The Bengals made six additions to the team through the 2022 NFL Draft, including three selection on day 3. Although the draft has since ended, each team remains hard at work, looking to secure their top targets that went undrafted. The Bengals wasted little time once the draft concluded, adding over ten UDFA’s to their roster, as they look to fill it out. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
– C, Ben Brown
Ben Brown is one of the team’s higher profile UDFA pickups. I had written him up in my iOL Rankings prior to the draft, so I don’t have much else to add at this point. Below is my Ben Brown write up from that article.
– DE/DT, Tariqious Tisdale
Tisdale spent a lot of time on the edge, but also kicked inside at various points. He is a solid athlete for an edge rusher, but his athleticism shines more from the inside. However, he is on the light side for a DT. Tisdale shows rotational upside thanks to his athleticism, and flashes of effective pass rush moves. The biggest issue is that you have to go all the way back to 2019 to find his best tape. He had some injury trouble in 2020, and saw a lot of the bench during the 2021 season. The traits are there to develop, and his versatility was likely a big reason why they targeted him. He seems like a good developmental project for the practice squad, but could surprise if given enough opportunity.
– OLB, Clarence Hicks
Hicks is a bit of a Swiss army knife in the front seven. He showed some nice flashes as a pass rusher, using his speed and bend to turn the corner. He also showed glimpses of a good swim move, and the ability to win the hands battle. Hicks was moved around a bit, also seeing snaps as an off the ball LB. His speed allowed him to break on the ball a couple of times, and he has decent enough change of direction skills to handle shallow-intermediate zones. As well, his traits give him the potential to become a core special teamer. Hicks is undersized for a true edge rusher. He won’t often win with strength and can have his difficulties against the run. Bigger OT’s can take him out of the game for large stretches. For those reasons, it will be tough for him to develop into more than a situational pass rusher, but his ability to play off the ball and on special teams could lead to a few more opportunities.
– WR, Kendric Pryor
Pryor is a smooth player with deceptive speed to do damage on all three levels. He can win over the top, but might have been at his best with the ball in his hands. Pryor was highly effective running jet sweeps, showing the patience to let holes open up, the quickness to evade tacklers, and the speed to draw off. There were also some flashes of elevation catches, but he doesn’t have the strength to consistently win in contested situations. Press CB’s were also able to take advantage of their size advantage by jamming him at the line. His lack of production throughout his five year college career is concerning. As well, his route running is unrefined and he can be slow getting out of his breaks. His production profile and lack of development, despite a five year college career, does not bode well for his chances, but he has enough ability to potentially make it as a depth player with a gadget type role on offence.
– OT, Devin Cochran
At 6’7″, Cochran’s size immediately stands out, and even more so , his reach. His long reach makes it tough for edge rushers to turn the corner without getting redirected out the back door. It also helps him open lanes in the run game. While the size comes with its benefits, it has its drawbacks as well. Cochran often plays at a high pad level, making it easier for defenders to push him back. He will need to play lower on a more consistent basis. Getting a bit stronger would help as well. Technique wise, his hands are pretty good, in terms of both placement and strength. However, his footwork is often quite sloppy and without rhythm, and his athleticism is subpar. Even with the reach, he puts himself in tough situations when facing speed. This will lead to oversets, which defenders then take advantage of with inside counters. The arm length is a great natural tool to work with, and adding some strength should help his anchor. That shouldn’t be too hard, but the technique, on the other hand, will likely take longer to correct. He seems like a possible developmental project for the practice squad.
– WR, Kwamie Lassiter II
Lassiter is a smooth player whose technique is well developed. He is a crisp router runner. Breaks are sharp and his deceptive footwork and fakes help him create separation. Hands are very reliable and good awareness is shown near the sidelines. Trait wise, I wouldn’t say he stands out much. Size isn’t great, and he can get pressed up at the line. He isn’t much of a contested catch threat, either. Lassiter does have some quickness to him, but his speed doesn’t look super dynamic. This summer, he will have to continue to put his technical skills on display in order to have a shot at a spot on the practice squad, or back-end of the roster.
– TE, Justin Rigg
Rigg is a big TE with the strength to handle in-line blocking duties. He held up quite well against some tough competition. Rigg is a below average athlete and loses effectiveness as a blocker when pulling across the line or getting to the second level. He is a sluggish mover and won’t be a downfield threat as a receiver. However, his hands looked safe in all of my exposures and he did have a little success in the redzone. He doesn’t have much upside, but he could become a TE3 with a block-heavy role.
– LS, Cal Adomitis
Adomitis is accurate with his field goal snaps, and gets a good amount of velocity on those ones. He can be a bit more inconsistent snapping for punts. Velocity is decent but nothing special, and you do see instances of snaps that are a bit low and/or off to the side. Adomitis has a big frame that is ideal for punt protection. Athleticism is solid, but his effort is what really stands out in punt coverage. He is able to get down the field with good spatial awareness, and is a good tackler. He doesn’t wait for tackling opportunities to come to him, he goes out and finds them. Adomitis is someone that the Bengals can groom to potentially take over for Clark Harris at some point down the line.
– CB, Delonte Hood
Hood is an athletic player who, while largely unknown as a prospect, seems to have some solid upside. Speed is quite good, but his burst really stands out. He sits well positioned in zone, before accelerating quickly to make a play on the ball. Hood shows ball hawking tendencies, and good awareness of when to break off from his assignment, as the ball heads toward another target. Hood has a good build that allows him to hold up against the run. He is certainly willing in this area, at times coming from across the field to make a play. At this point, I like him a lot better in zone, as he tends to leave more space in man to man situations than I would like. That said, the traits are there to get better in this area. There were instances where I felt he could have gotten his head turned faster, and others where he could have done better to high point the ball when breaking up the pass. The competition question mark will certainly linger for a bit. Coming from Peru State, you could say that he is a small school prospect among small school prospects. Considering the situation, it is impressive that he has put himself in position to get a shot in the NFL, but it will be quite the jump in competition. There will likely be a steep learning curve. Overall, you could say that Hood is a pretty raw prospect, which isn’t surprising. But he has enough traits and good enough instincts to be a worthwhile developmental project, with some sneaky good upside for the future.
– RB, Shermari Jones
Jones is a dense RB with the strength and power to be effective in short yardage/goal line situations. His quickness in short areas is underrated and his jump cut has been quite effective at times. He lacks the speed to have starter upside, and his vision will have to improve if he is to see meaningful snaps on offence. Too often, he would run right into a brick wall at the line, passing up another lane that was open. Jones doesn’t offer much as a receiver, so it will be important for him to establish himself in his niche role. His ability and success as a special teams contributor increases his chances to catch on as an RB3 or RB4.
– S/CB, Brendan Radley-Hiles
Radley-Hiles is a hybrid safety/slot CB that lacks the size to play on the boundary. He is a good athlete with the agility to succeed in the slot, and the speed to be a playmaker from the safety position. Radley-Hiles looked his best at safety, where he was able to keep things in front of him, and use his speed to go downhill to make a play. His acceleration gives him opportunities to breakup passes, or limit yards after the catch if he can’t break it up. His speed is also a nice asset as a blitzer. For a smaller guy, he is a hard hitter, on some instances jarring the ball loose with his hit. That said, his size still causes some tackles to slip away, and also limits his reach as he attempts to breakup passes. The ability is there to man up in the slot, and he has shown some ball hawking abilities. However, his aggressive playing style can be both a blessing and a curse. When on top of his game, he is anticipating things well and making splash plays. However, he can be a bit erratic at times, biting on route fakes, taking poor angles, and overrunning the ball carrier. He needs to find the right balance between aggressiveness and control, walking the line instead of crossing it. I think he will need time to develop the mental part of his game, but I really like the versatility and upside here. Could also contribute right away on special teams.
– CB, Allan George
Wasn’t able to watch as much film on him as I would have liked. I thought his athleticism really stood out. Fluid in the hips and can stick with quicker receivers. George looked pretty willing to help in run support and looks like a solid tackler. In my limited exposures, it looked like he would come off of the field for stretches, which I kind of found strange for someone who is likely one of the better players on his defence. Not sure what the reason for that was. But again, the small sample size makes it hard to make a judgement on that. He put some quality stuff on tape against good teams over the course of his career. Consistency seems to be the big thing with him, and he gave up some stuff underneath and some separation over the top. Ability seems to be there, so I think this is a solid developmental prospect for a UDFA. Will be interesting to see if he can put it all together.
– LB, Carson Wells
Wells played a lot on the edge in college, but to put it simply, he just doesn’t have the traits to make it there in the NFL. He is an instinctive player, often showing the ability to sniff out the football on inside runs. His skillset is that of a run stuffing inside LB. His play recognition did allow him to make a few plays in coverage, but he doesn’t have the speed or quickness to cover more than shallow zones. Even that may be a stretch at the NFL level. Wells has a high running motor that is sometimes able to make up for the lack of athletic traits. His build is solid and his technique as a tackler is very sound. Wells stays square to his opponent, wraps up, and follows all the way through as he is making the tackle. In terms of his NFL projection, his ceiling seems to be a depth LB. His high effort, strength, and tackling ability can potentially land him a situational role near the goal line and in short yardage situations. As well, he could contribute on special teams.
– WR, Jaivon Heiligh
Heiligh is a technical receiver. A lot of the separation that he was able to create in college was due to his developed route running. He has great footwork and can get his opponent to lunge out of position early in the route. Heiligh does well to catch the ball away from his body. He has shown the ability to make some tough catches along the sideline, but instances of bobbles, double clutches, and concentration drops do occur. Heiligh is lacking in speed, forcing him to rely heavily on his technique. Quickness is a bit better, but none of his athletic traits really stand out. His size is solid, but he often gets out-muscled when required to block on the outside. Because of his athletic limitations, I think he would be best suited to spend most of his time in the slot. Overall, his upside is pretty modest. He might be able to carve out a role as a depth player.
– WR, Jack Sorenson
Sorenson was a productive player at a small school. He isn’t the biggest guy, but made some surprisingly good catches in tight conditions. His body control is good, as he showed the ability to adjust to back shoulder passes, and stretch out his frame to haul in passes that aren’t right on target. Overall, his hands are very reliable. Sorenson lacks speed. Quickness is okay, but he doesn’t have enough juice to create consistent separation. He played a lot on the outside in college, but I think his best chance at the next level is in the slot. Upside is a bit limited, but he is someone who could catch on as a depth player. There is some kick return appeal as well.
– G, Desmond Noel
Noel has solid size and his strength is alright as well. I wouldn’t say he is a mauler, and perhaps more of a mean streak would help his game, but he has flashed the ability to sustain his anchor. A bit more consistency would be good, though. Adding additional strength would help with that. When working near the line of scrimmage, he does well to keep his technique and body position in control. My biggest issue with his technique would probably be hand timing. I’d like to see him strike first more often and initiate the contact. He also sees his pad level get a bit high at times, but it didn’t look like a consistent problem. Noel generally stays square during his pass sets, keeping himself in good position. There are some solid reps as a run blocker, but more inconsistencies as well. A lot of the problems with his game in general come when more movement is required. He looks heavy on his feet and can struggle to get across the line in time to make his block when pulling. There were also instances of lunging, allowing defenders to get by him rather easily with a quick counter, which would blow up the run. Noel showed some traits that you can work with. I’m not sure that the upside is super high, but he has a chance to develop into a solid depth player.
