Fourth Round: C Connor Lew, Auburn, WR Colbie Young, Georgia
You’ve got Dealin’ Duke Tobin. Trader Trey Brown. Maneuverin’ Mike Potts. Strategic Steven Radicevic.
Aren’t they supposed to be the stodgy, sedentary Bengals when it comes to Draft Day moves? Hey, you can’t believe everything you read.
In a span of less than seven days, Tobin and Co., pulled off two trades that very well could be some of the defining moves as the Joe Burrow Era moves into its next phase.
Last Saturday night, word broke they had traded their 10th pick for the Giants’ scheme-changing defensive tackle Lawrence. Then, this past Saturday afternoon while they were on the clock with the 110th pick in the fourth, they pulled off another New York trade, this one with the Jets in which they moved back to get another fourth in a round they believed they could get two starters at No. 128 and No. 140.
They traded their sixth for the Jets’ second fourth. The Bengals wanted the starter more than the pick, and the Jets only wanted to get up to take Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
“We were actively calling teams trying to figure out a way to get two players who were starters in that round,” Brown says. “We went back and forth with (the Jets) while we were on the clock. We wanted to be aggressive to get two targeted players.”
The Bengals had talked about Oklahoma center Febechi Nwaiwu in the third, and he was still on the board when Saturday began. But they kept working the phones, and there was no panic when the Texans took him at No. 106.
“We had three centers we liked,” Radicevic says. “We had stacked 32 names, and we would have been happy with whatever two guys we came out of the round with. When you have that, you do it.”
Also key here was the cyber trio of Francis, Gross and LaBounty. It was the first draft with LaBounty manning “the cockpit,” that controls three live screens of teams, tendencies and trades.
“They were very helpful. They did a great job researching the teams, if they had traded up in the past, where and what they had traded for,” Radicevic says. “Any kind of trade we were considering, they would put in the values and had answers quickly while we were on the clock.”
In Lew and Young, Radicevic believes they’ve got two third-rounders in the fourth. They also believe they’re made for a Joe Burrow offense. Satisfied he’ll be back in enough time to back up center Ted Karras after tearing his ACL in October, Lew sounds like he’ll be Burrow’s kind of guy.
First and last of all, he can pass protect.
“Lew’s got the intangible items of football IQ and instincts you see on tape,” Brown says. “He’s the leader on offense. He gets them in the right protections and the right positions. He’s very athletic, and he has strength as a blocker. He’s got a lot of upside to grow into a starting center in time.”
Young also sounds like Burrow’s kind of receiver.
“He’ll play to Joe Burrow’s strengths in terms of going up in contested situations. And the toughness after the catch is what stood out,” Radicevic says. “He was one of the team leaders at Georgia. He’s wired the right way.”
Another case where NFL experience paid off. Hinch had worked the south for the Patriots, and he saw Young play at both Georgia and Miami.
“I was all for it,” Hinch says. “He’s got the strength and size for the position.”
Yes, there is the Tee Higgins comp, although Young “is a little bit bigger in build .. and wins a little bit differently than Tee.”
Brown says Young won’t be flummoxed by the playbook and that he’ll be able to learn whatever spots they choose to put him.
“The one element that separates him from a lot of the receivers is the ability to play as a blocker in the run game,” Brown says. “He can play inside, and he can also line up outside for some matchups with smaller cornerbacks.
“We like big guys that can make plays at the catch point. He’s strong, he’s physical. But he has the ability to bend and make acrobatic catches. When you think he’s covered, he’s really not, and he’s smart enough to play multiple positions.”
