Talented 3-4 Lineup
They didn't wear pads, of course, so it's hard to say anything about the defensive and offensive linemen and tight end the Bengals drafted. But you can say third-round pick Tacario Davis, the cornerback from Oregon, and fourth-rounder Colbie Young, the wide receiver from Georgia, held up quite well.
It wouldn't be stunning to say the three best cornerbacks going into the preseason games could very well be Davis and starters Dax Hill and DJ Turner II. Hill is certainly impressed by how the 6-4 Davis moves.
"Fluid in coverage. He brings us a lot at the line of scrimmage with his length," said Hill, who should be fine for training camp after just doing individuals on Tuesday "You don't see guys (tall corners) like that nowadays. That was kind of back in the day. His size brings an intimidating presence."
They make an intriguing trio. Davis with his size, Turner as the quintessential cover corner, and Hill as the guy who can play any position in the secondary. Bottom line, especially on third down, it comes down to matchups.
"If that's what the game plan calls for that day, you put your guys on their guys and make them play left-handed," Hill said. We have guys to move the chess pieces around."
Young is also 6-4, which makes him the prototypical Bengals wide receiver. His work habits and attitude have quickly grown on Taylor.
"I'm really pleased with the baseline that he started with when he came in here. Very eager, great personality, willing to do everything it takes," Taylor said. "What works against Colby is the years of experience around him. Everybody's done it all, and so there's not a lot of mistakes happening around.
"Everything's going to be nuanced on exactly how we want it done. He's eagerly doing it. I'm really pleased with the direction he's headed."
And that comes after the spring rules never gave Young a chance to show his blue-chip physicality.
"I'm really excited to see him put the pads on because I think that's going to be a huge advantage for him," Taylor said. "His physicality and being able to separate with that physicality, his run after the catch, he's got really strong hands, so I think some of his best traits will show up when the pads come on."
Hill is holding a free camp for children ages 8-14 Saturday at Colerain High School from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. It's sold out with 200 kids, and Hill is going to work with the kids assisted by the Colerain coaching staff.
"It's the first time in a year or two we've had a camp, and it's something I want to do every year because I want to keep giving back to the community," Hill said. "The big thing is making it accessible to everyone."