Bengals Booth Podcast: All I Need To Know

Speaker 10s - 8.4s

Hi again, everybody. I'm Dan Horton. Thanks for downloading the Bengals Booth ORG podcast, the

Speaker 38.4s - 185.26s

That's All I Need to Know. Addition, as we go inside the Bengals draft room to review this year's class with Director of Scouting Mike Potts, plus five fun questions with first-round draft pick of Marius Mims, and Dax Hill PERSON reacts to moving from safety to corner. The Bengals ORG Booth podcast is brought to you by Paycor, proud to be the Bengals official HR software provider. By Alta Fiber, Future Proof Fiber Internet ORG, designed to elevate your home, business, andcommunity to a new level. And by Kettering Health ORG. The Best Care for the Best Fans. Kettering Health ORG. The best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official health care provider of the Bengals ORG. Now, here's a quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of this podcast delivered. Write to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.It's the greatest thing since. Premier League ORG relegation and promotion. I know there are some people that listen to this podcast in the UK GPE, and some of you may know that my favorite soccer club is Leicester City ORG. Well, last year, the Foxes finished in the bottom three of the Premier League ORG standings, meaning they got relegated to the second tier of English NORP soccer.The bottom three finishers go down a level and the top three from the so-called English Football League Championship ORG move up. Well, I'm happy to report that Leicester City ORG is going back up. They clinched a top two finish and a return to the Premier League last week. So to my fellow members of the Greater Cincinnati Lester City Supporters Club ORG, I look forward to being reunited next season, watching matches together at Rinehouse ORG. Now, let's get to football, more specifically,American football. After being selected in the first round by the Bengals on Thursday, Amarius Mims PERSON came to Cincinnati GPE for an introductory news conference the next day. As I stood there talking to him with fellow reporters, I had this thought, how could a pass rusher possibly get by this guy? You've seen his height and weight, 68, 340, but somehow that doesn't do his enormity justice. Consider this. His wingspan is 86 and 3 quarter inches QUANTITY.So, when Amarius stretches out his arms, it's the equivalent of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar PERSON, seven feet two inches QUANTITY. He's a genetic freak in every way. Mims did a series of one-on-one TV interviews on Friday, so when I sat down with him, I thought we would have a little fun. Time for five questions with the 18th pick in the 24 NFL draft Amarius Mims. I'll actually make it six questions because the first question is how did that sound the 18th pick of the 2024 NFL ORG draft?

Speaker 2185.56s - 195.2s

It sounds great, honestly. Like I said, especially going to the Cincinnati Bengals ORG, man. You know, I'm just blessed, and I'm very thankful for them picking me at 18, man. That's what much to be thankful for. All right.

Speaker 3195.26s - 204.52s

Question number one. I talked to a draft guru at the NFL ORG scouting combine who said the following. Amarius Mims PERSON was built in a lab to be an offensive tackle.

Speaker 0204.98s - 212.56s

Were you always a giant in comparison to the other kids? And do you remember the first time somebody said, ah, you're going to be an offensive lineman someday?

Speaker 3213.4s - 216.46s

Yes, I remember, you know, being tall in there,

Speaker 2216.62s - 233.38s

like all my classmates and still playing recreational league. But the first time somebody told me that you're going to be an office tackle was going into my sophomore year high school when I switched my position from defensive end to office tackle. And you embraced it? Yes, sir.It took me a little while, I was like, okay, I can do it.

Speaker 3234.06s - 246.54s

All right, question number two, according to everything I read, you did not allow a sack at Georgia ORG. Is that the case? And do you remember the last sack you gave up at any level?

Speaker 2247.5s - 272.6s

Have you given one up? I want to say in high school, I gave one up. Washington County GPE, I want to say, I remember my junior year. It was like, I'm blocking the guy for a long time. I thought the ball was going. I'm turning around. I'm blocking it again. My quarterback's still right here. He's like, he's out of my vision. So I think he's running. So I start blocking him. I'm going to run out of the field. And he's still right here. He's out of my vengeance. I think he's running. So I start blocking him. I'm going to run out of field.And he's still there. And I'll see him on the ground. I'll tackle. I was like, oh, my God. And my coach is like, me, I'm calling out. It's going to be okay.

Speaker 3274.78s - 275.5s

I'm like, no, I need to go regroup.

Speaker 2278.72s - 278.78s

So three years of Georgia, going back to your junior year of high school,

Speaker 3280.74s - 301.7s

it's been five years since you've surrendered a sack. I guess so, yes, sir. Okay, we'll give you one every five years. That sounds good at Cincinnati. Question number three. we have all seen the movie The Blind Side WORK_OF_ART where the Michael Orr character completely blocks a player right off the field. What's your best story along those lines of, you know, blocking a guy 20 yards down field, pancakeing a couple of guys. What's your best? I'll definitely

Speaker 2301.7s - 325.82s

say Tennessee GPE game, me and Tate. We had a twist pickup against Tennessee and we like, I like Alleyooped the guy in there. He came and like, choke slam him almost and it was like, you definitely got to watch that. It was definitely, it was definitely a good play. It was great. This year's Tennessee game? Yes, sir. This year's Tennessee GPE game. You Alleyooped a guy? Yes, sir. It was great. I felt bad for him, but it was great.

Speaker 3326.12s - 328.9s

All right. First time I've ever heard the Alleyoop is a football term.

Speaker 2329s - 330.3s

I look forward to checking it out.

Speaker 3330.5s - 334s

Question four, you were part of two national championship teams at Georgia ORG.

Speaker 2334.5s - 337.12s

Describe what it's like when the confetti is falling,

Speaker 3337.3s - 341.4s

and then you know that you've captured a national championship ring. There's a lot.

Speaker 2341.6s - 342.74s

You know, you're thinking about a lot.

Speaker 3342.84s - 349.7s

Honestly, think about all the hard workouts you've done. You know what I'm saying? All the times you got cussed out by coach, all the

Speaker 2349.7s - 353.72s

practices you've been through. Literally, it's just, it's just an all history. And it's like,

Speaker 0353.74s - 361.56s

it was all worth it. And like I said, those are both years, you know, just, it's very blessed going to a great university like Georgia, you know, winning two years in a row. And it's just,

Speaker 2361.68s - 374.42s

I said, it's awesome feeling because everything, come back and hit you full circle. You're like, I did all this, but it was for a great cause. Are the rings on display somewhere? Do you actually break them out? I had them last night at my drive party, but my mom has to say, and my dad has to say it, I let them keep them.

Speaker 3374.66s - 385.48s

Nice. All right. Fifth and final question for Amarius Mims PERSON. Tell us something about you that very few people know? I love to hunt.

Speaker 2386.04s - 391.44s

I love, I hunt, I hunt, a deer hunt, and I duck hunt, and then I fish a lot too,

Speaker 3391.54s - 392.54s

so I fish for bass.

Speaker 2393.1s - 401.7s

I go, I go D.C. GPE fishing sometimes, but like I said, I'm very outdoors, so if anybody wants to go fishing, you know, or hunt, please let me know I'll been Cincinnati in two weeks.

Speaker 3402.44s - 405.48s

You are going to hear from somebody, Hogs, duck, and what?

Speaker 2405.66s - 405.92s

Deer.

Speaker 3406.76s - 407.76s

Hogs, duck, and deer.

Speaker 2407.96s - 408.28s

Yes, sir.

Speaker 3408.34s - 409.56s

Hogs was the first thing you listened to?

Speaker 2409.56s - 418.3s

I love hog. I love Hawthead PRODUCT, and especially with a thermoscope, ARs. So, like I said, I'll be in Cincinnati in two weeks. Y'all feel free to hear you if y'all know any spots. I want to go.

Speaker 3419.76s - 422.98s

I suspect you're going to be hearing from plenty of Bengals ORG fans along those lines.

Speaker 2423.1s - 424.32s

All right, you're off the hot seat.

Speaker 3424.42s - 425.16s

Appreciate your time. Look forward to seeing you in action. Yes, I appreciate you. Thank you be hearing from plenty of Bengals ORG fans along those lines. All right, you're off the hot seat. Appreciate your time.

Speaker 0425.36s - 429.96s

Look forward to seeing you in action. Yes, I appreciate you. Thank you. So you heard the man.

Speaker 3430.04s - 485.46s

If you are an avid hunter or fisher and live in the Cincinnati GPE area, Amarius PERSON is looking for a good guide. Before I get to my conversation with the Bengals ORG scouting director, here's a reminder that the Bengals Booth podcast is brought to you by Paycor ORG, proud to be the Bengals ORG official HR software provider. By AltaFiber, future-proof fiber internet,designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level. And by Kettering Health ORG, the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official health care provider of the Bengals ORG. Now, time for an in-depth look at this year's draft class with Mike Potts PERSON. Mike, when the Bengals were on the clock in the first round with the 18th overall pick, all of the top cornerbacks in the draft were still on the board. Another highly regardedoffensive lineman, Troy Fautano, is still there. Wide receiver Brian Thomas out of LSU ORG is still there. What tipped the scales in favor of Amarius Mims PERSON?

Speaker 1486.22s - 528.02s

Amarius is a guy that we've been scouting for a few years now and have really high regard for. I think at the premium position that he plays of offensive tackle and just his size, length, talent level, we felt that it was too good to pass up. We end up ranking our whole board between positions, one through 18, and he was the highest guy up there on our board, and we feel really good about it.We feel like with the players that we have on offense and defense, if we can protect our quarterback, which Amarius PERSON will help to do. We think we're going to be right there playing in the important games that really matter late in the season, and I think that's part of what it really came down to at the end of the day.

Speaker 3528.7s - 533.6s

He has tremendous upside as much as any of the tackles taken in this draft,

Speaker 1533.68s - 535.7s

including Joe Alt, who is the first one taken.

Speaker 3536.32s - 549.64s

Did the current roster and the fact that he doesn't have to start right away allow you to take a chance on an inexperienced player, only eight college starts, with the thought that you might be getting pro bowl talent.

Speaker 1550.44s - 610.08s

Yeah, signing Trent Brown PERSON and free agency was huge for us because he's a quality starting tackle in the league who's played both right and left tackle. So we can bring Amarius PERSON along at whatever pace is appropriate for us, whether he's ready to start year one or whether he's ready to start year one or whether he's ready to start year two. That's up to Amarius PERSON and our coaches and their development plan there. But we are very fortunate to put him into the position that he's in. He did play a good amountin college outside of those eight starts. He wasn't a rotation there. So there's tape to look at, and the good news is it's high-quality tape for the most part outside of some of the games when he was a little bit less than 100% with the ankle this year. So we feel really good about the evaluation that we have from him in the limited sample size, and we feel really good about the situation that we're putting him into with two veteran starting caliber tackles that he can learn from and come good about the situation that we're putting him into with two veteranstarting caliber tackles that he can learn from and come along at the pace that's appropriate.

Speaker 3610.76s - 625.38s

It's been classified that instead of going for the double, the Bengals ORG went for a home run. In other words, there might have been a slightly safer pick available on the board. This is the guy that has the most upside. Is that a fair characterization of what you did?

Speaker 1625.74s - 680.94s

I'd say yes and no. We don't necessarily feel like he's a risky pick. Every player that is up there in the draft, no matter how highly rated or low that they're rated, they all have risks. There's deficiencies and negatives and holes that you can pick in in every single prospect that was on every team's draft board. So his is a lack of play experience, but we don't necessarily see him as a risky swing for the fences type of pick or a possible strike out because, again, when you watch his tape, he's a highly talented player. It's not like he's a guy just with rare traits,but super inconsistent on his tape. And you're just saying, oh, if he could put it all together, then maybe we would have something. His tape is really good. It just happens to be in a limited sample size. So maybe he has a little bit higher floor than what has some of the reports out there have been. We're visiting with

Speaker 3680.94s - 711.7s

director of scouting Mike Potts. I'm sure some people listening to this are familiar with a guy named Kent Lee Platt PERSON, who invented RAS relative athletic score. He's been critical of the Bengals ORG in the past for not drafting athletic or elite athletic offensive linemen. The two offensive linemen you drafted this year, MIMS and your seventh rounder Matt Lee, both had elite athletic grades. Were you looking to target more athletic offensive linemen?

Speaker 1712.12s - 765.22s

We're always looking for the best of everything. We want really good athletes who are also strong, instinctive, physical, have really good power in their lower body and through their hips to move people off of their spot in the run game, guys with length. So there's a lot that goes into it, and we're looking for the best in all areas. Athleticism is certainly one of them that we look to upgrade for sure. And those two guys, like you mentioned, that we took are very good athletes, but they also are good in a number of other areas as well. Like I mentioned with the physicality,the instincts that they have, the technique that they play with. So it's not one area that you can just hone in on and say, hey, we want the guy with the high testing numbers in terms of athleticism because the tape has to match up and they have to be a good player in other areas. They can't just be a good athlete. An obvious area of need on the roster was defensive tackle. You use two top 100 picks on the day. because the tape has to match up, and they have to be a good player in other areas. They can't just be a good athlete.

Speaker 3767.74s - 782.14s

An obvious area of need on the roster was defensive tackle. You used two top 100 picks on the interior defensive line, Chris Jenkins and the second round, McKinley Jackson, and the third. Both team captains, both very productive college players. What did you like most about Jenkins and Jackson PERSON?

Speaker 1783.74s - 840.14s

Yeah, we really like both of those guys. That's a position that we wanted to address. They're a defensive tackle. We got two guys, maybe a little bit different styles. Chris Jenkins PERSON is more of that true defensive tackle. Can get upfield and rush as a three technique,but also in the way they utilized him at Michigan ORG. He can play stout. He can two-gap. He can play the run. He's got really long arms. And again, like I mentioned, an explosive athlete with more upside, maybe even than he's already shown to this point as a pass rusher. So we're really happy about Chris. We're really happy that we got him there in the second round. And then McKinley, like you mentioned, is maybe more of a true nose tackle, you know, 330 pound range, nose tackle with also really long arms. And he's a physical, violent player who can stop the run. He's instinctive.He also has upside as a pass rusher as well. So two different body types, two different skill sets. But we think both of those guys are really going to help us in both the run game and pass game and upgrade to our interior defensive line.

Speaker 3840.68s - 858.38s

The pick in between those two guys was wide receiver Jermaine Burton, who started his college career, Georgia and finished it at Alabama. An unbelievably explosive athlete broad jump of more than 11 feet, 38.5 inch vertical. Strictly in terms of talent, how good is Jermaine Burton PERSON?

Speaker 1858.94s - 931.98s

Yeah, Jermaine's a phenomenal talent. We had strong conviction amongst our scouting staff, our ownership and coaching staff on this player. And I've been tracking him for a number of years now back in 2020. I remember during the COVID year when we, as scouts, could only go and sit in the stands at games. I remember seeing him at Georgia against Mississippi State. And he went for eight catches, I think 197 yards and two touchdownsin that game. So that was kind of my first impression of Germain PERSON and then have been tracking him ever since over the past four years of his college career, both at Georgia and Alabama. He's a guy that we brought in and interviewed at the Combine. I got a chance to look him in the eye and, you know, really get a feel for what makes him tick and his personal character. And then we also brought him in later in the process on one of our 30 visits. So I got to spend a full day with him and, again, gain that confidence in who he is and whathe's all about. And at the end of the day, we think he's a guy that can really help us as an explosive weapon in the past game and like the competitive nature that he plays with and the ability to play potentially outside and inside for us and add another explosive element

Speaker 3931.98s - 954.82s

to our offense. So you kind of addressed my next question already about getting to the bottom of some of the maturity questions involving Jermaine Burton PERSON. I take it from your visit at the combine and his visit to Cincinnati for one of those top 30 visits that you essentially determine this is not a bad guy. It's a guy who has occasionally had trouble controlling his emotions. Yeah, I would not say a bad guy at all.

Speaker 1956.06s - 992.18s

Yeah, with the emotional stuff that's, we also view some of that as a positive in terms of his competitiveness and the fire that he plays with on the field. But yeah, you're right. We went through the whole process on him and did all of our homework, talked to as many people as we could. And then at the end of the day, the best thing we have going for us is, like I mentioned, our whole staff, you know, from multiple different departments and everybody that evaluated him and was part of the process of doing work on Germain PERSON. We're all on board with adding the playerand we're rooting for him, and we're going to do our best to put the support in place here in Cincinnati GPE for him to be as successful as possible as a Bengal ORG.

Speaker 3992.64s - 1008.92s

I'm guessing a lot of the people listening saw the video that was posted of Zach Taylor in the draft room after the selection of Germain Burton PERSON pounding the table with excitement. Was he especially high on Germain PERSON? Was that somewhat unusual to see Zach PERSON do that? Yeah, Germain PERSON.

Speaker 11009.22s - 1012.02s

I'm sorry, Zach PERSON was really excited after that pick.

Speaker 31012.1s - 1015.2s

I think Zach PERSON is excited after a lot of our picks.

Speaker 11015.5s - 1017.46s

Maybe that one just got caught on TV

Speaker 01017.46s - 1046.28s

and was more widely publicized. But I think Zach PERSON is great in our process in general. I wouldn't just point to one specific player. I mean, you could ask him, his personal opinion. I wouldn't want to speak for him. But he's great in our overall scouting process,just in terms of really watching the film, really taking the time to meet with all of these guys on the visits, on Zoom PRODUCT, in our interviews. And he's great to work with. So when he has that level of excitement for a player, it really means something.

Speaker 31046.94s - 1076.9s

We're visiting with Director of Scouting Mike Potts PERSON. Let's move to day three, round four. Your first pick was tight end to Eric All PERSON. He's a local kid from Cincinnati, went to Fairfield High School ORG, started his college career at Michigan ORG. He was a captain there, then finished up at Iowa.I was speaking to DJ Turner, his former Michigan ORG teammate, who said that Eric All would have been a first round pick, if not for the back and knee injuries that he had in his college career. Is DJ Turner PERSON accurate, or is that a former college teammate saying

Speaker 11076.9s - 1142s

nice things about his guy? He's very talented. I don't know if he would have been a first round pick or not. We had very high grades on him. We think he's got starting caliber ability in his body in terms of his physical talent. Everybody knows he's coming off the injury right now. So we'll do our best to get that rehab and bring him along at the appropriate pace in terms of when he may be ready. And make sure he's full strength once he can get out there and make an impact for us. So whether that is coming right out of the gate as a rookie or that's into the future,we'll have to determine that at a later date. But yes, he's a very talented guy that we were, again, very high on from a scouting perspective throughout the evaluation process. And with the medical concern that some teams maybe have, it's a little bit difficult to put that exact evaluation or pinpoint where on the board you actually pull him offin terms of draft round. And at the end of the day, we felt fortunate that he was still there for us in the fourth round and think he can be a real impact player

Speaker 31142s - 1144s

for us into the future.

Speaker 11144s - 1148.12s

You took another tight end two rounds later. Tanner McLaughlin out of Arizona ORG.

Speaker 31148.38s - 1152.44s

Why did you double down on the tight end position in rounds four and six?

Speaker 11153.44s - 1155.94s

Tanner PERSON's a guy we would have considered even earlier than that.

Speaker 31156.44s - 1159.54s

So I think the short answer to your question is he was the best player available.

Speaker 11160.44s - 1204.74s

We think he's a real dynamic guy in the past game. Still has some more upside in his body as a blocker. He is physical. He is willing. But he's really explosive in the past game, really good hands. Don't think he had any drops on the year this year.And, you know, run after catch stuff, separation in the past game as a route runner are all very, very good traits that he has in his game. So at the end of the day, I think we ended up adding a lot of depth to our tight end position. You know, it's a spot that we didn't have a ton of numbers at in that room going into the draft. But to add both of these guys, both Eric and Tanner PERSON, to that tight end room, I think that's astrength on our roster right now.

Speaker 31205.64s - 1213.22s

Tanner was on college rosters for six years. He's 25 years old. How heavily do you consider age in the draft?

Speaker 11213.84s - 1225.18s

Age is definitely a factor. Sometimes it can be a good thing in terms of the age. The guy may be more ready to come in and play right away. He may be more mature.

Speaker 31229.96s - 1230.02s

He may be further along in his personal life off the field and have everything squared away that way.

Speaker 11231.16s - 1252.68s

So it's not always a negative. The age, you know, maybe in terms of if everything's even on the maturity level, the character, all that stuff, sometimes you could lean to a younger guy. So I don't know. I can't speak for the other teams. Maybe the age is part of a reason that he fell a little bit lower. But we feel fortunate to get Tanner there in the sixth round because we think his talent was higher than that.

Speaker 31253.44s - 1268.86s

In the fifth round, you took a cornerback, Josh Newton out of TCU ORG. After the draft, Zach Taylor told reporters that Dax Hill PERSON is going to be moving to cornerback. Did that impact how you dealt with drafting a cornerback this year?

Speaker 11269.54s - 1293.22s

We wanted to address Corner either way. We've had discussions about Dax going over the past couple months, and we want to get our best players out there. With DJ Ivy PERSON coming off of the injury that he's coming off of, we felt like Corner was a position that we could address and add a young guy in that room. We obviously really like Dax Hill PERSON.We really like DJ Ivy PERSON.

Speaker 01293.34s - 1331.08s

We really like all of the corners that we have in that room. We just felt like it was a spot where we could add one more guy that had a clear path to make the team. And Josh Newton PERSON is a guy that we also had high grades on amongst our scouting staff, our coaching staff, and really had a high regard for, again, another guy that we felt could have went higher than he actually did on draft day and feel fortunate to get him there in the fifth round. We like his versatility, physicality, instincts. You know, he's a really, reallyproductive player there at TCU ORG who had a high profile in the scouting community. And, you know, we're excited to get him out here and see what he can do.

Speaker 31331.5s - 1336.02s

40 past breakups, seven interceptions in his college career. His defensive coordinator

Speaker 11336.02s - 1342.28s

called him the ultimate competitor. I'm really intrigued by Josh Newton PERSON the more I see and read

Speaker 31342.28s - 1345.12s

about him. Yeah, we are too. We're very intrigued.

Speaker 11345.18s - 1380.82s

He's a name that just kept coming up as we were discussing and going through the corner position just in terms, like you said, his production, his intangibles, his instincts. He tested well as well, you know, ran a 4-47. He's a very high character guy, clean medically. So there's not a lot to not like about Josh Newton PERSON in his game. And, you know,we're really excited about adding that competition to our corner room, whether that was perceived as a high need or a low need publicly. I'm not sure. But that's a position that we wanted to address. And I'm glad that it shook out there where we were able to acquire him where we did.

Speaker 31381.24s - 1386.3s

I think I saw 451 at the combine. So he ran a 4-4-7 in later testing?

Speaker 11386.9s - 1390.64s

I believe we had two times on them. You know, they run two times at the combine. I think it was a

Speaker 01390.64s - 1420.48s

4-4-7 and a 451, or the two times that we had in our system. The way we usually do it is we have our scouts doing handheld times down there on the field. We also get handheld times from the combine, and then there's electronic times on that. So we have a formula that we use in terms of throwing out the outliers and then averaging the rest of the numbers. So it's never a huge discrepancy from the numbers that may be reported, but it may be off a couple hundreds CARDINAL here or there.All right.

Speaker 11420.48s - 1421.58s

Final three picks.

Speaker 31421.7s - 1437.1s

An edge rusher, Cedric Johnson out of Ole Miss, a safety, Dejan Anthony PERSON, his teammate at Ole Miss and center Matt Lee out of Miami after starting his college career at UCF ORG. Tell us a little bit about each of those guys, Cedric Johnson, Dejohn Anthony, and Matt Lee.

Speaker 11437.9s - 1613.1s

Yeah, the two Ole Miss teammates, Cedric Johnson and Dejan Anthony PERSON, we were really glad to get all three of those guys that we got. But starting with the Ole Miss guys, Ced Johnson, and Dejan Anthony, we were really glad to get all three of those guys that we got, but starting with the Ole Miss ORG guy. Cedric Johnson is a guy that we've been looking at for a few years, really explosive, fast, powerful, pass rusher, who can play the run as well.He was another guy, you know, I don't mean to be repetitive, but he was the top guy on our board there when we got him in the sixth round. We really like our defensive end room and our edge spot that we have on the roster. It's probably one of the deeper spots that we have. But again, you take a guy, you build out that depth, and you never know how the competition will play out in training camp.You never know into the season how injuries could play out. So I think you can't go wrong with taking a high caliber guy who's the best player on the board. And he's another guy who's a great character, very smart, you know, loves football, great work habits, clean medically, all of those things that you like in terms of taking a clean prospect who checks a lot of boxes. Did a good job down there at the Senior Bowl EVENT when we scouted him down there as well. So we feel glad that we were able to get Cedric PERSON.And then his teammate, Dejohn, was a guy that we brought in on a 30 visit. Very energetic, passionate player, very competitive. He's got versatility. He's played some safety this year and also corner throughout his career. He had a winding path to get there at Ole Miss starting his career out of two other schools. But we really like his makeup, his competitiveness, his passion for the game of footballafter we spent, you know, a full day with him on that visit. We interviewed him down at the East West Shrine game as well during the All-Star scouting process. So he's a valuable guy with versatility and the demeanor and personality to potentially contribute for us on special teams units as well to help Darren PERSON out. So again, for a seventh round pick, we think he checks a lot of boxes and is going to be a guy who competes to really make this roster and have an impact for us on game day, potentially. And then Matt Lee was our last pick. He's another guy that we had a lot of love for throughout the scouting process.We also interviewed him down there at the East West Shrine EVENT game as well. Like I said, with Dejan Anthony PERSON. He's a very athletic center, very instinctive, physical player, really like his character, makeup and the passion that he plays with. athletic center, very instinctive, physical player, really like his character, makeup, and the passion that he plays with. Sources there at Miami ORG Rave about this guy's character and makeup.And, you know, we think he has really hot potential at that center position. He's kind of about all the right stuff and a really good player there on tape at Miami ORG. So we're excited to get him into the system and get working with our coaches and see where he can be. It seems to me like most of these guys

Speaker 31613.1s - 1636.68s

came in for top 30 visits and maybe in the past, I could be wrong about this, but it kind of felt like more of those visits would go to guys that you didn't know much about. They weren't combine invites, maybe morequote-unquote long shots. Have you changed your approach so that those top 30 visits are largely for guys that you are, you know, have high on your board and are strongly considering drafting?

Speaker 11637.1s - 1691.28s

We have been necessarily changed our approach wholesale, so to say. We evaluated on a year-to-year basis. And this year, just the way the board fell, we felt very strongly about some of the top guys at a number of different positions and really wanted to do our homework on them. We always bring in non-combine guys to make sure we get the medical on them. And, you know, in terms of if they're not at the combine, we don't have that full medical workup. You want to have that confidence in that piece of the evaluation to draft them. We still did bring in a good number of non-combine guys, a good number of potential later round targets.Dejan Anthony PERSON, we didn't know if he would be there in the later rounds or not, but we knew going into the process that he's a guy that could fit, you know, in a lot of different areas for us and a guy that we had targeted and wanted to do the full workup on them. Now, a lot of times we bring guys in and they have the

Speaker 01691.28s - 1731.98s

opposite impression. Potentially, they could be a guy that you end up crossing off of your list due to your exposure on the visit because you don't like their football intelligence, their character, their medical assessment, whatever the case is. So I wouldn't say there's an exact rhyme or reason to looking at exactly who we bring in, and oh, these are the top guys that we're really targeting. The guys don't actually become a target until we've worked through our whole meetings in April,and then you're leading up to the week before the draft. That's when they actually become a target. Earlier in the process with the visits. There are just potential targets that could work themselves up the board or down the board according to how that visit goes.

Speaker 11732.58s - 1740.6s

How close were you to trading up at any point? We were very close a number of times. It felt like there was probably 100 or so calls.

Speaker 01740.72s - 1745.44s

I don't know how many exactly there were, but we're constantly working the phone lines.

Speaker 11746.02s - 1765.4s

You know, text, calls, and there's constant conversation. We had, you know, plenty of conversations about moving up and moving back. But at the end of the day, we felt fortunate that there was enough players there that we felt good about and we were able to stay patient in each of our 10 picks and get a guy that we felt really good about without having to

Speaker 31765.4s - 1802.44s

fall down a level of player. It's been publicly reported that the Falcons ORG reached out with the possible idea of moving up to number 18 and we're considering giving you their first round pick in next year's draft. However, had that deal come to fruition, you would have had to drop back into the middle of the second round before taking a pick this year. Then it didn't come to pass because the guy they were interested in got drafted a few picks before the Bengals ORG. But in any case, would that have been hard to do to have gone all the way back into the middle of the second round,even though it would have meant getting a first rounder next year?

Speaker 11803.1s - 1878.54s

Yeah, I saw that that was publicly reported. I mean, obviously all those trade discussions are confidential. We wouldn't want to put any teams, you know, private discussions out there publicly. I did see that that specific one was reported that Atlanta ORG was looking to come up to target some specific players. There's always a conversation on how far you're willing to move back. Do you have enough players that you feel comfortable with the trade compensation being worth, maybe moving back and movingoff of players that you have targeted in that given round? You know, there's a number of times that we had opportunities to move back, but we didn't want to move off of the players that we had targeted in those rounds. So we chose not to. Like I said, there's tons of calls constantly going on. I'm actually surprised with how many discussions we had that we didn't end up moving or trading at all. I feel like every year we at least have a couple, you know, one, one, two, three trades or so. And this year, it just didn't work out that way. But it wasn't forlack of effort or trying both on our part and other team's parts reaching out to us. That's just the way it shook out this year. Where do you start working on the class of 25? Probably take most of the rest of this week to exhale, you know, rehash this

Speaker 01878.54s - 1905.52s

draft class. Always great talking with guys like you and going back through it. There's a little bit more information that you can go through now as opposed to before the draft when there's less that you can put out there publicly. But, yeah, I would say probably in the next week or two, we'll get the page flip, so to speak, on to next year's draft. And, you know, towards the end of the month for sure, we'll be full force working on 2025.

Speaker 11906.42s - 1909.4s

Appreciate your time, Mike. Thank you. Thanks a lot, Dan PERSON. I appreciate you.

Speaker 31910.18s - 1939.28s

Before we wrap things up, let's check in with a former first-round draft pick, Dax Hill PERSON. On Saturday, Zach Taylor made it official when he told reporters that Dax PERSON is moving from safety to cornerback. He'll be given the chance to compete for a starting spot on the outside. In Hill's final year at Michigan, roughly 72% of his snaps came at cornerback. So this isn't totally new. Dax PERSON answered some questions about the switch on

Speaker 01939.28s - 1952.1s

Monday. I love covering. That's something I always done pretty well in college. So I'm kind of just glad that I'm back in that same similar role. And I'm really just looking forward to competing.

Speaker 31952.72s - 1955.34s

How did that initial conversation we go with Coach's ORG in the way?

Speaker 01956.16s - 1965.8s

Really, I mean, kind of just told me straight forward. He's going to be moving me and really just having a good chance to compete with, you know, some guys on the team on the squad. So I'm excited for it.

Speaker 11966.2s - 1970.26s

What's the biggest challenge that's from moving for safety to course?

Speaker 31971.26s - 1974.94s

Really just a technique, but for the most part, it's kind of similar.

Speaker 01975.1s - 1978.04s

I mean, you're covering, I mean, you're covering different types of bodies,

Speaker 31978.04s - 1983.78s

but at the same time, I mean, still covering, you know, quality people, football players.

Speaker 01983.78s - 1992.44s

So, you know, it's different, but, I mean, it's going to be some learning there. But I feel like that's something, you know, my skill set I'm able to do.

Speaker 11992.68s - 1993.8s

Are you okay with the move?

Speaker 31994.16s - 2005.44s

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm going to have to, you know, so I have no choice. But that's something I've done before, so I'm pretty comfortable and confident in myself. The only important is it, Dax PERSON, to keep a positive attitude?

Speaker 02005.62s - 2008.24s

It seems like you've got the smile, you're happy,

Speaker 12008.5s - 2011.68s

you can project good attitude to us.

Speaker 02011.84s - 2014.4s

How important is it to keep a good attitude making this change?

Speaker 12015.08s - 2017.76s

I mean, it's just going to make it easier for myself.

Speaker 02018.5s - 2020.64s

I mean, I could take it one or two ways,

Speaker 12020.64s - 2024.42s

and I'm just, you know, take the best way to look at it

Speaker 02024.42s - 2041.08s

and just sees it as an opportunity for me and my, you know, my family. And, you know, there's, I feel like I have a high ceiling, you know, for myself, whether, whatever position it is, I'm confident in myself. So, uh, I really don't have a bad attitude towards it.

Speaker 32042.08s - 2089.92s

Dex PERSON has good size, tremendous speed, and he's tough. There's little doubt he can be an excellent NFL ORG player. It's all about finding the right spot. That's going to do it for this episode of the Bengals Booth podcast, brought to you by Paycor ORG, proud to be the Bengals ORG official HR software provider. By Alta Fiber ORG, future-proof fiber internet designed to elevate your home, business,and community to a new level. And by Kettering Health ORG, Future Proof Fiber Internet, designed to elevate your home, business, and community to a new level. And by Kettering Health ORG, the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official health care provider of the Bengals ORG. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this podcast, and if you have a minute, give it a rating or share a comment. That helps more Bengals ORG fans find us. I'm Dan Horde PERSON, and thanks for listening helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for listeningto the Bengals Booth ORG podcast.