speaker 3: guy he looked up to and learned from. And I'm

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Speaker 3: glad he's part of his journey and I'm glad I

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Speaker 3: can help him, help him out at his next level.

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Speaker 4: It's from an experience I got being here for a year.

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Speaker 3: I might not have much knowledge, but you know I

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Speaker 3: got I got some jewels to drop for him.

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Speaker 1: As you mentioned, we've all seen the combine numbers and

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Speaker 1: some of the crazy stuff that he did in terms

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Speaker 1: of this athleticism. What was the craziest thing you ever

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Speaker 1: saw that that made you think, Holy cow, this guy's

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Speaker 1: a different cat.

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Speaker 3: I mean, the first day he walked on campus, like

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Speaker 3: seventeen eighteen years old, looked like a full mon secuity guard.

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Speaker 3: I'm just like, damn, I'm like, how dore you just

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Speaker 3: with a big baby face, a big smile full of golds,

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Speaker 3: And he's just like, I'm madteam, I'm like, damn, So.

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Speaker 4: You ready to work? He said, of course?

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Speaker 3: And every since then, even Boughting started off with you

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Speaker 3: know kind of like you know, just like young, young natured, uh,

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Speaker 3: just your football capability, just god giving ability, and you know,

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Speaker 3: just didn't have to take mequ but like as we

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Speaker 3: started getting older and started learning and start learning how

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Speaker 3: to use what God gave us, that's when we're seeing

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Speaker 3: those this production in the sec like we did.

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Speaker 1: It sounded like you were a little bit annoyed by

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Speaker 1: how much people are focusing on the low stat or

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Speaker 1: low sack number in his college career.

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Speaker 3: I mean from the blind eye where you don't turn

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Speaker 3: the tape and watch the tape. I could I could

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Speaker 3: get while you say that, you know, it's kind of

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Speaker 3: disturbing for someone that plays.

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Speaker 4: The sport and actually.

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Speaker 3: See what's going on and knows what's going on and

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Speaker 3: just beyond their level. I know it's going on the

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Speaker 3: second level, third level, a lot of things to go

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Speaker 3: in to play.

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Speaker 4: So you know, I'm just I'm.

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Speaker 3: Looking at the tape rather than looking at the numbers,

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Speaker 3: and the tape is freaking immaculate.

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Speaker 4: Like this guy's special.

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Speaker 3: I mean he's like a freaking a foot freaking bullet train,

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Speaker 3: like just running through through the get I mean, I mean,

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Speaker 3: turn the Arkansas game, turn it on from twenty twenty

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Speaker 3: three and twenty twenty four, and you to me, like

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Speaker 3: the one year difference for him, and he still looks

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Speaker 3: exposed from both. Well, I'm just glad. I guess I'm

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Speaker 3: glad to see like the traditioner he had this year

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Speaker 3: and just understanding his place that and the capability he has.

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Speaker 1: Later on the podcast, I'll talk to scouting director Mike

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Speaker 1: Potts on the Bengals plan for making Stewart a better

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Speaker 1: pass rusher. But now let's turn the second round pick

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Speaker 1: Demetrius Knight, who could be in the mix to start

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Speaker 1: next to Logan Wilson at linebacker. Here's this new position

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Speaker 1: coach and a newcomer to the Bengals coaching staff. Mike Hodges.

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Speaker 1: What impressed you most about Demetrius Knight on tape?

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Speaker 5: The speed, the running hit, Uh, there's some there's some

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Speaker 5: flash plays with him that are really exciting to watch.

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Speaker 5: And you know this game is a speed game and

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Speaker 5: so he fits right into it.

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Speaker 1: After meeting him in person, it's impossible not to root

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Speaker 1: for the guy. His personality lights up the room. How

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Speaker 1: important are intangibles at linebacker?

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Speaker 5: I think if anybody goes through an evaluation process without

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Speaker 5: weighing that part of the process or using that data point,

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Speaker 5: they're they're felling the system because it is critical because

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Speaker 5: at the end of the day, like it or don't

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Speaker 5: like it, they're gonna end up being the captains of

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Speaker 5: the defense and or at least the most vocal person.

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Speaker 5: So the way they carry themselves, the way they do

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Speaker 5: those things, really it can really heighten the defense as

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Speaker 5: a whole. And so if you bring those types of

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Speaker 5: guys in, you know, hopefully the tide rises and we're

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Speaker 5: all rising together. So those are the I mean, the

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Speaker 5: character in the makeup of the linebacker room right now

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Speaker 5: is really in a good place, and I'm excited about it.

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Speaker 1: He spent six years in college football, but really only

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Speaker 1: played linebacker full time the last couple of years. How

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Speaker 1: much upside is left for a guy who will be

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Speaker 1: twenty five in July.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I think that there is some growth there. There's

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Speaker 5: always areas for growth, myself included, and so we're always

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Speaker 5: going to identify those. And so there's clear I see,

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Speaker 5: I don't see his best football yet. I see I

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Speaker 5: hope that that's with us, and so we're going to

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Speaker 5: work to maximize him from day one.

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Speaker 1: Night spent last year at South Carolina and the year

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Speaker 1: before at Charlotte Prior to that, he was mostly a

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Speaker 1: special team stand out at Georgia Tech, where his teammate

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Speaker 1: for one season was Bengals offensive lineman Devin Cochrane. You

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Speaker 1: were with Demetrius kind of before his career took off.

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Speaker 1: What do you think of what he's become over the

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Speaker 1: last couple of years.

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Speaker 6: Oh, man, If I had to put in a one word,

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Speaker 6: I'd just say resilience. You know, I've seen him when

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Speaker 6: I was at Tech. I saw the work ethic he had.

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Speaker 6: I saw just the type of guy was. You know,

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Speaker 6: I think he's married with kids now too, just family guy.

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Speaker 4: You know. Honestly, it didn't surprise me.

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Speaker 6: You know, I knew that a guy like him would

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Speaker 6: would excel wherever he went, and that's exactly what he did.

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Speaker 1: He seems like a really easy guy to root for.

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Speaker 1: I would imagine as a former teammate, you had to

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Speaker 1: be thrilled.

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Speaker 6: Absolutely, it was awesome to see that he got picked

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Speaker 6: up here. And then now I have to think about

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Speaker 6: blocking him. So that's another thing, you know, because I

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Speaker 6: remember just how hard he went, you know, in practice

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Speaker 6: and every day just his day to day grind.

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Speaker 4: You know, he's a guy who he's gonna bring it,

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Speaker 4: so you gotta be ready for.

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Speaker 2: Is he a culture center?

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Speaker 6: Absolutely yeah, talked about her hit on it earlier. Just

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Speaker 6: him being a family guy, not really something you see.

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Speaker 6: And then you know on the defensive side of the

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Speaker 6: ball too. You know, for him to be as a

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Speaker 6: stink in stincschool as he is as a linebacker, but

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Speaker 6: then to be rooted in something that's bigger than you

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Speaker 6: know himself, is pretty is gonna be.

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Speaker 4: I think he's going to be a guy to look for.

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Speaker 2: He was a high school quarterback.

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Speaker 1: Did you at the stage that you played with him,

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Speaker 1: was he still developing the skills to be a linebacker?

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Speaker 4: Absolutely?

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Speaker 6: I mean I would imagine so I had no idea that,

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Speaker 6: But I mean I think seeing him, you know, body

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Speaker 6: type framework, you know what he the way he lifted

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Speaker 6: when we would work with coach Lewis Carroll.

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Speaker 4: Again, I'm not surprising at all.

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Speaker 1: Later, Mike Potts discusses the reasons for choosing Night number

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Speaker 1: forty nine overall. In the third round, Cincinnati chose six five,

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Speaker 1: three hundred and twenty five pound Dylan Fairchild. Offensive line

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Speaker 1: coach Scott Peters traveled to Georgia for a hands on

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Speaker 1: workout with the Bulldogs starting left guard for the past

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Speaker 1: two seasons. Coach, what sold you on Dylan Fairchild?

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Speaker 7: Oh, it's a number of factors, you know, Dylan.

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Speaker 8: We did obviously did a lot of work in the

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Speaker 8: draft looking at, you know, every guard that was conceivably

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Speaker 8: available for the draft, and one thing that really stood

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Speaker 8: out with Dylan is is his just his size, athletic ability,

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Speaker 8: in his play, strength, He's he's one of the strong

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Speaker 8: people I've ever tied up with. Very strong. He's a

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Speaker 8: great kid. He's humble, you know, he works very hard.

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Speaker 8: He's extremely tough, and I think, you know, all that

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Speaker 8: stuff with his dimensions, his physical nature, the way he

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Speaker 8: plays extremely hard, those are the things that we you know,

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Speaker 8: really stood out to me.

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Speaker 4: You know.

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Speaker 8: I think he can set a firm anchor in there.

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Speaker 8: He's got the tools to play long, which is something

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Speaker 8: we emphasize as in protection.

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Speaker 7: He's got good feet to move.

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Speaker 8: And I think, you know, he's got all the tools

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Speaker 8: you're looking for in a player, especially a guard.

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Speaker 4: You know.

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Speaker 8: So I think for for us, it was a no

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Speaker 8: brainer at that point in time just to take Dylan

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Speaker 8: because I think, you know, like I said, he has

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Speaker 8: all the traits so that you're looking for in an

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Speaker 8: elite guard.

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Speaker 1: You referenced tying up with him. One of the most

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Speaker 1: famous draft stories in Bengals history involves Anthony Munyo's and

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Speaker 1: you may know this Forest Greg goes out to California

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Speaker 1: to work them out. Forrest gives him a little pass

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Speaker 1: rush move. Anthony jams him and knocks him on his butt,

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Speaker 1: and Forrest was convinced, all right, I've got my guy.

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Speaker 1: When you tied up with Dylan, how instrumental was that

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Speaker 1: in making you think, Okay, I've got my guy.

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Speaker 7: It was actually very big. It's so it's funny that

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Speaker 7: that happened.

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Speaker 8: I I have heard that story from Jim McNally, and

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Speaker 8: you know, I like to put hands on guys because

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Speaker 8: you get a sense for how strong they are. The

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Speaker 8: biggest thing for me is understanding, like how quickly can

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Speaker 8: they learn not just the things that they learn on

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Speaker 8: the playbook, you know, that's very important too, to understand

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Speaker 8: the offense and what we're trying to do.

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Speaker 7: And they're they're kind of.

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Speaker 8: Their collective football IQ, But how quickly can they put

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Speaker 8: that mind body connection together when they learn a new skill?

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Speaker 8: And uh, when I got with Dylan. I was, I

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Speaker 8: was very imps I left very impressed. I thought, you know,

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Speaker 8: this is a guy that can learn. He can physically

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Speaker 8: apply things from you know, the classroom right to the grass.

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Speaker 8: He can make those micro adjustments with his body, you know,

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Speaker 8: when he's told to do that.

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Speaker 7: I think it was I.

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Speaker 8: Was, I was thoroughly impressed, and I thought, you know,

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Speaker 8: in fact, I kind of pushed to pull on him

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Speaker 8: in a drill and I wasn't budgeing this guy. And

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Speaker 8: I can't say that that's the first time I've actually

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Speaker 8: had a player that strong, honestly and in the many years.

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Speaker 7: I've been doing this. So to me, uh yeah, it

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Speaker 7: was kind of a it was.

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Speaker 4: It was.

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Speaker 8: It was exciting because I thought I'd love to get

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Speaker 8: this guy, and so it just happened to work out

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Speaker 8: that way that we picked him.

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Speaker 7: So so I'm really real pumped about it.

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Speaker 1: I think he gave up one sack in more than

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Speaker 1: eight hundred pass blocking snaps at Georgia. Obviously most of

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Speaker 1: those games are in the SEC. Is that his strength

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Speaker 1: right now? His past protection ability.

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Speaker 8: I'd say that Dylan is a raw player still, so

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Speaker 8: you know, his strength is his are the attributes he

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Speaker 8: has and and his strengths are really the character, the person,

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Speaker 8: the football character. That's that's really how you project a guy,

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Speaker 8: because you say, well, he has the physical tools to.

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Speaker 7: Do all this stuff that we wanted to do.

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Speaker 8: And of course, like you know, everybody's different in college,

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Speaker 8: I mean, players are trained differently. So I would say

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Speaker 8: that the strength that he has is his ability to

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Speaker 8: learn techniques and you know, the raw canvas that he brings,

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Speaker 8: it's it's a really solid foundation.

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Speaker 7: He's strong, he's long, Like I said, he can anchor.

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Speaker 8: He's powerful, he's got, you know, a good head on

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Speaker 8: his shoulders, and he really wants to be great at football.

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Speaker 8: So those are the things I look at right now.

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Speaker 8: I think from everything else is kind of a process.

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Speaker 8: We're gonna train him, we're gonna develop him, get him

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Speaker 8: doing the things that we do here. So I'm reluctant

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Speaker 8: to say his strength is passed pro I'm gonna say

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Speaker 8: his strength is all the traits that we like about

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Speaker 8: him right now. And I think as he grooms, as

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Speaker 8: we groom him and build him, I think we'll start

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Speaker 8: to see a lot of these things start to shine through.

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Speaker 2: Later.

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Speaker 1: I'll ask Mike Potts if there were so many good

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Speaker 1: guards in this draft that the Bengals figured they would

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Speaker 1: be able to get a starter in the first three rounds.

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Speaker 2: In the fourth.

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Speaker 1: Round, the Bengals doubled down on the linebacker position with

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Speaker 1: a selection of Barrett Carter, a team captain last year,

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Speaker 1: who one NFL scout describes as follows a total slam dunk.

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Speaker 1: Not the biggest or longest guy, just a super tough, competitive,

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Speaker 1: physical leader. Once again, here's linebackers coach Mike Hodges.

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Speaker 5: Well, he's a really smart player. He's been a cat

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Speaker 5: and for a long time. He's he's probably as more

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Speaker 5: of one of the more instinctual players in this draft class,

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Speaker 5: and so that pays dividends for him in a lot

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Speaker 5: of ways like it would anybody. But again, another high

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Speaker 5: character guy like you mentioned. I think he's gonna come

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Speaker 5: in here and he's gonna compete, and he's gonna be

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Speaker 5: able to be a swing guy if we need him

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Speaker 5: to because of his intelligence. So he's gonna give us

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Speaker 5: some flexibility. But he's a really good ad for our room.

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Speaker 1: He never came off the field at Clemson, whether it

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Speaker 1: was on defense for every snap or special teams. The

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Speaker 1: overall value that he brings to a team strikes me

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Speaker 1: as being extremely high.

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Speaker 4: That's right.

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Speaker 5: I think everybody that we bring in has to have

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Speaker 5: some sort of value outside of just playing linebacker. And

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Speaker 5: so if they don't fit into Darren's room or they're

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Speaker 5: not the number one guy, they're not really the right fit.

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Speaker 5: So they got to be one of those two things.

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Speaker 5: They either need to be a guy that could play

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Speaker 5: all four downs or at least early downs in fourth

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Speaker 5: down or early downs and third down. You know that

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Speaker 5: that formula has to add up, and he has proven

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Speaker 5: to do that. And it's interesting because in college football

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Speaker 5: there's so much rotation. You're like, why is this guy

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Speaker 5: coming off? Demetrius is a perfect example of that. He

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Speaker 5: played less than seventy five percent of the snaps, but

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Speaker 5: this guy, they didn't want to take him off the

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Speaker 5: field and had They had a hell of a run

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Speaker 5: the last couple of years, particularly this last year, so

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Speaker 5: he's a big part of that. And you can't find

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Speaker 5: a person in that building that says anything negative about

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Speaker 5: this player.

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Speaker 7: So excited to get him in the room.

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Speaker 1: Ales Murphy was Barrett Carter's teammate for two years at Clemson.

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Speaker 1: You obviously know Barrett Carter describe him on the field.

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Speaker 9: Easy one is gonna give it his all, honestly, go

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Speaker 9: one hundred and ten miles an hour, every single play,

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Speaker 9: regardless of where he's at, one.

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Speaker 2: Of the linebacker, the special teams.

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Speaker 9: Rushing the pass, and dropping in coverage.

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Speaker 4: He's gonna let it, put it.

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Speaker 9: He's gonna put his body on the line.

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Speaker 2: That's for sure.

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Speaker 9: Coachable, respectable dude, most a lockable persons up. I feel

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Speaker 9: like he's a just a great all around player in

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Speaker 9: my opinion.

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Speaker 1: I saw some comments from coaches and other guys that

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Speaker 1: played with him last year. It sounds like a really

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Speaker 1: high character guy, captain qualities, a good person for culture.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I say that's spot.

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Speaker 9: On, right on, right on, a hit right on the head.

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Speaker 4: Honestly.

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Speaker 9: Uh, play with him for two two seasons when I

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Speaker 9: was at Click Clemson and about I can attest to

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Speaker 9: all of those comments, and but that's that's just who

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Speaker 9: he is.

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Speaker 1: Played a lot of special team snaps in college. Obviously,

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Speaker 1: when you're drafted kind of middle of the draft, you're

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Speaker 1: expected to contribute in that area right off the bat.

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Speaker 1: Is that something he'll embrace in your opinion.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I think so.

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Speaker 9: Like I said, like, regardless of where you put him

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Speaker 9: on the field, as long as he's on the field,

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Speaker 9: he's gonna put his body on the line and go

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Speaker 9: all out ever reason could play.

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Speaker 4: So I do feel like he's a I feel like

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Speaker 4: he's a player that's.

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Speaker 9: Gonna make just make his Martin, just put his put

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Speaker 9: his name on the map, honestly.

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Speaker 1: Later, Mike Potts tells us why the Bengals doubled down

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Speaker 1: at linebacker at that stage of the draft. Cincinnati doubled

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Speaker 1: down again in the fifth round, this time on offensive

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Speaker 1: line by picking six to six, three hundred and twenty

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Speaker 1: pound Jalen Rivers. Once again, I discussed him with offensive

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Speaker 1: line coach Scott Peters. I'm not sure that I've ever

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Speaker 1: read about an offensive lineman at the college level that

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Speaker 1: played so many snaps at tackle and guard in.

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Speaker 2: The same game.

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Speaker 1: It's one thing to see a guy okay, in this

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Speaker 1: game he's needed to tackle, the next game, he's needed

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Speaker 1: at guard. He was playing twenty plus snaps at both

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Speaker 1: positions in just about every game he played in last year.

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Speaker 1: How unusual is that it is.

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Speaker 8: Highly unusual, and it's but it's also highly attractive to

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Speaker 8: us because you know, you get a player that can

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Speaker 8: just make that transition and seamlessly, you know, jump from

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Speaker 8: one position to the.

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Speaker 7: Next in the middle of a game. That takes a lot.

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Speaker 8: And I think it really speaks to what Jalen brings

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Speaker 8: here too. I think he's got a you know, another

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Speaker 8: kid with a great head on his shoulders, an upstanding person,

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Speaker 8: good football IQ really wants to be great, works at it,

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Speaker 8: and you know nothing's too big for him. You just

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Speaker 8: he'll jump in and jump out and and again. Like

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Speaker 8: when you're you're looking at players in the draft, you know,

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Speaker 8: one of the biggest things that you're looking for is

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Speaker 8: position flexibility. And so that's one thing that Jalen has

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Speaker 8: going for him and I think he'll bring that to

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Speaker 8: us here in Cincinnati.

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Speaker 1: What are his best football traits.

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Speaker 8: Jalen's got, I'd say this, we talk about strengths. I

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Speaker 8: think pass protection is clearly the best thing he does.

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Speaker 8: He's got great length, He's got a great build for

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Speaker 8: pass pro. He moves well. You know, he has good

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Speaker 8: hand placement, really good strikes. I think he can anchor,

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Speaker 8: he can do all the things you're looking for in

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Speaker 8: both a guard and a tackle, So you know, I

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Speaker 8: think for him, you know, those are the things we're

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Speaker 8: going to build on that foundation. So yeah, he's got

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Speaker 8: great traits there and you know, looking forward to gett

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Speaker 8: our hands on him too.

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Speaker 1: He shared the story about how his father, his stepfather,

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Speaker 1: and his mother all spent more than thirty years in

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Speaker 1: the Navy. So it sounds like that discipline that you're

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Speaker 1: looking for as a coach has been something that's been

439
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,760
Speaker 1: part of his life since he was an infant.

440
00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,280
Speaker 8: That really does help, you know. I mean we're obviously

441
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,520
Speaker 8: we run a regimented program here and being a professional,

442
00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:11,720
Speaker 8: those are things that come naturally to him.

443
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:12,960
Speaker 7: He you know, he's a.

444
00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,360
Speaker 8: He's a great worker, a great kid, very smart, very diligent,

445
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:19,840
Speaker 8: detailed and and respectful and I think he's just a

446
00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:21,840
Speaker 8: good person all around. I think he'll do well here,

447
00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,840
Speaker 8: you know. So definitely, I think the military influences that

448
00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:26,639
Speaker 8: definitely had a positive effect. A lot of times you

449
00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,840
Speaker 8: get players that come from backgrounds like that, and you know,

450
00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,080
Speaker 8: it really is very similar in a sense. It's with

451
00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,480
Speaker 8: the regimented programs that we run, So you know, those

452
00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:36,880
Speaker 8: are those are nice things you don't have to worry

453
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:38,679
Speaker 8: too much about a kid like that showing up on

454
00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:40,800
Speaker 8: time and and and doing the things that he needs

455
00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:41,040
Speaker 8: to do.

456
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,040
Speaker 7: To, you know, to be a pro.

457
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,240
Speaker 8: And that's where, you know, one of the things again,

458
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,800
Speaker 8: when you get rookies in the building, sometimes it's a

459
00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,800
Speaker 8: it's a it's a process to get them just to

460
00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,960
Speaker 8: learn how to be a professional. Uh, that's all separate

461
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,879
Speaker 8: from the things that they got to do on the field.

462
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,960
Speaker 8: So but Jalen, great kid, great character, Super excited to

463
00:20:57,960 --> 00:20:59,040
Speaker 8: get the chance to work with them.

464
00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:02,919
Speaker 1: Matt Lee was drafted in the seventh round by the

465
00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,919
Speaker 1: Bengals last year. The previous season, he started on the

466
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:11,840
Speaker 1: University of Miami's offensive line with Rivers. What are the

467
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,040
Speaker 1: Bengals getting in your former Miami teammate Jalen Rivers.

468
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,240
Speaker 10: Jalen's a a lot of stuff, man. He's a first off,

469
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,680
Speaker 10: high character guy in and out of the building football

470
00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,920
Speaker 10: and his own personal life. Super high character, really good friend,

471
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,360
Speaker 10: really good teammate. He's versatile. He can even could take

472
00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:32,160
Speaker 10: some snaps if you wanted to at center. Obviously played

473
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,000
Speaker 10: guard and tackle. He's played both of those a bunch

474
00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:37,560
Speaker 10: in college. Strong, physical, smart.

475
00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,360
Speaker 4: Is gonna know the offense. He's a I think he'd

476
00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:41,360
Speaker 4: be good. It'd be good.

477
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, sounds like you could have been a Bengals scout.

478
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:46,199
Speaker 2: With that rave review.

479
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:50,399
Speaker 4: Yeah, dude, No, And he's a.

480
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 10: Jalen is out of everyone I've played with, one of

481
00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:53,040
Speaker 10: the highest character dudes and one of the dudes that

482
00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:57,240
Speaker 10: just prepares himself for success. You know, his body and

483
00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:59,280
Speaker 10: knowing what he's got to do for the most part

484
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,000
Speaker 10: on the skimatite and how he comes in and works,

485
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,760
Speaker 10: and how he treats his teammates and coaches. And I

486
00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:06,520
Speaker 10: know he's in Miami for five years. I was only

487
00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:08,879
Speaker 10: there with him for a year, but it was that

488
00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,520
Speaker 10: times ten. You know, captain leader in the room and

489
00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,479
Speaker 10: one of the leaders, and I think that'll help him

490
00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:16,640
Speaker 10: really well transition into this level.

491
00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:18,359
Speaker 2: He mentioned versatility.

492
00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,960
Speaker 1: I was really surprised by how many times he played

493
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,159
Speaker 1: a lot of snaps at tackle and guard in the

494
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,440
Speaker 1: same game last year. I know you weren't with him

495
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,000
Speaker 1: last year, but is his versatility unusual in the sense

496
00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:32,520
Speaker 1: that he seems like he's good at both, not like

497
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,080
Speaker 1: really good at one and could do the other in

498
00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:35,520
Speaker 1: a pinch.

499
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:36,440
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think.

500
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:39,400
Speaker 10: I mean he originally I think went to college really

501
00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:41,680
Speaker 10: to play guard, and then because of personnel and stuff

502
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,119
Speaker 10: like that, I ended up playing a lot of tackle,

503
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:44,560
Speaker 10: and last year playing guard and tackle.

504
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:45,920
Speaker 4: Two. I know when I was with him he played

505
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:47,920
Speaker 4: exclusively left tackle.

506
00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:51,000
Speaker 10: Based on what he looks like and what I know

507
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,159
Speaker 10: about him, I think he'd probably be better suited to

508
00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:56,600
Speaker 10: play on the inside, but he's tall enough, big enough,

509
00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,800
Speaker 10: long enough, strong enough, quick enough to play outside as

510
00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:03,320
Speaker 10: well well. I think his physical attributes and his strength

511
00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:05,600
Speaker 10: and stuff is probably playing guard, but I don't see

512
00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,320
Speaker 10: why he couldn't do it outside too.

513
00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,600
Speaker 1: In my upcoming conversation with Mike Potts, I'll ask him

514
00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:16,080
Speaker 1: if Scott Peters has a type whenen't choosing offensive lineman.

515
00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,920
Speaker 1: The Bengals final pick was running back Taj Brooks out

516
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,920
Speaker 1: of Texas Tech, the fourth leading rusher in Big Twelfth history,

517
00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,359
Speaker 1: behind three guys that played at least eight years in

518
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:32,280
Speaker 1: the NFL, Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams, and Darren Sprolls. Here's

519
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:37,320
Speaker 1: Bengals running backs coach Justin Hill. Coach, you've got a

520
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,720
Speaker 1: history with Taj Brooks, apparently going back to when he

521
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:41,960
Speaker 1: was like in ninth grade.

522
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,160
Speaker 11: Yeah, yeah, going all the way back to my days

523
00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,119
Speaker 11: at Tulsa as they recruited him. I think we were

524
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,920
Speaker 11: his first offer, and he committed to us pretty early

525
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,760
Speaker 11: and started our strong, but couldn't finish it. Obviously obviously

526
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,680
Speaker 11: went to Texas Tech. He had a great career. He's

527
00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:00,960
Speaker 11: a guy that I'll followed just because I spent so

528
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,080
Speaker 11: much time with him and his family, his mom and dad,

529
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 11: him his little sister. They come up to campus, had

530
00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:10,080
Speaker 11: toldso quite a bit, so got to know them pretty well.

531
00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:11,920
Speaker 4: I followed his career and.

532
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:16,080
Speaker 11: It's pretty cool, cool weekend, pretty cool, just everything, watch

533
00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:17,399
Speaker 11: everything come back full circle.

534
00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:19,320
Speaker 4: Get a chance to actually work with him.

535
00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:24,520
Speaker 1: This was a really deep running back class, and of

536
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,560
Speaker 1: all of these great running backs, Taj had some of

537
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,240
Speaker 1: the greatest production of them all. Fifteen hundred plus yards

538
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,320
Speaker 1: last year, fifteen hundred plus yards the year before, top

539
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,000
Speaker 1: one hundred yards in every game last season in a

540
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:41,040
Speaker 1: different year. Does he go much higher in the draft?

541
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,760
Speaker 11: I mean yeah, you could say he could. I mean

542
00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,640
Speaker 11: you can make arguments for a lot of these guys.

543
00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,360
Speaker 11: I think it all comes down to fit, and we're

544
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,120
Speaker 11: just fortunate that he fell to us when he did.

545
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,040
Speaker 11: But love the fit, Love the guy high character. He

546
00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:57,600
Speaker 11: checks a lot of boxes. So yeah, you could absolutely

547
00:24:57,600 --> 00:24:59,560
Speaker 11: make that argument that in a different class maybe he

548
00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,080
Speaker 11: does go higher. But I'm just excited that we got

549
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:04,480
Speaker 11: a chance to get them, get a chance to work

550
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:04,920
Speaker 11: with them.

551
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,240
Speaker 1: Describe his running style, his skill set, and what he

552
00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:09,200
Speaker 1: adds to your room.

553
00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:14,439
Speaker 11: Yeah, he's extremely versatile. I'm excited about him because you know,

554
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:16,480
Speaker 11: as you turn on the tape and you watch guys,

555
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,400
Speaker 11: you watched all these all these guys in this draft class.

556
00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,199
Speaker 11: You're looking for fit and you're looking at what are

557
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:25,440
Speaker 11: their skill sets, what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses?

558
00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,080
Speaker 11: And Tiz has got he checks a lot of boxes.

559
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,080
Speaker 11: As a back in this league, it's not just about

560
00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:33,400
Speaker 11: how would you run the ball on first and second down?

561
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,120
Speaker 11: You gotta add value in other ways too. It's about,

562
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,359
Speaker 11: especially in all offenses, what do you do in the

563
00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:41,960
Speaker 11: past game? What are you doing past protection? Obviously, how

564
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,440
Speaker 11: would do you run the ball? Do you do you

565
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:46,879
Speaker 11: add value as a short short artist back as well?

566
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,120
Speaker 11: And then on top of that, do you have can

567
00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:51,440
Speaker 11: you add value on special teams? That's a big part too.

568
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,560
Speaker 11: You know, if we've got three guys up on game day,

569
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,359
Speaker 11: two of those guys are probably gonna have to play

570
00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:00,280
Speaker 11: pretty of a role on special teams. So those all

571
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:02,960
Speaker 11: things that factor in. I think Tis he checks a

572
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,560
Speaker 11: ton of boxes for us. Extremely versatile, he's tough to tackle,

573
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,040
Speaker 11: He's got great lateral quickness and body control. He can

574
00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,679
Speaker 11: make miss anywhere on the field, and so that was

575
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:17,080
Speaker 11: that's something really exciting to watch him as he plays.

576
00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,280
Speaker 11: And then the past protection piece too. I mean, not

577
00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:21,800
Speaker 11: every guy is gonna be a finished product. None of

578
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,239
Speaker 11: these guys. I mean there was a ton of them

579
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,639
Speaker 11: that were really good in protection. But rarely do you

580
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,359
Speaker 11: see a college running back transition to the NFL and

581
00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:32,679
Speaker 11: immediately make an impact on third down. As far as

582
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,520
Speaker 11: past protection goes, that takes time. That's that's tough for anybody.

583
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,800
Speaker 11: But the one thing you are looking for is willingness.

584
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:40,479
Speaker 4: Uh.

585
00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,159
Speaker 11: Do they have the want to techniques not gonna be

586
00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,520
Speaker 11: great always, but but is he willing?

587
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:46,520
Speaker 4: Does he step up?

588
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:48,360
Speaker 11: Does he have some traits that you can work with?

589
00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:51,359
Speaker 11: And like I said, Tis he checked a ton of

590
00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:53,639
Speaker 11: boxes for us, So I think he's a guy that

591
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:56,160
Speaker 11: can can step in and fill a ton of different

592
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,440
Speaker 11: roles for us. Uh, And they just kind of see

593
00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:00,920
Speaker 11: how his career progresses, but I think he's gonna have

594
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:01,840
Speaker 11: a really good career here.

595
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,000
Speaker 1: When it comes to protection for running back, what is

596
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:06,760
Speaker 1: more important will or skill?

597
00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:09,920
Speaker 4: I think it's the one two personally.

598
00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:14,439
Speaker 11: I mean, you can you can talk about scheme and

599
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,359
Speaker 11: talk about technique.

600
00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,440
Speaker 4: All you want to, but when it's.

601
00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:20,439
Speaker 11: Third down and we're playing these divisional games and you

602
00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,320
Speaker 11: get some tough looks, it's all about want two as well.

603
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,119
Speaker 11: And it's not even third down. That's about first and

604
00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,119
Speaker 11: second down. To a simple plug pressure, you gotta be

605
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,160
Speaker 11: willing to step up and take on a bull rush

606
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,160
Speaker 11: or an athletic guy that might try to cross your face.

607
00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:38,240
Speaker 11: So there's a ton of different things that go into it,

608
00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:43,600
Speaker 11: but the one thing I look at is how unselfish

609
00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,159
Speaker 11: are you? And how well do you play without the

610
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,600
Speaker 11: ball in your hands? How well do you run routes

611
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,040
Speaker 11: when you know you might not be the primary target,

612
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,440
Speaker 11: And then how well do you block for your quarterback?

613
00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:55,879
Speaker 4: Do you take pride in that?

614
00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,400
Speaker 11: And some guys you can tell right away what type

615
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,520
Speaker 11: of guy they are in TAJ when you turn on

616
00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:04,560
Speaker 11: the tape, and a lot of these guys in this class,

617
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,639
Speaker 11: and I think the guys that we have on this

618
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,040
Speaker 11: roster right now, talking about Chase, talking about Samaje uh,

619
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,920
Speaker 11: and then adding times to the mix as well. Those

620
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,600
Speaker 11: guys know the value and pass protection, especially in our offense.

621
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:20,399
Speaker 11: We're gonna be a dropback team. That's that's what we do.

622
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:22,720
Speaker 11: We're gonna throw the ball around. We've got the greatest

623
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,919
Speaker 11: quarterback in the universe. We've got the greatest receivers in

624
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:31,120
Speaker 11: the universe. So we're gonna give them their opportunities. So

625
00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,320
Speaker 11: with that being said, we got to do our job

626
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,359
Speaker 11: as backs and step up and protect. It's not just

627
00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:37,640
Speaker 11: Ted in the line. You know, they got to keep

628
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,640
Speaker 11: Joe healthy, it's us too. We got to keep them

629
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:41,880
Speaker 11: up right. And so we take a lot of pride

630
00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,160
Speaker 11: in that in the running back room.

631
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:43,600
Speaker 1: Uh.

632
00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 11: And I think we've got we've got a room full

633
00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,200
Speaker 11: of guys that take pride in that as well. And

634
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:49,640
Speaker 11: then where that is a badge of honor.

635
00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,920
Speaker 1: My conversation with Mike Potts is next. But first, here's

636
00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,760
Speaker 1: a quick reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought

637
00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,000
Speaker 1: to you by Paid Corps, proud to be the Bengals

638
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:04,400
Speaker 1: official software provider by Alta fiber future proof fiber Internet

639
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,240
Speaker 1: designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a

640
00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:10,560
Speaker 1: new level and by Kettering Health the best care for

641
00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,120
Speaker 1: the best fans. Kettering Health is the official healthcare provider

642
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:20,640
Speaker 1: of the Bengals. Now Here's director of college scouting Mike Potts. Mike,

643
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,200
Speaker 1: let's start with first round pick Shamar Stewart. Was his

644
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,120
Speaker 1: combine performance among the best you have ever seen by

645
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 1: a man his size?

646
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 12: Yeah, it was outstanding.

647
00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:31,840
Speaker 13: There's not too many people that have those type of

648
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,920
Speaker 13: measurables that he has, and it was really impressive to see.

649
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,040
Speaker 13: But the good thing is you see those measurables show

650
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,760
Speaker 13: up on tape in terms of his size, explosiveness, speed,

651
00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:44,040
Speaker 13: and then also what stands out about him is just

652
00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:46,320
Speaker 13: how hard he plays and how violent he plays. So

653
00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:50,360
Speaker 13: the measurables certainly show up, and then when you go

654
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:52,600
Speaker 13: to the combine and see him put those numbers up,

655
00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:53,480
Speaker 13: it's really impressive.

656
00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:58,400
Speaker 1: It's been portrayed as a traits more than production pick,

657
00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:00,240
Speaker 1: but I want to push back a little bit on

658
00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:04,760
Speaker 1: the word production because he had the fifth best run

659
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,400
Speaker 1: stopping grade in the country for edge people according to

660
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,840
Speaker 1: Pro Football Focus. He had a bunch of pressures. He

661
00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,240
Speaker 1: was top ten in the SEC in terms of quarterback pressures.

662
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,680
Speaker 1: What he didn't have were sacks. So it's not production,

663
00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:23,360
Speaker 1: it sacks. How can the Bengals help him in that area?

664
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,680
Speaker 13: Yeah, you're right, he was very disruptive. He shows up

665
00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:29,360
Speaker 13: all over the tape. I think our coaches have a

666
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,640
Speaker 13: plan for him. They want to work with this guy.

667
00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:34,480
Speaker 13: They're eager to work with him and develop them. Our

668
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:37,560
Speaker 13: coaches have worked with guys with similar backgrounds in the

669
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,560
Speaker 13: past to Schmar, so that makes you feel good about it.

670
00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,280
Speaker 13: We had a ton of discussions on him. I think

671
00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:45,760
Speaker 13: part of what you like about him is how hard

672
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:48,840
Speaker 13: he plays. Sometimes maybe we can reel him back in

673
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:51,800
Speaker 13: a little bit. You never want to rhal them in

674
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,520
Speaker 13: too much in terms of that effort and high motor

675
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:56,920
Speaker 13: that he plays with. But if you can come under control,

676
00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,440
Speaker 13: he may may give him a better chance to finish

677
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,600
Speaker 13: some of those sets that you're talking about. But again,

678
00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:04,800
Speaker 13: he is a very disruptive player. He shows up all

679
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,320
Speaker 13: over the tape, plays with violence, and I'm glad that

680
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,240
Speaker 13: we ended up with him, and he's got a ton

681
00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:11,840
Speaker 13: of upside to keep getting better and better.

682
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,520
Speaker 1: Were there's several people in play when you were on

683
00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,000
Speaker 1: the clock at number seventeen or with Stewart's significantly higher

684
00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:21,640
Speaker 1: on your board than anybody else still available.

685
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,240
Speaker 13: There were a number of people in play at every

686
00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,160
Speaker 13: draft slot that we were at.

687
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:28,400
Speaker 12: You're always constantly talking to other teams.

688
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,320
Speaker 13: We had a lot of potential trades sketched out with

689
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,840
Speaker 13: other teams, whether it was to move back or move up,

690
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,000
Speaker 13: and you just constantly talk through it. We're always prepared

691
00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:42,560
Speaker 13: for every possible scenario. We discuss the pick leading all

692
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,920
Speaker 13: the way up to it, from seventeen picks in advance

693
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,160
Speaker 13: and then all the way up until three to one

694
00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,320
Speaker 13: picks prior, and we have a board hashed out and

695
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,160
Speaker 13: it's up there. There's no panic at the last minute,

696
00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:58,120
Speaker 13: and the communication is excellent in our draft room. So

697
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:00,720
Speaker 13: I commend everybody that was in there in terms of

698
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:03,520
Speaker 13: that process, and we're glad with the result.

699
00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:07,320
Speaker 1: In the second round, you took linebacker Demetrius Knight. NFL

700
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,880
Speaker 1: dot Com projected him to go in the second.

701
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 2: Or third round.

702
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,040
Speaker 1: I saw some other gurus that said maybe the third.

703
00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,920
Speaker 1: Did you have reason to believe that he would not

704
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:17,560
Speaker 1: be there if you waited?

705
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:20,200
Speaker 13: That was a risk at the end of the day

706
00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,360
Speaker 13: that Duke has to make the final decision on. You know,

707
00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:27,360
Speaker 13: he's in that decision maker chair. And he was a

708
00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,080
Speaker 13: guy that we had consensus on between our coaches and

709
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,800
Speaker 13: our scouts that looked at him. We had a vision

710
00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,400
Speaker 13: for him as a player as scouts before Al and

711
00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:39,440
Speaker 13: some of the new defensive coaches even got here, and

712
00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,320
Speaker 13: then their vision aligned with our vision for the player.

713
00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:43,800
Speaker 12: We all really liked them.

714
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:47,080
Speaker 13: We had consensus and conviction on them. So, yeah, you

715
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:51,080
Speaker 13: always weigh the different scenarios of you could take this

716
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,400
Speaker 13: guy and then run the risk that this guy could

717
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,920
Speaker 13: be there later. Could you possibly make a trade here

718
00:32:57,120 --> 00:32:59,280
Speaker 13: or a trade there. So we talked through all of

719
00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,640
Speaker 13: those scenarios and at the end of the day, all

720
00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:05,280
Speaker 13: of those options were presented to Duke and he made

721
00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:09,040
Speaker 13: the final decision. And I commend him for the discipline

722
00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:11,680
Speaker 13: and the patients that he showed throughout the process to

723
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:13,680
Speaker 13: take the player that he felt was the best player

724
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:14,040
Speaker 13: for us.

725
00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:18,320
Speaker 1: How much did Al Golden's input influence the guys that

726
00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:19,400
Speaker 1: you chose on defense?

727
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:24,040
Speaker 13: Al certainly had a strong voice in the process. We

728
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,480
Speaker 13: had a prior relationship with Al, so it was a

729
00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:32,200
Speaker 13: very easy transition in terms of this process and getting

730
00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,880
Speaker 13: on the same page with him, and he was great

731
00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:37,719
Speaker 13: to work with, so I think that's a good thing

732
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,240
Speaker 13: about our process. Everybody has a strong voice in the room.

733
00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:44,440
Speaker 13: Everybody is really good listeners and really open minded to

734
00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,640
Speaker 13: everybody's thoughts and opinions, and Al was certainly a big

735
00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:50,640
Speaker 13: part and a guy that had a strong voice in

736
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:51,440
Speaker 13: those discussions.

737
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:54,960
Speaker 1: He went offensive lineman in round three with Dylan Fairchild,

738
00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,600
Speaker 1: PFF's number one graded past blocking guard in this draft.

739
00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:02,800
Speaker 1: Is that the most important skill that you were looking

740
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:04,560
Speaker 1: for when it came time to choose a guard.

741
00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:08,120
Speaker 13: I think with the amount of times that we throw

742
00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:11,040
Speaker 13: the ball in our offense, certainly pass protection is at

743
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:15,280
Speaker 13: the forefront and very important. Dylan is a really athletic player.

744
00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:18,439
Speaker 13: He's got all the size, strength, measurables that you could

745
00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:21,280
Speaker 13: ask for. They speak about him like he's the strongest

746
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,640
Speaker 13: person in their program. I'm sure you've seen the wrestling

747
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:28,280
Speaker 13: background with sixty seven to zero heavyweight wrestler, state champ,

748
00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:31,200
Speaker 13: all of those things. I think you see that element

749
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:33,480
Speaker 13: in his game on tape as well, just with the

750
00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,440
Speaker 13: strain and the finish that he plays with in his

751
00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,160
Speaker 13: hand use. You know you can see the wrestling background

752
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,680
Speaker 13: on his tape, But yes, to answer your question, we

753
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:45,000
Speaker 13: think he's got a lot of upside in pass pro.

754
00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:48,080
Speaker 13: He's far from a finished product right now. He is

755
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:49,960
Speaker 13: a good player as it is, but I think his

756
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:54,240
Speaker 13: upside is as good as most offensive linemen in this draft,

757
00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,200
Speaker 13: and we're really excited about what he can become working

758
00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:57,920
Speaker 13: with our coaches.

759
00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,680
Speaker 1: We're visiting with Bengal scouting director Mike Potts. Zach Taylor

760
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,920
Speaker 1: and Dan Pitcher said right after the Dylan Fairchild pick

761
00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,239
Speaker 1: that it's pretty clear that the left guard job is

762
00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,160
Speaker 1: his to win as a rookie. Did you go into

763
00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 1: this draft thinking there are enough good guards will be

764
00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,680
Speaker 1: in a good position to potentially take a starter in

765
00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:18,680
Speaker 1: the first three rounds.

766
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,640
Speaker 13: I think we thought that, but you never know, so

767
00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:24,359
Speaker 13: you have to play the board. You have to put

768
00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,920
Speaker 13: values on guys, you have to be ready to take

769
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:30,400
Speaker 13: another position if your guys get wiped out at a

770
00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:33,759
Speaker 13: certain spot. We felt good about Dylan being a guy

771
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,759
Speaker 13: that we targeted there in the third round. There were

772
00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,040
Speaker 13: some other guys that were in the discussion in the

773
00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:43,359
Speaker 13: top three rounds as well, so you never know. It's

774
00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:46,760
Speaker 13: a hard process to pin down and predict at times,

775
00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,520
Speaker 13: but all we can do is have our discussions from

776
00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:53,240
Speaker 13: every different angle, evaluate every possibility, and put our board together.

777
00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:55,320
Speaker 13: And at the end of the day, the board speaks

778
00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:57,920
Speaker 13: to you. And we thought the value met the need

779
00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,640
Speaker 13: there at that round in the third and we're happy

780
00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:02,080
Speaker 13: that we ended up with Dylan Fairchild.

781
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:05,240
Speaker 1: In the fourth round, you doubled down at linebacker, taking

782
00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:09,839
Speaker 1: Clemson's Barrett Carter. Dabosweeney raves about him both in terms

783
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:13,400
Speaker 1: of his playing ability and his character, having already taken

784
00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,520
Speaker 1: a linebacker. Was this a case of a guy that

785
00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:18,760
Speaker 1: was simply too good to pass up at that point?

786
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,959
Speaker 13: Yeah, he was the top guy on our board there.

787
00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,080
Speaker 13: And again there's different scenarios that you can play. You

788
00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:28,800
Speaker 13: can take different positions, you can potentially explore a trade,

789
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:30,840
Speaker 13: and at the end of the day, all of the

790
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:36,160
Speaker 13: options and opinions were discussed. Everybody voiced their opinions and

791
00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:39,920
Speaker 13: thoughts leading up to that pick, and Duke's in the

792
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,680
Speaker 13: chair to make that final decision, and he decided that

793
00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:45,040
Speaker 13: we go with this top guy on our board. Once

794
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,600
Speaker 13: he does that, everybody's on board with it. We're very

795
00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,200
Speaker 13: happy that Barrett Carter, who's a guy that you could

796
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:52,400
Speaker 13: argue maybe we could have even taken earlier than the

797
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:54,880
Speaker 13: fourth round. For sure, he could have been a target

798
00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,320
Speaker 13: in earlier rounds for us. But at the end of

799
00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:00,839
Speaker 13: the day, he was still there. We did not think

800
00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,120
Speaker 13: he would last much longer than that if we didn't

801
00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,839
Speaker 13: take him there in the fourth round. So we ended

802
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,759
Speaker 13: up revamping that linebacker room with Barrett and Demetrius as well.

803
00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:12,640
Speaker 13: So I'm really excited about the young talent that we

804
00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:13,439
Speaker 13: added to that room.

805
00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,960
Speaker 1: Barrett rarely came off the field at Clemson, between defense

806
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,800
Speaker 1: and special teams. He played nearly twenty five hundred snaps

807
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:23,120
Speaker 1: in his college career. Do you expect a big special

808
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,160
Speaker 1: teams role from him right away?

809
00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,319
Speaker 13: Yeah, Darren had a high regard through him for him

810
00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:31,879
Speaker 13: throughout the process. He's very athletic, he can run, He's

811
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,360
Speaker 13: played on special teams throughout his career there at Clemson.

812
00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:39,399
Speaker 13: He is a physical guy who's a good tackler. So

813
00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:42,400
Speaker 13: he's going to really help Darren in whatever role Darren

814
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:44,040
Speaker 13: has carved out for him, and he's going to help

815
00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:46,840
Speaker 13: our defense as well. So he's a really well rounded

816
00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:48,920
Speaker 13: player that can help on all four downs.

817
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:51,560
Speaker 1: In the fifth round, he went back to the offensive

818
00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:55,200
Speaker 1: line and took the University of Miami's Jalen Rivers. Last year,

819
00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:59,480
Speaker 1: he played twenty or more snaps at left tackle and

820
00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:03,480
Speaker 1: left gold in the same game six times. I'm not

821
00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:05,600
Speaker 1: sure that I've ever seen that before. You might have

822
00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,800
Speaker 1: a guy that played left guard one year, left tackle

823
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,120
Speaker 1: the next, but to do it for many snaps in

824
00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:14,320
Speaker 1: the same game and basically half of their games is

825
00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:18,279
Speaker 1: highly unusual. How big a factor was his versatility in

826
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:19,560
Speaker 1: selecting him when you did.

827
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:20,880
Speaker 12: That was a huge factor.

828
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,719
Speaker 13: It's unbelievable the ability he had to bounce back and

829
00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:28,320
Speaker 13: forth between two positions in almost every game. Like you said,

830
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,640
Speaker 13: series to series, he may not know the next series

831
00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:34,239
Speaker 13: where he was going to end up lining up, but

832
00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:37,239
Speaker 13: that just shows you the trust that Miami staff had

833
00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:41,239
Speaker 13: in him, his football intelligence, his instincts, his makeup. We

834
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:44,279
Speaker 13: had him in here on a visit. His character is exceptional,

835
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:48,160
Speaker 13: and I think you see elements of that in his

836
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:50,440
Speaker 13: game when you flip the tape on. He's a very

837
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 13: instinctive player, very aware. He's got long arms, and he's

838
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,840
Speaker 13: really good in pass protection. So that kind of circles

839
00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:59,440
Speaker 13: back to what you had originally asked about Dylan Fairchild

840
00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:04,479
Speaker 13: and upside element of his game. So he's another guy

841
00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:07,799
Speaker 13: that we were a little surprised was still there in

842
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:11,239
Speaker 13: the fifth round at that point. Offensive Line is a

843
00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:15,000
Speaker 13: position that is of the utmost priority for most teams,

844
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,719
Speaker 13: but our team for sure, and that's a spot that

845
00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,000
Speaker 13: we wanted to address, and again the need met the

846
00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:22,200
Speaker 13: value there in the fifth round.

847
00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:24,920
Speaker 1: You've got a new offensive line coach this year in

848
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:29,040
Speaker 1: Scott Peters. Does Scott have a type and is it

849
00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:30,960
Speaker 1: different from Frank Pollock's type.

850
00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:32,640
Speaker 12: I don't know if Scott has a type.

851
00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:34,520
Speaker 13: I wouldn't want to speak for him, but it's been

852
00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:36,400
Speaker 13: great to get to know him. It's been great to

853
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,759
Speaker 13: spend a lot of time with him. I was with

854
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:41,640
Speaker 13: him out on the Pro day circuit several different places

855
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,680
Speaker 13: and had a ton of discussions in the office, in

856
00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:48,520
Speaker 13: person and or over the phone about you know, just

857
00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:51,080
Speaker 13: getting on the same page with guys that he liked,

858
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:52,480
Speaker 13: different techniques that he's.

859
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:52,879
Speaker 12: Going to use.

860
00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:54,719
Speaker 13: So it's been great to work with him. It's been

861
00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,440
Speaker 13: great to see him get hands on some of these players.

862
00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,800
Speaker 13: Just being with him at the Pro days, and working

863
00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:03,000
Speaker 13: with these guys. So I wouldn't want to speak for

864
00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:05,600
Speaker 13: him in terms of his type, but he was a

865
00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:09,120
Speaker 13: huge asset to us in this scouting process and I'm

866
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:10,840
Speaker 13: looking forward to working with him moving forward.

867
00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:12,200
Speaker 2: You had one more pick.

868
00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:14,520
Speaker 1: It was in the sixth round Texas Tech running back

869
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:19,000
Speaker 1: Taj Brooks. Anybody that watched him last year against UC

870
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:21,719
Speaker 1: likes this pick. He had thirty two carries for one

871
00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:24,359
Speaker 1: hundred and seventy two yards in that game. In a

872
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:28,920
Speaker 1: really talented running back class. What jumped out to the

873
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:30,400
Speaker 1: Bengals about Taj Brooks.

874
00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:33,200
Speaker 12: We really liked the running back class this year. We

875
00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:34,280
Speaker 12: thought it was really deep.

876
00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:37,279
Speaker 13: Again, I was a little surprised that he was there

877
00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:39,160
Speaker 13: in the sixth round, but I think that just speaks

878
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,400
Speaker 13: to the depth of the draft class at that running

879
00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:44,680
Speaker 13: back position. He's a guy that we had targeted throughout

880
00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:49,000
Speaker 13: the process. You absolutely love his production, his makeup. I mean,

881
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,480
Speaker 13: going for over fifteen hundred yards each of the past

882
00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:55,680
Speaker 13: two seasons, all of the touchdowns that he had, He

883
00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,319
Speaker 13: catches the ball well. He's got upside and ability and

884
00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,440
Speaker 13: pass protection, so he's really a well rounded player. He

885
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,880
Speaker 13: could potentially help Daron as well. On special teams units.

886
00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:08,080
Speaker 13: So there's really not a whole lot to dislike about

887
00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:10,719
Speaker 13: Taj Brooks. And again, if you're not talking about such

888
00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:14,400
Speaker 13: a high quality running back draft class, he's probably a

889
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:16,960
Speaker 13: guy that goes earlier than where we were able to

890
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,399
Speaker 13: select him there in the sixth round. So he's another

891
00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,200
Speaker 13: guy that we're really excited about. Running Back is a

892
00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:25,080
Speaker 13: position that we went into the draft at multiple different

893
00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:28,960
Speaker 13: levels with the potential to address that position, and we

894
00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,120
Speaker 13: waited till our last pick in the sixth round.

895
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,600
Speaker 12: And again, we were really excited.

896
00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:37,439
Speaker 13: That he was still available in the sixth round because

897
00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:39,799
Speaker 13: he's a guy that we could have Sawn could have

898
00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:42,279
Speaker 13: could have potentially saw going earlier in the draft.

899
00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:45,719
Speaker 1: The Bengals have not announced the college free agents that

900
00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:47,680
Speaker 1: are likely to join the Bengals, so I can't ask

901
00:41:47,719 --> 00:41:52,160
Speaker 1: you about specific names yet. But only having six picks

902
00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:55,200
Speaker 1: did that make it a little bit easier to sell

903
00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:57,920
Speaker 1: opportunity to some of the guys that went undrafted?

904
00:41:58,480 --> 00:41:59,240
Speaker 12: For sure, we're.

905
00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:01,319
Speaker 13: Really excited about some of the college free agents that

906
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:04,040
Speaker 13: we've agreed to terms with. We can announce those later

907
00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:06,719
Speaker 13: once the contracts are officially finalized.

908
00:42:06,719 --> 00:42:08,279
Speaker 12: But yeah, when you only have.

909
00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:11,200
Speaker 13: Six picks, two of them on the O line and

910
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:13,800
Speaker 13: two of them are in the linebacker room. So that

911
00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,680
Speaker 13: leaves only two other positions that we actually addressed in

912
00:42:16,719 --> 00:42:19,200
Speaker 13: the draft. So some of the positions that we didn't

913
00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:22,719
Speaker 13: didn't address. That's an attractive spot for some of these

914
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:26,600
Speaker 13: undrafted players and their agents as well. So that's part

915
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:29,080
Speaker 13: of the selling point that we get on the phone

916
00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:32,439
Speaker 13: and sell those guys on in terms of the opportunity here.

917
00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:35,640
Speaker 13: And like I said, we're really excited about some of

918
00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:37,680
Speaker 13: the players that we've agreed to terms with and I

919
00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:39,200
Speaker 13: think they've got a chance to really help us.

920
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:41,280
Speaker 2: You didn't draft to safety.

921
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,120
Speaker 1: Is that just the way the board fell or is

922
00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,000
Speaker 1: it a reflection of how you feel about the guys

923
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:46,759
Speaker 1: that are already here.

924
00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:48,320
Speaker 12: It's a combination of both.

925
00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:51,480
Speaker 13: Safety is a position that we valued a number of

926
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:53,880
Speaker 13: guys in this draft at different levels, and there were

927
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,920
Speaker 13: a lot of guys that were in the discussion in

928
00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,560
Speaker 13: almost every round that we could have addressed that safety position.

929
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:03,040
Speaker 13: Like you said, it didn't work out that way. That's

930
00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:05,799
Speaker 13: just not the way the boards shook out for us.

931
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:10,080
Speaker 13: So we do like the safeties that we have on

932
00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:12,719
Speaker 13: the roster right now, and we think, you know, some

933
00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:16,320
Speaker 13: of our guys even have more upside to potentially ascend

934
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:18,960
Speaker 13: and get better than what they've been so far. So

935
00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:23,000
Speaker 13: that's a position that will continue to monitor throughout the offseason.

936
00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:25,160
Speaker 13: But we do like the guys that we have in

937
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:28,560
Speaker 13: the room right now. But it's an ongoing process leading

938
00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:30,440
Speaker 13: all the way up until Week one of the season

939
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:33,239
Speaker 13: in terms of evaluating the options that are out there

940
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:34,120
Speaker 13: to upgrade the roster.

941
00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:38,399
Speaker 1: Similar question about defensive tackle. You re signed BJ Hill,

942
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:39,400
Speaker 1: you signed TJ.

943
00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:40,040
Speaker 2: Slayton.

944
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:43,360
Speaker 1: You drafted two defensive tackles high last year, Chris Jenkins

945
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,799
Speaker 1: in round two the Ckinley Jackson in round three. How

946
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,360
Speaker 1: did that impact your approach to the defensive tackles in

947
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:49,960
Speaker 1: this draft.

948
00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:53,200
Speaker 13: Yeah, it was a really good defensive tackle class as well.

949
00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:56,400
Speaker 13: Similar to the safeties, that just didn't shake out perfectly

950
00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,440
Speaker 13: for us there with only six picks and not making

951
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:02,520
Speaker 13: any trades and adding additional picks, we weren't able to

952
00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:04,680
Speaker 13: address that defensive tackle position.

953
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:05,440
Speaker 12: Unfortunately.

954
00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:08,760
Speaker 13: There definitely were guys, Like I said with the safety,

955
00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:11,040
Speaker 13: there was guys in almost every round at defensive tackle

956
00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:13,319
Speaker 13: that were in the discussion. It just didn't break that

957
00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:16,160
Speaker 13: way for us, and again we'll continue working through all

958
00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:19,200
Speaker 13: the defensive tackle options. You mentioned some of the undrafted

959
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:21,319
Speaker 13: guys that could be options for us to help out

960
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:24,040
Speaker 13: the roster and then other avenues as well. But that's

961
00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:25,799
Speaker 13: definitely something that we have our eyes on.

962
00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:28,640
Speaker 1: Who do you view as the best candidates to give

963
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:31,840
Speaker 1: you an inside pass rush from the guys that you

964
00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:32,840
Speaker 1: already have on the roster.

965
00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:35,880
Speaker 13: Well, a lot of our guys in that defensive end

966
00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:38,920
Speaker 13: room have a lot of versatility. You saw Joseph Osai

967
00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:42,200
Speaker 13: kick inside there last year camp sample has done a

968
00:44:42,239 --> 00:44:45,560
Speaker 13: lot of it in the past. Miles Murphy maybe is

969
00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,400
Speaker 13: a guy, and then also Shamar Stewart. I think all

970
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:52,200
Speaker 13: of those guys have some potential versatility. I'm not going

971
00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:55,040
Speaker 13: to speak for Al Golden and our defensive staff in

972
00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:57,279
Speaker 13: terms of their vision on it, but I do think

973
00:44:57,320 --> 00:45:00,480
Speaker 13: they have a plan to move some guys around and

974
00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:04,040
Speaker 13: have some different versatility through different spots. But again, our

975
00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:06,279
Speaker 13: two young draft picks in the defensive tackle room from

976
00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:08,680
Speaker 13: last year, we think are going to continue to develop

977
00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:12,600
Speaker 13: and get better and better, and again we'll continue to

978
00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:15,600
Speaker 13: monitor what's out there, and that interior pass rush is

979
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:18,719
Speaker 13: definitely something that we want to upgrade this season, and

980
00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:20,520
Speaker 13: there's going to be a lot of different ways that

981
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:21,600
Speaker 13: we can attack that.

982
00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:25,440
Speaker 1: Like I said on this podcast after Round three or

983
00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:28,439
Speaker 1: Day three rather on Saturday, that reminds me a little

984
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:31,640
Speaker 1: bit of the twenty twenty draft. Not that there's a

985
00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:35,280
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow that doesn't happen very often, but in twenty twenty,

986
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,640
Speaker 1: every guy you picked, except for T Higgins was a

987
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,280
Speaker 1: college captain, and he would have been had he stayed

988
00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:44,279
Speaker 1: for another year at Clemson. Similarly, it seems like every

989
00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:48,280
Speaker 1: guy in this draft class was loved by his college

990
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:52,279
Speaker 1: coach and his college teammates. Was that character piece by

991
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:57,360
Speaker 1: design or again just kind of the way it fell.

992
00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:57,760
Speaker 12: A little bit of both in that regard.

993
00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:01,080
Speaker 13: We definitely went into that, and it's interesting we even

994
00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:04,040
Speaker 13: had discussions about the parallels to that twenty twenty draft.

995
00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:06,960
Speaker 13: I know a lot was made of the captains coming

996
00:46:06,960 --> 00:46:09,839
Speaker 13: out of that. It sounds like an exaggeration, but all

997
00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:12,720
Speaker 13: six of these guys that we drafted are excellent character

998
00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:16,960
Speaker 13: guys that are completely raved about by our scouting sources

999
00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:21,600
Speaker 13: at their respective colleges. So we're really excited about the

1000
00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:24,160
Speaker 13: guys that we added to the locker room. The board

1001
00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:27,400
Speaker 13: did fall great that way in terms of taking those

1002
00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:30,920
Speaker 13: high character guys, but we did go into this draft

1003
00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:34,920
Speaker 13: with the intention of adding guys that add to our

1004
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:38,000
Speaker 13: locker room in a really positive way, bring leadership, have

1005
00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:41,239
Speaker 13: the right type of makeup that we want to help

1006
00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:42,040
Speaker 13: impact our team.

1007
00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:45,040
Speaker 1: I've met three in person, I've talked to the other

1008
00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:47,440
Speaker 1: three on the phone. They all seem like great guys

1009
00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:49,839
Speaker 1: that I think we are going to easily be able

1010
00:46:49,880 --> 00:46:52,640
Speaker 1: to root for going forward and hopefully they're very successful

1011
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:56,320
Speaker 1: in Bengals uniforms. Appreciate your time. Congratulations on a great draft.

1012
00:46:56,680 --> 00:46:57,839
Speaker 12: Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.

1013
00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:00,440
Speaker 1: That's going to do it for this edition of the

1014
00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:03,240
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1015
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Speaker 1: you have a minute, give it a rating or share

1022
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Speaker 1: a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm

1023
00:47:31,719 --> 00:47:35,160
Speaker 1: Dan Horde and thanks for listening to the Bengals Booth

1024
00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:36,120
Speaker 1: podcast