The Cincinnati Bengals look for very particular things early in the NFL draft. Not just production, but things like history as a team captain, big programs, certain athletic traits and face-to-face meetings before the draft.
And one name keeps checking more of those boxes than most this year.
South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori is a name Bengals fans might want to remember. We wrote as much when he took a top-30 visit with the Bengals recently.
The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. recently added more details on how obvious of a fit Emmanwori is for the Bengals:
"Outside of not playing in the College Football Playoff, Emmanwori checks as many boxes as any first-round prospect. The added variable here is what we don’t know about new defensive coordinator Al Golden. He could view an Emmanwori addition as an opportunity to play more three-safety looks with him dropping down as a big nickel with Jordan Battle and Geno Stone behind him. The versatility and rare athleticism running a 4.38 at 6-3, 220 pounds opens up myriad options for reformatting the defense."
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The Bengals jumping headfirst into attempting to replace Jessie Bates yet again might not sound all that appealing to Bengals fans.
But with a new coach at the controls, Jordan Battle as a full-time starter an unknown and Geno Stone's struggles last year, it might not be the worst idea in the world.
It helps that Emmanwori is such a top-flight prospect, of course. It would also represent the apparent strategy of pouring draft resources into the defense after spending so much on the offense, too.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' draft process keeps highlighting one Round 1 prospect
