Zac Taylor Says Ohio State Players Are “Always Gonna Get A Longer Look” from Cincinnati Bengals in NFL Draft

The Bengals at the moment have 5 former Ohio State gamers on their roster, tied with the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions for essentially the most of any crew within the NFL – and that’s not even together with Joe Burrow, Keandre Jones and Noah Spence, who additionally performed at Ohio State earlier than ending their school careers elsewhere.

Primarily based on what Taylor stated eventually week’s Ohio State coaches’ clinic, the sizable variety of Buckeyes on their roster isn’t by chance.

“We have tons of Buckeyes on our crew. And one factor about Ohio State is every time we undergo the draft, they’ve acquired loads of gamers which can be within the first couple rounds that we would like, however they’re all the time gonna get an extended look from us,” Taylor stated throughout his presentation on the clinic. “Yeah, as a result of they’re within the state of Ohio and we would like guys which can be right here and it means one thing to them, however they simply deserve that as a result of all the blokes that performed for us from Ohio State play at (a excessive) degree. And so each participant that comes via right here, we take an extended have a look at to ensure we get the appropriate analysis on them and see if they need to be part of our program.”

Taylor has good purpose to need extra Buckeyes on his roster after this previous season, when the Bengals’ contingent of former Ohio State gamers have been an enormous purpose why they received their first AFC championship in 33 years. Sam Hubbard, Vonn Bell and Eli Apple all made key performs within the Bengals’ AFC Championship Recreation win over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, and every of them have been starters for the Bengals protection all 12 months lengthy, with Bell and Hubbard serving as crew captains. Burrow, who spent three years at Ohio State earlier than transferring to LSU, led the Bengals at quarterback whereas Isaiah Prince was additionally the beginning proper deal with for the playoff run.

“There’s not one other crew in all of school soccer that I can put three gamers from our crew making championship-level performs at that commonplace on right here apart from Ohio State,” Taylor stated whereas exhibiting clips of the game-changing performs Apple, Hubbard and Bell made in opposition to the Chiefs. “There is no different crew I can do this on. So it simply speaks to this place.”

Taylor believes the teaching these gamers acquired at Ohio State helped put together them for the challenges of the NFL, and that can make him extra inclined to need to add extra Buckeyes to the roster going ahead.

“They’ve already come from a spot with very excessive requirements, that championships are anticipated, and their soccer character’s via the roof,” Taylor informed reporters after the clinic when requested what stands out about gamers from Ohio State. “As a result of they’ve labored onerous, they care about their teammates, they love the method of working towards and assembly, all of the issues main as much as the sport. So you actually know what you are getting while you take a Buckeye.

“We all know that they’ll be well-coached. I do know quite a lot of the coaches right here, they have a historical past of success placing guys within the league which have success. These guys all the time play for championships. And so that you’ve acquired a fairly good thought of what you are getting while you take certainly one of these gamers.”

“They’re all the time gonna get an extended look from us.”– Zac Taylor on Ohio State draft prospects

It helps that Taylor has longstanding relationships with a number of Ohio State coaches together with broad receivers coach Brian Hartline, whose enjoying profession with the Miami Dolphins overlapped with Taylor’s time because the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach. After being launched by Hartline on the coaches’ clinic, Taylor known as Hartline “certainly one of my all-time favorites that I’ve been round.”

Taylor has additionally identified Ohio State head coach Ryan Day courting again to when Day was the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, when Zac’s youthful brother Press Taylor (now the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator) was an offensive high quality management coach for the Eagles. And Zac Taylor appears like Day is somebody he can belief when he talks to Day about Ohio State’s draft prospects.

“I’ve identified Ryan for some time,” Taylor stated. “He is simply so real. And so you already know what you’re getting from Ryan. And you may simply see why his groups have been so profitable, is as a result of I am positive that these guys consider in him and what he is about.”

Among the many Buckeyes who’re at the moment on the Bengals’ roster, Hubbard is the one one who was really drafted out of Ohio State by the Bengals. Bell and Apple each got here to Cincinnati by the use of free company, whereas Prince was claimed off waivers and Drue Chrisman was signed final 12 months as an undrafted free agent. The Bengals have drafted three Buckeyes since 2018, however two of them – offensive linemen Billy Value and Michael Jordan – are not with the crew.

Nonetheless, the inflow of Buckeyes to Cincinnati over the previous 4 years has been an enormous change from the earlier 23 years, through which the Bengals drafted simply two Buckeyes (Daniel Herron in 2012 and Reid Fragel in 2013) after taking each Dan Wilkinson and Jeff Cothran within the 1994 NFL draft.

As for this 12 months’s draft, it’s unlikely the Bengals can have a shot at drafting both of the Buckeyes’ prime two prospects, broad receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, provided that they aren’t choosing till the No. 31 total decide following final 12 months’s run to the Tremendous Bowl. The Bengals aren’t out there to draft a large receiver early anyway, as they have already got one of many NFL’s prime beginning trios on the place in Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

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Nearly any of Ohio State’s different prospects on this 12 months’s draft, nevertheless, could possibly be choices for the Bengals – who have been represented by director of participant personnel Duke Tobin at this 12 months’s Ohio State professional day – in the event that they need to convey one other Buckeye to city.

Even after signing three new beginning offensive linemen (La’el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras) in free company, the Bengals ought to nonetheless be trying so as to add extra expertise up entrance via the draft, which may make both Thayer Munford or Nicholas Petit-Frere an interesting goal within the center rounds. Whereas offensive line is the one place the place former Buckeyes haven’t had a lot success in Cincinnati in recent times, as each Value and Jordan had short-lived tenures with the crew and Prince typically struggled throughout his stint as a starter, they hosted Munford – whose versatility to play each deal with and guard may make him a terrific addition for depth – on a pre-draft go to.

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The Bengals may look to draft a brand new tight finish after dropping C.J. Uzomah in free company to the New York Jets, they usually acquired a more in-depth have a look at Jeremy Ruckert – one other projected middle-round decide – when he attended the Bengals’ native professional day earlier this week.

On the opposite facet of the ball, Cincinnati will seemingly be trying to draft a 3-technique defensive deal with, as they haven’t re-signed free agent Larry Ogunjobi. Haskell Garrett, who additionally attended the Bengals’ native professional day, could possibly be an choice for the Bengals in the event that they wait till the third or fourth spherical to handle that want.

The Bengals may additionally use some extra depth behind Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson at defensive finish, which may lead them to take a look at former Ohio State defensive finish Tyreke Smith – who stated at OSU’s professional day that the Bengals have been among the many groups he had spoken with most – within the draft’s later rounds.

Grasp Teague, Antwuan Jackson and Demario McCall seem extra prone to be signed as undrafted free brokers than they’re to be drafted, however the Bengals did their due diligence on these three Buckeyes by internet hosting all of them on the native professional day, too.

The Bengals maintain all of their unique picks within the 2022 NFL draft – which suggests they’ll be selecting close to the top of all seven rounds – in addition to the New York Giants’ seventh-round decide, giving them eight alternatives to contemplate drafting one other Buckeye subsequent week.