WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: I'll Take You There 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:06.439 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:11.360 The Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'll take you their addition 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:15.600 as we head to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:20.119 Coming up, you'll hear from three outstanding guests, Red co 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:25.200 Sell from NFL Films, NFL Network insider, Ian Rappaport, and 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:30.520 Dane Brugler, NFL draft expert for the Athletic. The Bengals 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:33.160 Booth Podcast is brought to you by pay Core, Proud 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:37.320 to be the Bengals official HR software provider, by Alta 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:41.199 Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed elevate your home, business 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:44.920 and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health, 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.720 the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:52.680 the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:55.320 quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:59.000 this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:03.280 by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:07.880 thing since Peter King. This past Monday and his weekly 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:11.320 Football Morning in America column, Peter King announced that he's 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:15.560 retiring after covering the NFL for forty four years. It's 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.520 worth noting that he got his start covering the Bengals 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:21.720 for the Cincinnati Inquirer. I've been a fan of his 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.280 for ages, and when I got the Bengals play by 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:26.760 play job, I made it a point to try to 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.880 talk with Peter whenever he was around the team. In 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:33.080 one of our first conversations, Peter learned that I used 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:35.720 to be the radio announcer for the Patucket Red Sox, 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.720 Boston's Triple A team at that time, and he began 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:44.240 peppering me with questions how long were the bus rides? Well, 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:47.360 were Dustin PEDROI and John Lester like at that age? 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:51.760 The questions kept coming, and I realized that's what makes 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:57.200 Peter so great, his unquenchable curiosity and attention to detail. 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:02.240 There has never been a better sp reporter. Monday mornings 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.880 aren't going to be quite as enjoyable for us, but 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:06.840 I'm happy they are going to be a lot more 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:11.840 relaxing for Peter King. Now let's get to the scouting combine. 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:15.960 It's become the unofficial start of the upcoming NFL season, 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:20.520 as front office execs, coaches, scouts, and media to send 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:22.880 on Indianapolis to get a first hand look at this 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:27.640 year's draft prospects, and discuss possible moves in free agency. 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:30.640 One person I always look forward to talking to is 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:34.799 Greg Cosel from NFL Films and the ESPN Matchup Show. 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:40.800 He's been covering the NFL for more than four decades. Greg, 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:44.400 let's start with some of the hottest topics among Bengals fans. 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.800 Top of the list, T Higgins. They have franchise tagged him. 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:50.440 They're going to have him for at least one more 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:55.200 year with the likelihood of losing Tyler Boyd. Was paying 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.040 tea the right thing to do in your opinion? 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:01.080 I really like Tyler Boyd, but I think it's more 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:02.080 important to have T. 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:03.440 Higgins than Tyler Boyd. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:05.560 And I'm not suggesting that you can just pull a 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.359 slot receiver out of the sky, but I think it's 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:11.880 a position that you can find someone in the context 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.560 of that offense more so than you can find to 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:18.200 T Higgins. T Higgins is six three two fifteen. He's 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:22.240 a vertical dimension. He runs those in breaking routes really well. 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:26.240 People take those inbreaking routes in traffic for granted, you know, 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:28.520 because borrow's are really a borrow turns the ball loose. 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:31.480 He's got no problem turning a loose. And those inbreaking 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:35.560 routes in traffic, you know those Not every receiver will 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:38.600 do that, and I think you can't take those for granted. 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.600 So T Higgins was a player. I really like Ronicky Manaclemson. 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:44.680 He's had a really good career. Obviously he's been injured 0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:47.480 a little bit here and there, but I think he's 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:50.240 if you had to choose one, and teams have to 0:03:50.240 --> 0:03:52.320 make these kinds of choices, as you know, Dan, they 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:55.320 have to make these kinds of choices, I think T 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:59.320 Higgins is a more valuable asset overall than Tyler Boyd, 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:00.760 that he's less replaceable. 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:06.240 Is spending twenty point six million dollars on T Higgins 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:08.720 the best use of that money to try to keep 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:11.080 the band together, so to speak, for another year. 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:13.640 Well, now that gets into a lot of questions that 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:15.440 I don't have the answer to because of how they 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.640 the cap and how they structure and work their cap. 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:21.120 I know the cap went up significantly, so I don't 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:24.760 know how all that works. I will say this, I 0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:27.200 think that when you have a great quarterback, and I 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:29.240 don't use the word great loosely, and Joe Burrow is 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.760 a great quarterback. You do not want to leave him 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:35.960 bereft of weapons. I always think that, you know, we 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:37.159 all know you want a good old line. 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:38.800 We get all that. I mean, that's a given. 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.680 But I do not think when you have a really 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.120 great quarterback, a high level quarterback, that you do not 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:48.000 want to leave him bereft of what, particularly a quarterback 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:51.680 that is aggressive throwing the ball versus one on one coverage. 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:54.800 That's one thing we've seen with Joe Burrow. When it's 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.600 one on one, he's going to throw it, and that's 0:04:57.640 --> 0:05:00.560 just innate. He's he's gonna throw it. And you need 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.919 receivers who can win one on one and win in 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:07.240 multiple ways. You know, Chase is an explosive guy. He 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:10.560 can make contested catches, but he's such an explosive mover 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:13.920 and route runner. Higgins not as explosive, but big and 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:17.000 he'll go up and get it. And you know, I 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:19.800 think that receivers become really important. You do not want 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.440 to leave the cupboard bear when you have a quarterback 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:23.159 like Joe Burrow. 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:27.480 Let's move to tight end. I know you've studied brock Bowers. 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:31.560 If you surveyed one hundred Bengals fans. He would probably 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:34.320 be the fantasy draft pick for most of them. We 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:36.560 don't know if he'll be there at number eighteen. It's 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.880 probably unlikely. But how good is Brock Bowers? 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:43.400 I mean, Brock Bowers on tape is really really good. 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:46.080 He moves like a wide receiver. He in some ways 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:48.520 is a wide receiver. Although I will say this because 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:52.360 Georgia does run more of a conventional NFL type offense 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.360 with a kind of a conventional run game. 0:05:55.960 --> 0:05:57.680 He does work to block. 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:00.520 I mean, he's obviously not the best block tight end, 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:03.200 but he he gives effort and he works at it. 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.159 And I remember having a conversation years ago with a 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:08.800 coach who was on the chief Skansas City Chiefs when 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:11.719 Tony Gonzalez came up, and he was a great athlete, 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.640 played basketball, you know, a receiver, and they said he 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.760 was not a good blocker, but they said he worked 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:19.760 at it, and as long as you work at it. 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:21.880 You can be more than functional. 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:24.360 And Bowers is that guy. He can be more than 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:26.640 functional as a blocker. Of course, it depends how you 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.080 deploy him. But he is a really good receiver. The 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:35.039 issue is, and we've seen this with other athletic tight ends. 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:40.080 Sometimes I feel like teams struggle with how to deploy 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:43.880 those guys within the context of their offense. And one 0:06:43.920 --> 0:06:46.560 coach was saying that, you know, you look, Atlanta sort 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:49.719 of had a difficult time figuring out Kyle Pitts exactly 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:52.440 how to use him, really athletic tight end who I 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:55.720 believe was the fourth pick in the draft. I mean, sometimes, 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:58.440 you know, we know that obviously the Chiefs Hughes Kelsey 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:02.240 have used him really well, but some coaches it's kind 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:04.520 of a balancing act of how do you use those guys? 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:09.119 But Bowers is phenomenal, looks like a wide receiver, moves 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:13.120 like a wide receiver, ridiculously good run after catch, balance, 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:16.000 body control. I mean, guy looks like a ballerina. 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:16.560 Sometimes. 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:21.320 The Bengals typically have not relied heavily on their tight 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.600 end during the Zach Taylor, Joe Burrow era. They've had 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:29.400 solid production cj Uzama, Hayden Hurst, even Tanner Hudson gave 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:32.600 them some decent production this past season. Is that a 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.440 position that they should be looking to get more out of. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:40.040 Well, there's so many targets to go around, that's the problem. 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:42.440 I mean, you know, for the last three years or so, 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:47.320 I mean with Burrow, they've had Higgins, Chase and Boyd. 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:50.640 I mean it's easy to say, throw the ball to 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:53.040 the tight end more, but then someone else is not 0:07:53.080 --> 0:07:56.120 getting the ball. So that gets into the whole process 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:59.560 of how they structure their offense methodology. You know, what's 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:02.200 the approach coach, Then what's the approach then in a 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:04.760 given week against a given opponent. You know, I think 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:06.400 it's easy to look at a number on a page 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:07.840 and see targets go, well, they got to use a 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:08.440 tight end more. 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:10.880 But there's only so many balls to go around. 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:14.480 So if they lose Boyd and maybe they feel they 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:17.679 don't have the same quality slot this year, then maybe 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:19.760 the tight end, whoever it turns out to be, would 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.600 become a bigger factor. But when you've got three wide 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:24.960 outs like that, you know, imagine if all of a 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:27.520 sudden they were throwing the ball. I mean fans may 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:29.240 not think of it this way. Imagine if all of 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:32.400 a sudden they were throwing the ball to you know, Uzama, 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:34.040 who you know wasn't there this year, but ten or 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:36.480 whoever was, And then you look at the sheet and 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.120 you see Chase only has three targets. People would say, well, 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:41.480 why aren't they throwing the ball to Jamar Chase. There's 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:44.080 only so many balls to go around, so many passes. 0:08:44.840 --> 0:08:47.240 We're visiting with a great Greg Cosell. Let's talk about 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:50.280 Joe Mixon, another hot topic for Bengals fans. He ran 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:52.720 for more than a thousand yards. He had twelve combined 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:56.800 touchdowns between rushing and receiving this year, but the explosive 0:08:56.880 --> 0:09:00.760 plays weren't there. He'll be twenty eight and this is 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.040 going to be his eighth NFL season. What do you 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.000 think of Joe Mixon at this stage of his career. 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:08.640 Yeah, I think he's lost a little bit, just because 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:11.080 he's played a long time. He's been kind of a 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:15.199 volume carrier. He's a physical player, so I mean, I'm 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:18.120 sure there's wear and tear. I always really like Joe 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.280 Mixon as a player. I think he's had a really 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:24.760 nice career, probably still a good player, and certainly knows 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:27.240 the system and all those things that are very important. 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:31.320 By the way, but if they truly felt like they 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.800 could be better at the position without losing anything mentally 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:38.000 from whoever they put out there, it would not surprise me. 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:40.280 If they felt that they could move on. I just 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:43.000 watching him run, and like I said, I remember watching 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:45.600 him in Oklahoma and he was a great receiver. They 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:47.400 split him out there. He was a great runner. He 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:50.880 was an explosive back early in his career. So I 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:54.280 just think he's not quite the same guy. Let's talk 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:56.800 about Dax Hill. I know you liked him coming out 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:59.360 of Michigan. This was his first year as a starter 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:00.680 and it was a mixed bag. 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:03.199 What'd you think of Dax Hill this year at safety? 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:04.840 Just what you said. 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:08.679 I think that he doesn't see it as quickly as 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:12.000 you want, you know. But again, he's still a young player. 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:15.000 Second year, right, this will be his third. He didn't 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.360 play much as a rugie, right, so he's basically been 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:22.080 a one year player at safety. So these are the 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:25.120 hard questions organizations have to decide the guy. 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:26.160 And it's funny. 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:27.880 I had a chance yesterday to sit and talk with 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.040 Jim Harbaugh for a half hour in the Dome, and 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:31.360 I asked him about Dax Hill. 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:32.800 I was just curious, you know, because. 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:34.120 I didn't want to ask him about his player, you know, 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:36.240 So I asked him about Bax Hill and he said 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.960 that he wants to be a safety because they they 0:10:40.320 --> 0:10:42.880 really wanted him to be a corner because he's got 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:46.440 great corner traits, But he wants to be a safety. 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.679 So the sort of the compromise at at Michigan was 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:54.440 that they made him their nickel in you know, in 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:57.080 their sub defenses. But he wants to be a safety. 0:10:57.280 --> 0:10:59.880 He does not want to play outside corner, even though 0:10:59.920 --> 0:11:02.760 he has those trades. I think you have to give 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:05.760 him another year to see because he is a he's 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:08.960 a physical specimen, he can run. 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:13.280 He just he's a great athlete. He's a great athlete 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:14.320 and he's long. 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:18.600 So to me, you have to work with him, coach him, 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:22.600 and if he can get beyond that and see things better, 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:24.560 he could become a really, really good player. 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:29.199 Jonah Williams is heading into free agency. The Bengals are 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:31.520 likely to have a different starting right tackle for the 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:36.079 fifth consecutive year. Year be a fifth consecutive year. Yeah, 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:39.120 do you consider this to be an unusually good tackle 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:40.520 draft as many people do? 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:41.720 Yeah? I do. 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:45.600 I mean, again, you don't know how boards play out, 0:11:45.640 --> 0:11:47.720 and you don't know how drafts play out, but my 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:50.400 guess is there'd be a tackle there at eighteen if 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.160 they felt they needed They're not going to get Jesse Latham. 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:56.480 They're probably not going to get the Oregon State kid Fuaga, 0:11:56.480 --> 0:12:02.000 who I really love. But yeah, I mean, I think 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:05.760 there's tackles to get and even beyond pick eighteen, you know, 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.280 the question, the big question always becomes can the guy 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:10.160 line up and play as a rookie, because that's what 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:13.080 you're ultimately saying, if they need to fill the position. 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.320 You know, if they draft a guy in the third round, 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.000 the likelihood of him stepping in as a starter. You Know, 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:21.480 what people I think need to understand about the draft 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.440 is there's reasons. You know, guys get drafted where they 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.480 get drafted. Now that doesn't mean that there's nine examples 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:30.440 where fourth round picks come right in and play and 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:31.160 they're really good. 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:32.720 You know, obviously that does happen. 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:36.040 But in terms of overall evaluation of players, as you 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:38.920 get lowered in the draft, it's because there are more 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:42.400 wharts in a guy's game in terms of projection and transition. 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:46.520 So but there are guys I think in this you know, 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.040 there's a Patrick Paul from Houston. You know, guys like 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:51.520 that that you may well be able to get in 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:53.199 the third round, and I don't know if he's a 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:53.920 Day one starter. 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:56.080 Maybe he is, but you can get a tackle in 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:56.640 this draft. 0:12:57.240 --> 0:12:58.839 Let me hit you on some of the other first 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:02.400 round candidates. Assuming you're right and Fuaga and Latham are 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:04.920 not there, most of the other people I've talked to 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:08.000 don't think Alt will be there from Notre Dame. Maybe 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:11.040 you disagree, but then you've got Fashanu from Penn State, 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:18.520 Mims from Georgiatanu from Washington, Fantanu from Washington, ye, Geidon 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.439 from Oklahoma. Any of those guys really move yet. 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:23.040 I haven't done guid And yet, so I can't speak 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:24.439 about him, and he you know, but he's a one 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:27.760 year starter and a one year player. Mims is probably 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:31.040 the most intriguing and most polarizing tackle in this draft 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.240 class because he's played about as much football as you 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:37.240 and I, but yet his size and his traits get 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.400 people excited. I'd be very surprised if he's a Day 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.120 one starter, be very surprised. He just hasn't played a 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:43.760 lot of football. 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:45.960 You know. 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.120 The game that people point to is actually the game 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:53.960 against Ohio State back two years ago, you know, in 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:56.880 the playoff game, because he played the full game, but 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:58.840 this year he was in and out of the lineup 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.000 because he was hurt. His tape to me wasn't very good, 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:06.320 but I'm loath to judge him on that because it 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:09.600 was clear he was hurt. So he just hasn't played 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:11.760 a lot of football. Now, that doesn't mean in three 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:13.760 years he might not be a great right tackle. I 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:17.920 spoke with someone who thinks that this guy could be phenomenal, 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.160 but he's not going to be ready week one. 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:23.000 So again, now you get into the free agency and 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.360 you know you need someone to line up at right tackle. 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:27.320 It's probably not going to be an All Pro Hall 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.480 of Famer this year, you know, but you need someone 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:31.680 who you can line up with and feel and trust 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:33.600 him and feel that he can pass protect. 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:36.240 All right, I've got a potential name for you. The 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:38.600 Bengals offensive line coaches, Frank Pollock. 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:39.840 He was with the Jets. 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:41.440 He's been doing it a long time. He was with 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:45.040 the Jets when they drafted Makai Beckton, who's obviously had 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:48.240 injury problems in his four NFL seasons. Do you view 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:50.560 him as somebody worth taking a flyer on. 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:51.280 I do. 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:55.840 He's big, he's athletic, he'd certainly be worth it. Maybe 0:14:55.880 --> 0:15:00.680 a change of environment. You know, obviously Pollock knows him. 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:02.400 Yeah, I think he'd be worth a flyer. 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:05.000 I mean again, now you get into who knows what 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:07.240 the money is, you know that that's a whole different question. 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:11.120 But yeah, I think it's worth I mean, look, when 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.240 you when you have a position where you're going to 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:16.480 need competition in bodies, You're gonna have to take flyers 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:19.160 on people because you know, you're not waiting around for 0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:22.400 Hall of Famer that's not gonna happen. So you need competition. 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:23.280 You need to bring. 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:26.600 Bodies in and see how it shakes out. And and yeah, 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:29.040 I would. I mean, look, I remember Beck then you 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:32.280 know he hasn't done great obviously in his NFL career, injuries, 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:34.920 whatever reason, but I remember watching him. I believe it 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:38.080 was Louisville he came out of. And you know you're talking. 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:39.680 About a big athletic guy. 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.760 I mean he is. He's really athletic for his size. 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:44.520 Oh yeah, I would. That's worth a flyer. 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.360 DJ Reader is a free agent. He's coming off a 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:52.800 major injury to the Bengals need to significantly address interior 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:56.520 defensive line. And free agency in the draft. 0:15:57.200 --> 0:15:58.360 It needs to be addressed. 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.720 They'll decide how to a priority is relative to the 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:05.000 other things we've been talking about. Their run defense was 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:07.000 not exactly what they would have hoped a year ago. 0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:09.240 They need to address that. They need to be better there. 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:11.720 You know Reader, I always liked Reader as a player, 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:14.800 but you know he's he's played a lot of snaps 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:16.400 now coming off of major injury. 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:20.360 Who knows, but yeah, that that needs to be addressed. 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:22.880 Have you looked at defensive lineman in this draft? 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:26.000 Some I mean I personally think there could be someone 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:29.320 they are at eighteen that they could that could be available. 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:34.520 I mean, to me, the number one guy that and 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:38.200 no one doesn't love him because you can't. I mean, 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:40.680 he's one of those guys, and that's Murphy from Texas. 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:44.720 Whether he's there remains to be seen. There's some people 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:48.280 who think, other than quarterback, he's one of the two 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:52.040 or three best prospects in this draft. But you know, 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:56.520 usually defensive tackle is not a position you draft super high, 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.320 particularly in a draft that has the quarterbacks and that 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:05.080 has the receivers. You know, normally that happens first. Normally. 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:10.480 He's really a good prospect. He's a really good prospect. 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:14.440 His name comes up a lot. Johnny Newton from Illinois 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:15.240 is the other name. 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.040 Not as good a prospect in my view, but pretty 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:19.919 but a good prospect. He would definitely be there at 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:22.560 eighteen if you'll like him. You know, he's one of 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:25.240 those guys that you might not see him as the 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:29.240 eighteenth best player on your board. I like the player. 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:32.120 I think he'll be a good pro He's not as 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:36.120 explosive as Newton and I think, but I think he's 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.640 a good prospect. I don't know if you'd have him 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:42.399 eighteenth on your board. But again, when you start getting 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:44.679 into needs, like let's say he's twenty third on your 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:47.160 board and I don't know, you know that you could 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:48.919 take him at eighteen, and that's not a reach. You 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:50.480 just don't want to take him at eighteen. If he's 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:52.720 forty third on your board. You know, that's what teams 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:54.840 start getting into trouble to. 0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:57.240 And Andre Sweat's name comes up, not as a first 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.840 round pick, but as somebody that might make sense for 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:03.840 the Bengals in trying to have that interior run stopping 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:06.800 type defensive lineman. He weighed in at more than three 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:10.760 hundred and sixty pounds yesterday, had some trouble in some 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:13.080 of the agility drills. He slipped trying to do a 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:14.920 spin move. What do you think of sweat? 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:17.840 Well, he's gonna have to lose weight. I can tell 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:19.200 you that. I mean, he's not gonna play in the 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:21.360 NFL at three sixty six. But he does have light 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:25.120 feet for a big man, so he's not just a big, 0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:27.840 fat guy. But he would have to lose weight. I 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:31.080 think he'd obviously be a run defender. You know, you're 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:34.800 not see to me that that's not. 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:35.720 A first round pick. 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:38.000 Like I would not pick him at eighteen, even if 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:40.679 you love the player, I would not pick him at eighteen. 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:42.520 Now. I don't know how teams feel about him. I 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:43.959 don't know what their draft boards look like. 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:47.199 I think you'd need him to lose thirty pounds, but 0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:49.320 he does have light feet for a man that size. 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:51.280 You know, he did struggle in a few drills, but 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:52.840 there were also a few other drills. Because I was 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:54.879 in the dome, Well, he looked pretty good. You know, 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:56.760 you kind of went, oh, god, he's moving pretty well 0:18:56.760 --> 0:19:01.159 for three hundred sixty six pound guy. But you know, 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:03.240 who knows what he could be if he got down 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:05.840 to three thirty, you know, which is really what he 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:09.040 probably should be. Now again, you would assume Texas has 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:12.159 great facilities, you know, probably have money for nutritionis and 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:12.480 all that. 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:14.280 You'd have to do your due diligence there. 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:17.040 You have to find out if he's the problem or 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.679 if for some reason Texas didn't handle it. You know, 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.320 that's where you have to find those things out. If 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:25.400 if you find out he's the problem, that becomes a concern, 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.720 you know, because then what's so Leidia believe that it's going. 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:29.719 To get better in the NFL. 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:34.080 I think he told reporters yesterday that he believes his 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:35.960 best playing weight is in the three sixties. 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.639 Well, I don't want to sit here and say he's wrong, 0:19:40.680 --> 0:19:43.719 but he's wrong. He's not gonna play at three sixties six. 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:46.359