Though it might merely file under “due diligence” the Cincinnati Bengals have been all over the top quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin and his staff made a point to keep a close eye on the top passers in the draft over the course of this past season — if not longer.
Tobin opened up with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer about the work he’s already put in on LSU’s Joe Burrow, Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa:
Tobin saw Burrow play live against Utah State, saw Herbert live against Arizona and has seen Young live on multiple occasions. He planned to see Tagovailoa live, but the Alabama quarterback’s injury prevented that; he did get to see him throw in practice. He also did school calls in Baton Rouge, La.; Eugene, Ore.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and Columbus, Ohio. And Tobin’s watched every throw of Burrow’s going back to the signal-caller’s time as an Ohio State backup.
Is this anything out of the ordinary? Probably not, but it’s interesting to see which games a notable name like Tobin saw in person. Film work was concluded long ago and won’t offer up many surprises on notable players now, but the in-person stuff is noteworthy.
The Burrow game, for example, saw him torch Utah State with a 71.1 completion percentage and five touchdowns against one interception with another rushing score in a 42-6 win.
The Herbert game saw the Oregon passer complete 71.4 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and one pick in a 34-6 win.
All that remains in the process now for Tobin and Co.? Personal visits to get into the minds of these players, diving into more than just the on-film or arm’s-length evaluation. They already had that at the Senior Bowl with Herbert, but visits, the combine, pro days and otherwise stand between now and the draft.
The Bengals are reportedly considering four prospects with the No. 1 pick in the draft. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the big legwork done here already encompasses the four.
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