WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: I'm Movin' On 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.279 Hi, get everybody on Dan Horde and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:13.399 the Bengals Booth podcast. The I'm moving on addition, as 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:17.720 we head to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Coming up, 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.560 I'll discuss free agency with the Bengals Director of Pro 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:24.160 Scouting Stephen Radissovic. Then I'll move on to the draft 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.960 with Dane Brugler, the draft guru for the Athletic And 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:31.600 finally I'll combine the two topics with Austin Gaeale from 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:35.400 Pro Football Focus, who has some very specific ideas for 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:39.200 how the Bengals can improve their offensive line. The Bengals 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:44.000 Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download Ultimate Bengals 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:46.880 ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's free to 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:52.360 play next level fantasy football with fantastic Bengals prizes. Get 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:55.240 it now on the App Store and Google Play. And 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:57.320 here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.960 edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:05.280 or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's 0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:10.640 the greatest thing since makeup artists. While in Indianapolis for 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:13.240 the combine, I was invited to make an appearance on 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.000 the NFL Network to discuss the Bengals and also the 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:19.840 top you see Bearcat prospects in this year's draft. When 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:23.200 I arrived at the set, a makeup artist did what 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.640 she could to make me look presentable. Now that's a 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:29.520 little bit like putting lipstick on Miss Piggy. There's only 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:32.360 so much a makeup artist can do. But still I 0:01:32.400 --> 0:01:35.920 appreciated her efforts, and it reminded me of a makeup 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:40.160 disaster from early in my TV career. If you stick 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:42.520 around until the end of this podcast, I'll tell you 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:47.640 about it in story Time with Dan, but football comes first. 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:51.680 In about a week, free agency gets underway. The legal 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:55.920 tampering period begins on Monday, March fourteenth, and two days later, 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.680 teams can begin signing players. Over the last two years, 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:02.520 only three teams in the NFL have spent more money 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:05.720 than Cincinnati in free agency, and I would argue that 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:09.200 no team has been more successful as the Bengals have 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:13.000 added DJ Reader, Von Bell, Trey Hendrickson, chitabe O Wouge, 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:17.040 and Mike Hilton, among others. The Bengals point man and 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:21.480 free agency is their director of pro scouting, Stephen Radisovic. 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.359 How did the super Bowl run and an extra month 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:31.320 of football impact your preparation for free agency. It really hasn't. 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:34.640 We've we've been grinding on these guys throughout the fall, 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:40.760 and we've we've assigned position groups. So like Mike Potts's 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:44.960 going to cross check all the offensive linemen in free agency, 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:47.560 I'm doing most of the D linemen. But I'll go 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:49.840 back and I'll double back and I'll watch, you know, 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:54.320 the top ten at each tackle, guard, center, and then 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.079 I'll have someone else get another opinion on the D tackles, 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:00.320 the d ns. And we've been doing that for the 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:04.920 last couple of months, since probably November December, and really 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.840 grinding and out here the last last two months. So 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:11.720 obviously being in the playoffs and the super Bowl was 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:14.360 time consuming and there was time taken away from the 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:17.720 Super Bowl events that we're normally in the office watching tape. 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.120 But I think we've got a pretty good feel for 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:23.480 what we're how we're going to attack this thing right now. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.080 If the draft is about getting the best player available, 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:31.200 his free agency about addressing needs, yeah, I would say so, 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:33.120 I'd say you're trying to fill obviously, if you've got 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:34.880 some holes, you're trying to fill it in free agency 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:38.800 and set yourself up to when you're drafting, you're taking 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.880 the best player available and not having to to reach 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.480 on a guy. We're talking to Stephen rodiss Evict, the 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:47.480 Bengals director of Pro scouting. In the last couple of years, 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:51.200 the Bengals track record and free agency has been extraordinary. 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:53.960 He pretty much hit a home run on just about 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:57.880 every free agency signed. Is there a common denominator that 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.480 helps explain this free agency six yes, Uh, yeah. I 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.200 think the biggest thing was we we tried not to 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:07.200 h you want to pay your best players, and we 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.720 tried not to reach on guys. We just try not 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:13.480 to overspend on players, and you try to go for 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:15.800 the solid guys that you know are going to be 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:19.640 solid locker room guys, guys are going to be high effort. Uh. 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:21.880 You know, we've we've kind of done this. You know, 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:25.920 we're really with the last two two off seasons, whether 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:29.440 it's free agency or the draft, was was trying to 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:34.120 get captains leaders, you know, whether it's the captains in college, 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:38.520 the captains in Pittsburgh or Dallas. You know, the guys 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.400 that kind of led led their position groups there. Um 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:44.719 so we've we've kind of focused on that, and then 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:46.840 obviously the youth has been a big thing for us 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:49.680 and going after young guys that are ascending or guys 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.159 that we feel like have upside and aren't towards the 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:54.840 down of their career. So um, those are kind of 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:56.800 the things that we focused on in free agency the 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:58.640 last couple of years, and I think it's paid off. 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:01.440 Zach can Do both talked about trying to find guys 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.240 that love football and love the grind, so to speak. 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:06.640 Do you see that on tape or is that stuff 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:09.120 that you get from talking to people, talking to the 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:13.560 players themselves, etc. Both. Yeah, I think you know. Mike Hilton, 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:18.440 we've obviously played against him plenty of times in Pittsburgh 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:22.360 and the guys always always above and beyond effort and 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:25.000 and so I mean a lot of that stuff you 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:27.440 just see on tape and and you know what he's about. 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:29.880 And then yeah, a lot of you know, the other 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:33.360 stuff is you're you're during the free agency period, you're 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:35.719 trying to you know, whether it's talking to other scouts 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:37.240 or friends that you have in the league, just to 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:39.720 see what those players were like in the locker room 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:41.919 and on a day to day basis, but you know, 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.280 we also have our our reports from college and uh, 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.000 you know, going into Colorado, I knew what Cheeto was 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.680 and I knew how much of a leader he was 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:52.400 in that locker room and kind of what he meant 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.120 to that team at Colorado. So, um, you know, you 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:56.800 have those things that kind of line up and you 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:58.760 know what you're gonna get with a guy like that. 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:02.640 The first big ticket free agent to sign in this 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.240 two year period was DJ Reader. You guys made him 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:07.359 the highest paid nose tackle in the NFL when you 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:10.800 made that deal. How significant was that deal not only 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.360 in getting the player who's proven to be great, but 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:16.920 also in basically showing free agents all over the the 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:22.240 NFL that the Bengals are willing to be a big player. Well, yeah, 0:06:21.320 --> 0:06:25.520 he was the first guy that we went out and 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:28.920 and wanted to attack aggressively. We had obviously the run 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.719 issues that we had facing good running teams the Baltimoes, 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.600 and we knew signing a guy like that was going 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:37.520 to help in that aspect. But we also knew what 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:41.760 type of guy he was and leader he was in 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:44.000 that locker room in Houston, So you know, it was 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.640 great getting him going, and then I think once we 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.000 signed him, we got some momentum and I think other 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:53.039 players outside of our organization saw what we were trying 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:55.440 to do and build, and uh, it kind of paid off. 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:57.799 Like I said, it's paid off this last free agency 0:06:58.120 --> 0:07:01.440 for show, Let's talk offensive line. It's obviously an area 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:03.760 that the Bengals would like to improve if possible. You 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:06.400 played offensive line at the beginning of your college career 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:13.040 other than quarterback, is offensive line the toughest position to nail, 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:16.080 so to speak for guys coming out of college. I 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.040 think it's hard. Yeah, it'd be interesting to just look 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:22.000 at the you know, the success rate of you know, 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.120 first round offensive lineman and how many of them have 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:29.080 panned out. But it is it is a difficult to project. 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.160 You know, you got guys at different levels competing against 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.960 each other. But yeah, it just seems like it's, Uh, 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:38.040 it's obviously been one of those positions in the draft 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:39.960 that it's it's hard for teams to predict how they're 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:43.560 gonna turn out. We're talking to Stephen radiss Evict, the 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:47.480 Bengals director of pro scouting. In free agency, how much 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:50.360 of it goes according to plan and how much of 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:53.760 it is pivoting and reacting based on where guys are signing, 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:57.560 how much they're signing for, etc. We've had to pivot 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:00.920 a little bit um, you know. I think last year, 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.240 you know, the focus was going to be trying to 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:06.760 get some old lineman. Um, it was not a great 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:09.760 group of free agents. There was a couple of guys 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:11.840 at the top, and then there was a drop after 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:14.160 that of players that we felt were going to be 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:18.120 comparable or you're gonna have to overpay for what their 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:22.120 production was going to be, so they're you know, like 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:24.080 last year, like I said, we had to pivot a 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:27.040 little bit um, not too far off of where we had, 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:31.240 you know, our option a going into it. But I 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:34.360 think with any any team, there's you just have no idea. 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:36.880 It's hard to predict who's going to come back with 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:40.280 the team and with their team or sign elsewhere, so 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:43.600 you just have to adjust accordingly. You've added the title 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:45.719 of director of Pro Scouting in recent years, and Duke 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:47.560 has given you a lot of credit publicly for the 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:51.679 Bengal success in free agency over the last couple of years. 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.199 Do you feel like you've had a significant role in 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:56.960 the Bengal success in that department. I think all our 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:59.679 all of our personnel guys have it's uh, you know, 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:03.880 does a great job of giving us big responsibility, huge 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:07.760 responsibilities and letting us run with it. Whether it's Christian 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:12.480 Sarkeesian doing you know this Texas University of Texas are 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.120 going in a Baylor but then coming back to the 0:09:14.160 --> 0:09:17.480 office and you know, having to bring guys in for 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:20.559 workouts and then me giving him a couple of players 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:24.000 to watch that are on the wire, or you know, 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:26.840 Andrew doing the East Coast schools and still doing pro 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.320 pro work when he gets back to the office. I 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:32.120 think it's a collectively it's a group effort with all 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.880 of our stuff the way we've handled it, and I 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.679 think all of us are appreciative for the responsibilities the 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.600 Duke has given us. We're sitting in the stands right 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.840 now at Lucas Oil Stadium watching players go through their 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:47.880 paces in the combine. What do you get out of 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:50.920 the NFL scouting combine? What do you really look for? 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:54.599 I think the time that we're able to spend with 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:58.760 the players and formal interviews is very important. You're trying 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:02.120 to figure out what type of what type of person 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:05.800 they are, how they're going to handle certain situations, so 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:10.120 that those those meetings are valuable to us. While and 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:13.320 then obviously watching them move around and getting to see 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:16.400 some of these players up close and personal that we 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:19.040 haven't seen. You know, I've I've done the West Coast school, 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.160 so I haven't seen a lot of the players in 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.200 the Southeast. So it's been a great opportunity to just 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:26.400 get to shake hands and see them up close and personal. 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:29.120 So I would say those are you know, just being 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:31.480 able to see them physically and spend time with them 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:33.080 are the biggest things that we're getting out of this. 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:35.960 We're a little more than a week away from the 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:38.439 start of the legal tampering period and then about a 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:41.200 week and a half away from when free agency begins. 0:10:42.040 --> 0:10:44.640 Is it like college recruiting where you know, at the 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:48.160 stroke of midnight you reach out to somebody or close 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.640 to that to try to express your interest. Well, when 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.440 we're able to talk to the agents, we'll talk to 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:58.079 them and try to feel the interest out of whoever 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:03.120 whatever player they're representing. Uh. And then when when we 0:11:03.160 --> 0:11:05.240 are able to I think a lot of our players 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:08.560 will help out at that time and try to help 0:11:08.559 --> 0:11:11.439 recruit you know, whoever it is. Our guys have done 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:12.680 a good job of it. I know you guys have 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:16.120 heard the Riley Reef stories and having the dinners there, 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:20.240 so it's uh, it's been fun and I could see. 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:21.719 I could see how this year is going to be 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.200 a lot different from the last two years. You know. 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:27.040 Obviously we've built up some buzz and I think it's 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.360 going to be a destination where players are going to 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:31.120 want to come play and play with Joe and play 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:33.079 with the other young guys that we've got on the roster. 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:36.200 So we'll be exciting to see how it shakes out. 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:40.800 So the Joe Borrow factor is real. It's real for sure. Yeah, 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:44.040 were you at the famous Precinct dinner, the famous Riley 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:47.400 Reef recruiting dinner. I was. I was really upset. I 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:51.440 was a close contact and was unable to go to 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:54.880 that dinner. But yeah, I really wanted to go and 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.800 unfortunately was shut down in my house. So in terms 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:01.520 of trying to retail your own free agents, that's where 0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:03.960 it begins. You want to keep the best players on 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:06.040 your own team first and then try to improve the 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:09.840 roster with veteran players. From other teams. Duke and Zach 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:12.880 have publicly talked about Jesse Bates and how the team 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:16.800 would like to retain Jesse. What about c J? Uzam, 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:20.160 I haven't heard anybody specifically address the desire to hold 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:24.040 on to CJ. Yeah, I mean, obviously the fan base, 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:27.720 everybody knows what CJ means to us, and we want 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:30.840 them back and hopefully something can get what worked out. 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:35.840 But I there's We're not letting CJ walk out of 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:40.319 here easily. What has been the reaction of your peers 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:42.880 in the business to the Bengals making it to the 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.079 Super Bowl? A lot of the guys that I've known 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:47.920 and having the role I had at UCLA being the 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:49.720 pro liaison there. I've known a lot of these guys 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:54.640 for fifteen, you know, fifteen years, and they've known, you know, 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:56.680 the struggles that we've gone through here the last couple 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:59.520 of years, and and how much work we've you know, 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.720 as a group, have put into building the roster. So 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:05.320 it's just been, you know, the friends I've had have 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:09.400 all been excited and rooting us on throughout the process. 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.840 I've you know, even throughout the process the playoffs. I 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.079 was getting text messages you know, after every win, so 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:19.400 it's fun seeing that. So I've said that I think 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:23.559 the Bengals were ahead of schedule this year. Maybe internally 0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:27.040 you guys don't use that expression or feel the same way, 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.000 but I think you're in a position to make the 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:32.880 roster even stronger. You've got some cap money to spend, 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:36.760 You've got one extra draft pick. That doesn't necessarily mean 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:38.760 you get right back to the super Bowl the next year, 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:43.319 But am I on track? Would you agree with that assessment? Yeah, 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:46.920 I would say, yeah, our rosters in the much better 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.280 spot than it was last year, and we're definitely going 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:53.640 to make some upgrades this offseason at different position groups, 0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:56.520 so it'll yeah, we're in a much better spot than 0:13:56.600 --> 0:14:00.320 we were the last two years for sure. Well, everybody 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:02.640 in your department has done a phenomenal job. It's been 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:04.760 one of the great success stories in the NFL, and 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:06.600 obviously it's been a heck of a lot of fun 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:10.280 to watch and broadcasts. So congratulations on what you've done 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:12.040 to help get the Bengals to the super Bowl and 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:14.360 best of luck going forward. Thanks Dan, I appreciate it. 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:18.080 The franchise tag deadline is coming up on Tuesday at 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:20.840 four o'clock. If the Bengals use it on Jesse Bates, 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:24.840 it would be for thirteen point five million dollars next season, 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:28.800 and the team would still have until July fifteenth to 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:33.120 try to work out a long term extension. Now let's 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:36.240 turn to the draft. The Bengals have the thirty first 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.640 overall pick and one extra pick in the seventh round, 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.000 which they obtain from the Giants and the Billy Price 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:45.360 be j Hill trade. That's the gift that keeps on giving. 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:48.960 I caught up with the Athletics draft expert Dane Bruegler 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:52.440 at the Combine. I consider his yearly draft guide, the 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.240 so called Beast, to be the best one out there, 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.720 and it usually comes out in early April, several weeks 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:02.600 before the draft. Dane is going to mention several possible 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:05.720 draft targets for the Bengals in our conversation, and just 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.600 so you know in advance, after I played the interview, 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.440 I'll tell you a little more about each of those players. 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:16.240 How's the offensive line group that is likely to be 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.960 available at thirty one if they elect to go that way. 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:21.800 Those words that you just said likely available, that's that's 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.520 key that makes it tough because we're going to see 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:27.520 a lot of tackles fall off the board early, maybe 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:31.360 as many as five before pick thirty, so that it 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:32.760 would be interesting to see if one of them were 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:36.080 to fall to thirty one, either the two guards that 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.560 are in that first round, mix Kenyan Greene, Zion Johnson 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:40.240 to either of those guys make it at thirty one. 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.320 And then I think the biggest wild card is Tyler Linderbaum, 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:47.120 the center. There's not a prospect with a wider variance 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.080 of where he could be drafted than Tyler Linderbaum. He 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:52.880 could go twelve, he could go thirty one, and I 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:54.920 don't think anybody would bat an eye, at least in 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:58.640 the league because he's such a such a rock solid player, 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:03.840 out standing run defend or run blockers, pass protection. That's 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:05.920 where there shows a little bit of the lack of length. 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:07.920 That's where it really shows up. That's what you really 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:11.320 worry about, the shorter arms like that. And I could 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.160 already you know hear Bengals fans talking about like Billy 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:16.560 Price or you know, I can hear that already. But 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:20.960 this guy, the competitive toughness, the smart former defensive lineman, 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:23.200 it's just he's not going to be for everybody when 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.840 you factor in all those things, because I mean, you 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.760 think he's a center only, and you eliminate all the 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:32.000 teams that don't need a center, you eliminate the teams 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:35.400 that aren't running some variants of a zone offense, and 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:37.880 you're down to four or five teams that would draft 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:39.880 Tyler Linderbaum in the first round, and I think the 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:41.640 Bengals are one of them. It's just will he make 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:43.280 it at thirty one or not. I think it's at 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:45.480 least in the realm of possibility that it could happen. 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:47.960 And as you alluded to, the arm length did not 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:50.680 test well here at the combine, so that has become 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:53.080 a bit of a red flag for a lot of teams. 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.400 If he is there at thirty one and you're the Bengals, 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:59.400 is that a no brainer? In my opinion, you I 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:02.640 think that he's a top fifteen to twenty player in 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.920 this class. The arm length, it does show up on tape. 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.199 It's not like you know, all of a sudden, the 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:10.480 numbers this and so we have to drop him. It 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:12.280 does show up on tape a little bit where, especially 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:15.320 in pass protection, where long arm defenders are able to 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:18.320 reach him and dictate the action, and there's only so 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:20.840 much he can do to you know, re establish his 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:25.159 anchor and reset. So with Linderbaum, I think that if 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:26.560 you have a chance to get him a thirty one, 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:28.639 it would be awfully hard to say no to that. 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.040 With he's a plug and play guy. Yes he's a 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:32.480 center only, so he is not going to give you 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.439 that positional versatility. But you know, I guess we have 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:37.560 to find out what happens is free agency, if the 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.919 Bengals go that route and if not. Linderbaum absolutely in 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:44.240 that discussion. In your last mock draft, which was about 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.040 a month ago, you had the Bengals trading up a 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:49.000 few spots to grab a cornerback. You'll have another mock 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:50.800 draft coming out in a few days. I look forward 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:53.840 to seeing that. But when you had them making that move, 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.560 is that need based or is it the strength of 0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:00.280 the cornerback class this year? I think a little bit both. 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.880 I think there's you know, um Trey Waynes. I don't 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:04.560 know that he's gonna, you know, be in a Bengals 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:08.040 uniform next year. And you think about, you know, the 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:09.399 the depth chart, how it is, and how they can 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:11.800 maybe get better at that position. I think you look 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:14.359 at the corners in this draft, we're gonna see them 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:18.120 go early with Sauce Gardner from Cincinnati, Trent McDuffie from Washington, 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:20.480 Derek Stingley LSU. Those three guys should be off the 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.560 board in the top fifteen picks, and then, uh, you know, 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:25.800 you think about some of the other corners I could 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:29.280 be available. It could be a position that they look 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:32.639 at in the late first round. I'm looking at Kylan Gordon, 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:36.920 the other Washington corner who not as instinctive, not the 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:39.359 play awareness, not on the same level as as a 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:43.960 teammate Trent McDuffie. But what Gordon is a phenomenal athlete 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:47.360 in corners a stopwatch position. So if you're if he's 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:49.320 going to test the way that we expect him to test, 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.760 Gordon's not gonna get out the first round. So if 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:54.560 he's there at thirty one, I think Gordon could be 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:56.800 in the mix. The Bengals have a history of drafting 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:58.800 corners in the first round. I think that I agree 0:18:58.840 --> 0:19:01.359 with They have that notion that if you're going to 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:04.359 get an excellent cornerback, it almost always has to be 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:08.359 a high pick. I think that's fair, and because athletes 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:12.159 at the position go early, and especially at that position 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:15.240 where it's a stopwatch position, it matters how fast you are, 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:18.199 especially in a straight line. So but I mentioned with 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:20.720 Gordon talking to him, talking to McDuffie, they've got a 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.480 little friendly wager going on. Let's see who who runs 0:19:23.480 --> 0:19:26.120 the fastest, who jumps the highest. Both should be over 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:30.120 forty in the vert Both should be low four fours high, 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:32.679 four three's in the forty. So it'll be fun to 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:35.360 see how it all shakes out. The Bengals have three 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:38.600 great wide receivers. They all stayed healthy this year. The 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:41.440 odds of that happening in back to back seasons, unfortunately, 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:45.280 probably low. Is that a spot where the Bengals will 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:48.720 be able to help themselves with a later pick. Yeah, 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:50.800 I think wide receiver, and this is a trend that's 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:53.200 not going to go away. Every year. Wide receiver seems 0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:56.280 to be a strength, just with the way the college 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:59.840 game is, the way things are trending. Wide receiver year 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:04.040 year out is a deep position, both early in the 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:06.680 first round and then throughout every every level the draft. 0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:10.400 So that's especially true this year and if they want 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:12.720 to go that direction, on Day two and go after 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:16.679 you know, a guy like Skymore Calvin Austin from Memphis. 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:17.879 I think they could. But if they want to wait 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:21.080 until day three, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh round, there's going 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:23.240 to be players there. There's going to be guys. So 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:26.960 you know, the top three receivers on our team, they're 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:29.960 all what top two round guys, and so, you know, 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:32.920 I think they've had some good success drafting the position early, 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:35.399 but they don't with the way the depth charts set up, 0:20:35.400 --> 0:20:36.960 they don't necessarily have to do that. They can draft 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:38.800 and develop and see what they could find later on. 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:42.280 They've drafted several offensive linemen in recent years. The jury 0:20:42.359 --> 0:20:44.360