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Khalid Kareem heard his name called in the top 150 thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals at the top of Round 5.
Those Bengals were always going to keep adding to the rebuilding front seven and with Kareem get a nice value via his blend of character and ability.
Kareem put up 13 sacks and 108 total tackles over three seasons at Notre Dame, including four forced fumbles and eight passes defensed for good measure.
A high-effort player, the only big knock on the pick itself is he’s coming off surgery to repair a torn labrum, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. Otherwise, he always seemed like a Day 3 guy ready to get in camp and go to work.
And work is what Kareem should put in as part of the rotation up front. The Bengals are going more multiple with their defense but still need versatile guys up front who can fill gaps and potentially collapse pockets.
Kareem just fits in that regard and brings some dependability and consistency along with him. He’s also the sort of character fit the Bengals have heavily emphasized in free agency and this draft.
Maybe this pick is different if the Cowboys don’t take offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz to close the fourth round. And while four offensive linemen came off the board over the next 10 picks after the Bengals here, it’s becoming pretty apparent the team is comfortable with what it has.
It’s not worth a major knock in grade here. A high-effort and character player with lots of power and an 84-inch wingspan is quite the get in the fifth.
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