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* RD 3 Bengals Select Nick Vigil, LB / RB *

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As for the Vigil pick, he was announced by Bengals left end Carlos Dunlap, draped in his University of Florida graduation gown.

"That was awesome," said defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. "Congratulations to Carlos."

Head coach Marvin Lewis said Vigil has a chance to be a three-down player, which is one of the many reasons they love this red-shirt junior. He's also a guy heavily endorsed by special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons because of his speed. Guenther raved about his 4.66-second shuttle time and linebackers coach Jim Haslett said he's a guy that fits every spot in the Bengals 4-3 defense.

"Their defense was ranked as a whole 17th in the country. They've got some pretty good linebackers," Haslett said. "He's got great speed."

Guenther said Vigil "can do a lof different things. Cover, run . . . We can team him all three spots."

The Bengals compare his instinctive, versatile style to Carolina Pro Bowl middle linebacker Luke Kuechly. He was the only player in the country last year to have at least nine tackles in every regular-season game.

"We're not comparing him to Kuechly," Guenther said. "He'll have to come in here and win a spot."

Vigil, who started in base at middle backer and moved outisde to WILL on passing downs, he didn't talk to anyone from the Bengals during the process and was surprised to get the call. He said he was expecting the fourth round, but his agent told him anywhere from mid-third to mid-fifth.

He was so versatile the offensive coaches came up a package for him as a tailback in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

"Those days are gone," Vigil said. "I'm glad because I wasn't a very good running back."

Zach was a free agent last year and is with the Dolphins and now they have a date on national TV in September on NFL Network.

"A little brotherly rivalry," said Nick of the tandem that grew up in Plain City, Utah.

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-fill-WR-slot-with-Boyd-in-second-round-LB-Vigil-arrives-in-third/2358270d-e609-4813-8bbd-9a8735e45409

Reminds me, a little off topic but was cool Los was there. Congrats to him for going back and finishing his degree. Shows what type of work ethic and head he has on his shoulders considering he could probably quit football this minute and never have to work a day in his life. Great guy for all he does for others and the community. Proud to have people like him and Michal Johnson on the Bengals. Attitude reflects leadership and its great having those guys and others like Whit and the quiet put your head down and go to work lead by example Geno there to lead the way and show the younger guys how its done. Besides Burfict getting a little carried away from time to time he still shows a want to win so badly that he along with A. Jones let their emotions get the best of em. Playing with emotion is a must but you can't allow your emotions make bad decisions for you. That being said even their presence is more positive than negative in the locker room in my eyes. I would much rather have team mates that fuck up time to time because they want to win so badly over someone who acts like they could care less. Sorry for the off topic thesis got carried away in thought but it's nice knowing we have a group of good cats on and off the field to lead the way.

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Vigil’s versatility lands him in Cincinnati

By Jay Morrison - Staff Writer

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Posted: 1:07 a.m. Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Cincinnati Bengals made a surprising pick in the third round of the NFL Draft, selecting Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil.

The selection not only surprised Bengals fans, it caught Vigil off guard.

“I actually hadn’t even talked to anyone from Cincinnati from the combine all the way on,” Vigil said. “I didn’t have conversations with anyone from Cincinnati. Maybe a scout or something here and there. They were a team I didn’t really think I had chance to be drafted by. It was a surprise to me.”

And it wasn’t just the place, but the time.

“We were kind of expecting more of a fourth round,” Vigil said. “(My agent) said that I could go in the middle of the third to the latter of the third, all the way to the middle of the fifth round.”

Linebacker Nick Vigil #41 of the Utah State Aggies attempts to tackle quarterback Thomas Woodson #13 of the Akron Zips during ... Read More

But the Bengals coaches were impressed with what they saw from the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Vigil, a two-time first team All-Mountain West selection who declared for the draft after his junior season.

Vigil was primarily a middle linebacker at Utah State, but when the team went into its nickel package he slid outside and rushed the quarterback off the edge.

“Nick Vigil really gives us another player with a lot of versatility,” Lewis said. “He’s been a downhill, inside linebacker in the middle of the defense, scraping and playing over the top and through blocks. He’s a smart kid. You can tell he understands the passing game, playing in the passing lanes.”

Nick Vigil #41 of the Utah State Aggies carries the ball to the five-yard line during the first quarter of their ... Read More

And it was his play against the pass that really made defensive coordinator Paul Guenther take notice.

“It’s the hardest thing for the linebackers to do,” Guenther said before stopping himself.

“I shouldn’t say that,” he added. “The way college football is now, it used to be the hardest thing for a young linebacker to do — come in and play the passing game. It’s like running backs coming out of college that can’t protect. But now the way college football is, it’s bubble screens, it’s quick throws, wide open spaces. Now it’s harder to find guys that take on guys. Those guys are harder to find. To have a guy with the ability to play in the passing game and to do good things like that, I think we needed a player like that.”

Vigil also played tailback for the Aggies, carrrying 41 times for a 3.7-yard average with three touchdowns, although he admitted his days of playing two ways are likely finished.

He will, however, be expected to contribute on special teams right away, which is something he did at Utah State, playing on all four units.

“Obviously he’ll have a big role on special teams,” linebackers coach Jim Haslett said. “He’s got great speed. We’ll try to fit him in and we’ve got some pretty good linebackers, but when you watch the tape, he jumps out on the tape.”

It’s the second year in a row the Bengals have taken a linebacker in the third round after selecting Paul Dawson out of TCU in 2015.

Vigil’s older brother, Zach, was an All-American linebacker at Utah State and is currently playing for the Miami Dolphins, whom the Bengals will face in a Thursday night game at Paul Brown Stadium on Sept. 29.

“That’ll be fun then,” Nick said. “I’ll be able to see him out there hopefully. It’ll be a little brotherly rivalry.”

 

http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/sports/vigils-versatility-leads-to-surprise-landing-in-ci/nrFG7/

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TB Draft

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hobson60x60.jpgGeoff HobsonEditorBengals.comFollow Me Blog

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Linebacker Nick Vigil knows what to do with the ball in his hands.

It was Throwback Friday Night for the Bengals in the NFL Draft.

In the second round they drafted a confident wide receiver who routinely called himself “great,” and in the third round they took a down-hill linebacker who can play all three downs and all three spots in the Bengals 4-3 defense.

But Pittsburgh wide receiver Tyler Boyd at No. 55 and Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil at No. 87 are going to be very current on this depth chart. Boyd has a very real chance of being the Opening Day slot receiver and Vigil is going to be projected as one of the six linebackers active for games.

New linebackers coach Jim Haslett, who is known as “Old School,” after his nine-year NFL career at linebacker ended nearly 30 years ago, thought the 6-2, 240-pound Vigil jumped off the tape. 

“The way he ran the field. He played sideline-to- sideline,”  Haslett. “He did a lot of things for them. He played running back. He rushed. The guy’s got good speed and he’s got a good feel.”

The third round was a cakewalk compared to the second for the Bengals, although some pundits (NFL.com) thought Vigil was a reach in the third even though word was the Packers were going to pick him right after the Bengals and then picked his Utah State teammate.

On Saturday (noon-NFL Network), the last four rounds, as always, are a hodgepodge. They’d probably like to find another  receiver and pick up a safety and defensive linemen. But they probably figure they're playing with house money the rest of the way after they picked Boyd. The Bengals needed to get a receiver in the second round because they’re not that high on a lot of them and Boyd was the last of the six they had graded to go in the first or second.

They briefly searched for a trade partner with Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas hanging around as they neared the 50th pick, but no one was calling back or wanted too much.

When they picked Boyd, he sounded as confident as another wide receiver they picked in the second round. Chad Johnson.

“I’m really happy and appreciative that the Cincinnati Bengals chose a great player like myself,” Boyd said. Asked about the best part of his game he said, “I just create opportunities for myself to win. I put myself in the position to win. I put myself in the position to run good routes and beat defenders with my leverage and keep plays alive. I’m a huge playmaker.”

 And asked how he rated himself as a blocker he fired out," would say a 6.5, just because I’m not as bulky as everybody thinks I am. But my hard-nosed instincts to be a football player and my willingness to do things to help my team win are at a high level. So I’m going to definitely give everything that it takes and sacrifice my body to help anybody on the team create a huge play.”

Probably not what fellow Pittsburgh native Marvin Lewis had in mind when he told Boyd on the phone in the draft room that it was time to go to work and he asked about his steel mill mentality.

Some of the pundits are down on Boyd’s 4.5 40s and the fact he never seemed to run a route beyond seven yards of the line of scrimmage. But the Bengals are very high on his three seasons of productivity and the varying ways he put up the yards.

He’s got experience returning punts and kicks, but the Bengals don’t seem to be envisioning that for him. They think his strength is in the slot and the guy does have electrifying moves.

“You’ve got to watch a lot of film to see what he does without the ball. He’s going to do it our way, I guarantee you that,” Urban said. “He’s willing, he’s willing. He just wasn’t asked to do a lot of those things that we’re going to ask him to do. There will be a learning curve there. But we have full confidence that he’ll do that, and we’re going to push him to do things our way.”

Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was a staunch supporter of Boyd and was a persuasive voice who believes Boyd’s attributes in the slot continue to allow the Bengals to exploit their pair of Pro Bowlers, wide receiverA.J. Green and tight end Tyler Eifert.

“The thing that stuck out to me was his football instincts — his ability to separate sideways and laterally from “defenders,” Zampese said. “You get a chance to see him do a lot of different things because they got it to him in a lot of different ways — handing it, throwing it. He threw the ball. You got to see everything that the guy has, which is nice to know.

“Sometimes you don’t get to see all those things. So we have a good idea of what he is. We have a pretty good idea of where we can take him. He’s certainly not a finished product, but he’s ours and we like him. We’re going to drag him and push him and make him compete, and drive him to where we think he can be.”

They won’t have to do that for the 6-2, 240-pound Vigil. In fact, they believe he’s league ready after what he did in a similar 4-3 scheme in college. He had 267 tackles the last two seasons, 30 tackles for loss, and 20 sacks as a middle backer in base. And he kicked out to WILL baker on third down. Which is why Guenther and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett love the kid.

They didn't worry about losing a receiver like the previous two rounds, when they mulled trading up. In the third round they just let the board come to them.

“He’s a fit for us. There are certain players, you say, ‘Eh, it may take this guy a year.’ But this guy’s done it, “ Guenther said. “It’s on tape. The evidence is there. It’s the same front that we play. So I would say, yes, he’s going to come in and pick it up fairly quick.”

He even reminds them of He Who Should Not Be Named.

“He’s got great movement. Like I said, he can go sideline to sideline. He has great instincts for the ball and he knows when to go downhill.” Haslett said. “ Is he a killer tackler? I think he’s a good enough tackler to get them down. I don’t think he’s going to look like Vontaze (Burfict) or Rey (Maualuga), but I don’t think too many do. What the process was, I looked at him first, made a big cut-up, a long tape. And then we go in as a staff and look at it. First thing Paul said, ‘That looks like that guy.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, he kind of does look like that guy.’”

 That guy, of course, is Carolina Pro Bowl middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.

“I mean running-wise and athletic-wise, he jumps out at you like that.,” Haslett said.

 “That’s what coaches like to do; they like turn on a player on tape and compare him to somebody they’ve seen before,” Guenther said. “Everybody does it; it’s natural. The scouts do the same thing, everybody does it. He is his own player and obviously coming in here, he’s going to have to work his butt off for a chance.”

 Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons is a happy man. The fastest his backers are, the better. Vigil even carried the ball 41 times in his career with three TDs in his own package as a running back on the goal line and short yardage.

“I think those days are over,” Vigil said. “ Thank goodness, because I wasn’t very good at running back.”

But he sure is good at linebacker. And the Bengals plan to use him there whenever they can. Especially on passing downs if they get a chance to ease him in.

“I actually hadn’t even talked to anyone from Cincinnati from the combine all the way on,” Vigil said. “ I didn’t have conversations with anyone from Cincinnati. Maybe a scout or something here and there. They were a team I didn’t really think I had chance to be drafted by. It was a surprise to me.”

That really is a Throwback.

But they should be front and center for a long time.

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/TB-Draft/6948eceb-603b-43ee-9cfd-2851ad1eb1c5

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Bengals Draft Rd 3: News Conference Transcripts

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Cincinnati Bengals Draft Rd 3: News Conference Transcripts

Bengals Draft Rd 3: News Conference Transcripts

MARVIN LEWIS

Head coach

Initial comments ...

        “Nick Vigil gives us another player that showed a lot of versatility. He’s been an inside, downhill linebacker at Utah State in the middle of the defense, scraping, playing over-the-top and through blocks, and he’s done a great job. He’s a smart kid, you can tell he understands the passing game, playing in passing lanes, and he has been productive there. He’s a good fit for us. He brings the ability of speed on special teams and playmaking and all the things that you want of a young linebacker as he comes in the National Football League.”

 

It seems like he’s a good runner with 4.6 or 4.7 in the 40-yard dash ...

        “Yeah, he ran low 4.7s I think, so he can run. He’s a good athlete on his feet, big guy, huge hands, big physical kid.”

 

Did you see a really good knack for the game?

        “I think he has a good feel for anticipation and suddenness in his lower body, which is what it takes to be productive as a good linebacker.”

 

Is he a no-false-steps kind of guy that takes the proper angle every time?

        “He’s got some stuff that we’ll have to clean up with him to play productively at this level, but yeah, he’s a guy that has a great feel (for the game) that’s played in there, understands it — it’s not like a guy you’re making transition; he sees the angles and blocks and how things attack him and so forth and has good, disciplined vision that way, which is another thing you like about him.”

 

Is he a three-down type of guy?

        Lewis: “He has an opportunity to be, which I think is a key part of having an opportunity to draft a young guy like this. He has a chance to be a three-down linebacker.”

 

Can you describe the challenge you have in trying to evaluate a player from a smaller school, given the competition he played against?

        “Well, college football has changed so much, because your Utah States of the world, there’s more crossover than you think in their schedule. If you look at their schedule, they play against top teams all the time and they hold their own. These kids match up and play well against those type of teams. But nowadays with the tape and the ability with the area scouts and so forth, when I look at a guy and the coaches look at a guy, you’re looking at videotape. There’s not a challenge to that. Logan, Utah is not that far out of the way. I’ve bit there quite a bit in my life, obviously, so we picked a couple guys lately whose territory I’m very familiar with, and I like that about them. They’re tough kids, both (second round pick) Tyler Boyd and (now) Nick Vigil, I love their backgrounds and what they come from.”

 

Did you think there was a chance he might be there early tomorrow at all?

        “We weren’t willing to take that risk. This is a guy that, grade-wise, we felt very strong about collectively.”

 

Can he play any linebacker position for you?

        “Yes.”

 

He has a keen football aptitude, yes?

        “He’s very intelligent that way and understands football.”

 

PAUL GUENTHER

Defensive coordinator

and

JIM HASLETT

Linebackers coach

Initial comments ...

        Guenther: “The first thing I want to say is, I thought it was awesome they had Carlos Dunlap (Bengals DE) introduce the pick of Nick in Chicago. I want to congratulate Carlos on his graduation (from the University of Florida). I think it’s a great thing and it was good to see.”

 

You and Coach Haslett are big on football smarts — this kid has all of that stuff, yes?

        Guenther: “Like I said to you guys yesterday, when we sit down as a staff and look — we have Jacob (Burney) and Jim and Kevin (Coyle) and Rob (Livingston), everybody — we’ll look at the linebackers together, we’ll look at the secondary and try to see how we see the fit. And this guy popped on tape. As soon as we put (the tape) in, we said, ‘This guy is a real fit for us.’ He’s fast. He ran a 4.66 (40-yard dash). He ran a 4 on the shuttle, like a receiver’s speed.”

        “He’s a good instinct guy. He’s good in the passing game, which is intriguing at this point in the NFL because you have to have linebackers that can cover the pass. Just all those things he did.

        “And I have his offensive numbers here — he carried the ball 41 times as a junior with three touchdowns and (averaged) 3.7 (yards) a carry. He’s done a lot of different things, and we like the versatility of the player and we’re excited to have him.”

 

He was a redshirt junior?

        Guenther: “Yes. He came out as a redshirt junior.”

 

With so many returning players on the defensive side of the ball, how hard is to make the play for Vigil here in the war room, or do you just have to have him?

        Guenther: “I think anywhere you draft a player on our defense now, it’s going to be hard to come in here and start. Really, anywhere in the NFL unless you’ve got a hole and you’ve got to fill that need,. Whether you take a guy in the second round or the fourth round, if you value the player at that spot and you want to take him, you really don’t worry about where everyone else has him on their board. We always think about league value and where the league values a player, but ultimately, when we have discussions and we’re on the clock, we may have two or three players we have to decide on, this is (the) one we decided to go with.”

 

Is he the kind of guy you start on special teams and he just keeps progressing that way, or can he take it all on right away?

        Haslett: “That’s something we’re going to talk about. We’ve kind of discussed it, but obviously he’ll have a big role on special teams. He’s got great speed. We’ll try to fit him in and we’ve got some pretty good linebackers, but when you watch the tape, he jumps out on the tape. He can run the field. He’s really good in coverage and they play the same type of defense we play, so I think it’ll be an easy transition once he learns the language, and I think he’s a three down player that can play multiple positions. He can play the Mike, the SAM or the WILL positions because of his versatility.

        “His sophomore year, he had seven-and-a-half sacks and 118 tackles. This year he had 144 tackles and three-and-a-half sacks, so the guy’s got some rush ability. He’s got some speed, some cover ability, so he’s just a good football player.”

        Guenther: “At this point in the draft, we’re trying to challenge the back end of our roster, whether it be the sixth linebacker or fourth or fifth corner, and that’s how those guys come in. They develop on special teams. One of the things we’ve done is, last year we really tried to get those guys in early in preseason games against the better players, so we could get a really good gauge of what we had. That’s initially going to be these guys’ roles coming in here, coming in the back of the thing and work their way up the rest of that.”

        Haslett: “Their defense as a whole is ranked 17th in the country. You’re talking about Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia and those type of teams. You’re talking about a team that had two picks back-to-back in the draft and had two linebackers taken in the draft tonight, and we like Tyler, too, the guy taken right behind him, so obviously, they are good football players. They were coached by a heck of a coach, they played good defense. They know what it takes to win. They put out some pretty good linebackers over the last couple of years.”

 

He’s got pretty good size. Does he splash pretty good and can play downhill?

        Guenther: “He can. The thing that we like to have on a team is a variety of abilities. Vontaze (Burfict) and Rey (Maualuga) are two big thumping guys in there. When you have a guy like this than can do a little bit of everything — cover, run sideline to sideline, smart and instinctive — he’ll fit right into that mold. Like I said yesterday with the corner about the run support, training camp’s going to be just like any other training camp in the NFL, he’s going to learn to be physical.”

 

Will he learn to play one spot first, or will you teach him all three linebacker spots right away?

        Haslett: “He did play Mike for them and then on nickel, he would move to the dime position. So he can play all different spots. For us, the dime, the Will and the SAM are basically the same position and then you’ve got the Mike position. I think he’ll learn all three. If something’s happening, we’ll see how he progresses.”

 

Can he play any spot?

        Guenther: “He can. I heard the question you guys asked Marvin, ‘Is a linebacker a linebacker?’ For us, the way we teach our system, we teach all those linebackers different traits, because if there are three linebackers on the field, the next-best player has to go out there and play if someone goes down. It’s not the next best MIKE linebacker, or the best outside linebacker; it’s the next best player. We have plenty of time with this guy, to teach him from inside and out. They need to know what’s going on to the guy next to him, and all those things. So we teach the system that way, so we give them chances to play both spots.”

 

With Vontaze, you were pretty impressed right away with his football IQ. Is this guy similar?

        Haslett: “Yeah I think that’s the type of guy he is. Just being around in the short time I was around him in the interview process and all that, and when you watch him on field, he’s got great instincts, number one. And then he can talk football with you. He can talk one-on-one. He’s a country boy. He’s a roper; he roped steers and all that stuff. He better look out in Cincinnati.”

        Guenther: “I told him the best thing we have is a mechanical bull here.”

 

He seems like he’s NFL ready ...

        Guenther: “He’s a fit for us. There are certain players, you say, ‘Eh, it may take this guy a year.’ But this guy’s done it, it’s on tape. The evidence is there. It’s the same front that we play. So I would say, yes, he’s going to come in and pick it up fairly quick.”

 

Is his strength his movement, and is his physical strength the biggest area he needs to improve?

        Haslett: “He’s got great movement. Like I said, he can go sideline to sideline. He has great instincts for the ball and he knows when to go downhill. Is he a killer tackler? I think he’s a good enough tackler to get them down. I don’t think he’s going to look like Vontaze or Rey, but I don’t think too many do. What the process was, I looked at him first, made a big cut-up, a long tape. And then we go in as a staff and look at it. First thing Paul said, ‘That looks like that guy.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, he kind of does look like that guy.’”

 

What guy do you mean?

        Guenther: “Like a local prospect that went early in the draft a few years ago (Luke Kuechly). I did not say the name (laughs). I don’t want to put too much pressure on the kid, but that’s what he reminded me of.”

        Haslett: “I mean running-wise and athletic-wise, he jumps out at you like that.”

        Guenther: “That’s what coaches like to do; they like turn on a player on tape and compare him to somebody they’ve seen before. Everybody does it; it’s natural. The scouts do the same thing, everybody does it. He is his own player and obviously coming in here, he’s going to have to work his butt off for a chance.”

 

How rare is it to get a linebacker that can play in the passing game?

        Guenther: “It’s the hardest thing for the linebackers to do. I shouldn’t say that. The way college football is now, it used to be the hardest thing for a young linebacker to do — come in and play the passing game. It’s like running backs coming out of college that can’t protect. But now the way college football is, it’s bubble screens, it’s quick throws, wide open spaces. Now it’s harder to find guys that take on guys like we alluded to with Vontaze and Rey. Those guys are harder to find. To have a guy with the ability to play in the passing game and to do good things like that, I think we needed a player like that.”

 

Can he play Mike and base?

        Haslett: “Yes. He can play Mike. He can play base in nickel situations, in their 42 package, he would play the dime position. That’s why he had a lot of sacks. He rushed from the position. He’s a two-position player right there.”

 

Is he a captain type of guy?

        Haslett: “He was a junior. Being around him in a short time, he seemed like it. He was making all the calls, all the checks out there. Yeah, I think he’s got that all built in to him.”

 

NICK VIGIL

Linebacker, Utah State

What was this moment like for you when you got the call?

        “Actually when they called my phone, my phone dropped the call. They had to call my mother’s phone. It took a minute to set in, but its pure excitement. It’s a dream come true.”

 

What do you know about the Bengals and what can you bring to them?

        “I know they’re a good team every year. They’re in the playoffs pretty much every year. They have a great organization, and from what I’ve heard everyone loves Marvin Lewis. I’m ready to help the team.”

 

Did you get a sense they had interest in you?

        “I actually hadn’t even talked to anyone from Cincinnati from the combine all the way on. I didn’t have conversations with anyone from Cincinnati. Maybe a scout or something here and there. They were a team I didn’t really think I had chance to be drafted by. It was a surprise to me.”

 

How much experience do you have as an outside or inside linebacker, and which is more comfortable?

        “Since I was a freshman I played all four linebacker positions. The first couple of years I was playing, I moved around from inside to outside and back and forth. This last year I just played mainly inside linebacker. I’m pretty comfortable at all the positions.”

 

Comfortable with 4-3 scheme? Any one spot you feel the best?

        “I think I can play all the linebacker positions in the 4-3. Wherever they see me fitting better and where I can contribute best is I’m sure where they’ll have me.”

 

Did you play a lot of special teams in college?

        “Yeah. Freshmen year I was a special teams starter. My junior year I played on the kickoff team. And this last year I was on the punt team. So I played all four special teams spots in college.”

 

So will you demand to get some offensive snaps?

        “(Laughs.) No sir I think those days are over. Thank goodness, because I wasn’t very good at running back.”

 

What went into your playing some offense?

        “I didn’t know. One day Coach Wells called me into his office and said, ‘We’re going to put in a package for you to play running back.’ They did, and we did it for a little while. It was fun, but I’m sure that’s behind me now. (Laughs.)”

 

Did they line you up at tailback or as a fullback?

        “Tailback.”

 

Was it a lot of goal line and short-yardage scenarios?

        “Yeah, it was a little more goal line and short-yardage, with first- and second-down a little more my sophomore year. It was just trying to get a couple yards to get the offense going.”

 

Do you still have your rat-tail haircut?

        “(Laughs) No, I cut that off before the combine.”

 

Why?

        “I didn’t want to go in and meet coaches and GMs and all of that with a little rat-tail hanging off the side (laughs). But I tell you what, I miss it. So maybe I’ll grow another one. I don’t know (laughs).”

 

Now that you’ve been drafted, you can grow it back out ...

        “Yeah. I might as well let it go again (laughs). We’ll see. Maybe.”

 

Why did you grow it in the first place?

        “I don’t know (laughs). One day, I just decided that I’m going to grow it. I wanted to grow one in high school and never did, so I just started growing it one day and never cut it.”

 

What has your brother, Zach, who plays for the Miami Dolphins, told you about the NFL? Has he been helpful throughout this process?

        “Yeah. I’ve talked to him pretty much every day since I made my decision to come out. He’s just told me that it’s a business, and you have to treat it like a business. And just to have fun, and that this next year is going to be the longest year of your life, getting acclimated to the NFL, learning a new scheme and learning the ropes of being an NFL player. He just said that you have to act professional, because it’s a profession. ‘Handle your business’ is pretty much what he’s told me.”

 

Is he still with the Dolphins?

        “Yes, he is. They’re starting their OTAs right now.”

 

How familiar are you with the Bengals’ schedule?

        “Not very familiar, but my parents just told me that we’re going to play the Dolphins. So that’ll be pretty fun. It’s in September some time.”

 

It’s in Week 4, on national TV. Thursday night ...

        “Oh really. That’ll be fun then. I’ll be able to see him out there hopefully. It’ll be a little brotherly rivalry.”

 

Were you expecting to be a Day 2 pick?

        “My agent said there’s a pretty good chance, depending on how the draft plays out, that I could go in Round 3. But we were kind of expecting more of a fourth round. He said that I could go in the middle of the third to the latter of the third, all the way to the middle of the fifth round.”

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-Draft-Rd-3-News-Conference-Transcripts/550c7c76-2744-46e4-8c47-5d389821eebf

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Jamie_B Hall Of Fame

Jamie_B

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Since Marvin arrived let's be real he's done a crappy job drafting linebackers.   

Its been a mixed bag, Pollack and Thurman were good but one got hurt and the other was an idiot. Taz is all pro though so there is that, but the rest...yeah...

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Dautcom08 Super Bowl Champ

Dautcom08

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lol. 

Believe it or not, old Caleb played OK all things considered. He would be Vigil now, since there is a great defensive line in front of him.

Caleb Miller never ever played OK. Ever.

Just associating his name with Vigil already, the kid may be doomed unless Ruby has anymore daughters that need to get hitched.

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Steve4192 NFL Veteran

Steve4192

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Its been a mixed bag, Pollack and Thurman were good but one got hurt and the other was an idiot. Taz is all pro though so there is that, but the rest...yeah...

I don't think he has drafted poorly at LB so much as he has been snakebit with injuries and off-field stuff.  Pollack, Rivers, Porter, Flowers, etc. never had a chance to develop due to injuries, and Thurman couldn't conquer his off-field demons.  We have no idea how good those guys might have been if they had remained healthy or not succumbed to their addictions.

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TimKrumrieFan Pro Bowler

TimKrumrieFan

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It will be interesting to see who gets on the field first, Vigil or Dawson.  Signing Dansby, bringing back Rey, and then drafting Vigil certainly doesn't seem like an endorsement of last year's third round pick.

They said he didn't come along as fast as they had hoped. Then you add in Burfict's suspension and constantly killing himself on the field, Vinny Rey was kind of a necessity to bring back. Need some stability that knows the D.

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sois Hall Of Fame

sois

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But it's hilarious that all of the comparisons in this thread are to white players. Like he can't have any skills or traits similar to any black LBs.

Whenever I compare dudes, I always go cross race.

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Jason Hall Of Fame

Jason

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Looks like a special teams stud out of the box.  We'll see how he does at LB.  I'm more concerned about his recognition abilities than his size.  You can make 10 tackles per game, but if you give up 1 or 2 big plays per game....

...it's usually because the safety was in the wrong place.

:)

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