I can’t say I know much about Davis, but corners with his combination of height and speed are very rare. Woolen is a recent example and I also think about guys like Richard Sherman and Antonio Cromartie. Given the fact that our top two corners are free agents after 2026, this pick makes a ton of sense. The fact that he can press and play zone is a good fit for Golden’s defense as well.

25 minutes ago, Inigo Montoya said:

I can’t say I know much about Davis, but corners with his combination of height and speed are very rare. Woolen is a recent example and I also think about guys like Richard Sherman and Antonio Cromartie. Given the fact that our top two corners are free agents after 2026, this pick makes a ton of sense. The fact that he can press and play zone is a good fit for Golden’s defense as well.

Agree 100 % seems a bit raw but hopefully burks can coach him up to be a good player

…obviously drafted to supply transplant arms for Howell. 🥷

Number assigned ...

Floor seems to be solid ST contributor with starter potential/upside. They shouldn't need him to do a whole lot immediately but he'll get plenty of opportunities.

i was off on expectation here.. i tought a quick long slot to play Flowers like role, but obviously not, he is a depth and "can he push dax back to the slot" guy...

competition is fun.

I'll guess he was picked to cover TEs on passing downs. He's lanky but not very nimble.

35 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

I'll guess he was picked to cover TEs on passing downs. He's lanky but not very nimble.

Huh? He runs a 4.41 and he was picked to cover tight ends. That’s an interesting theory. Or maybe just a way of saying you didn’t like the pick.

I don't like the pick, Keith Abney was still available at the time and is a much better player who would also fit better into the Bengals scheme.

Davis can cover WRs on sideline routes but will get lost on crossing routes. He can match up with TEs if they don't run a rub route with another receiver. He can't cover short, quick slot guys very well. And 4.41 is average speed for a CB. Riq Woolen is taller and ran a 4.26 at his combine.

17 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

I don't like the pick, Keith Abney was still available at the time and is a much better player who would also fit better into the Bengals scheme.

Davis can cover WRs on sideline routes but will get lost on crossing routes. He can match up with TEs if they don't run a rub route with another receiver. He can't cover short, quick slot guys very well. And 4.41 is average speed for a CB. Riq Woolen is taller and ran a 4.26 at his combine.

He’s plenty fast don’t be dense. He can play anywhere except the slot and he has rare size, unlike Abney. BTW, they were both second team All Big 12 in 2024. Davis had rib and hamstring injuries last year, but he still hasn’t allowed a TD in two seasons.

25 minutes ago, Inigo Montoya said:

He’s plenty fast don’t be dense. He can play anywhere except the slot and he has rare size, unlike Abney. BTW, they were both second team All Big 12 in 2024. Davis had rib and hamstring injuries last year, but he still hasn’t allowed a TD in two seasons.

Hard to allow anything if he's not on the field 🥷 Is the injury history why the talking heads were down on this pick? I assumed they liked other players on the board better, guess it's hard to trust the Bengals' board when you know they're operating at a competitive disadvantage on purpose. Start wondering what the other teams knew that the Bengals room didn't. Possibly nothing in this case but he didn't get high marks for whatever reason. Not down on him myself just wondering what the low grade was about...

21 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

Hard to allow anything if he's not on the field 🥷 Is the injury history why the talking heads were down on this pick? I assumed they liked other players on the board better, guess it's hard to trust the Bengals' board when you know they're operating at a competitive disadvantage on purpose. Start wondering what the other teams knew that the Bengals room didn't. Possibly nothing in this case but he didn't get high marks for whatever reason. Not down on him myself just wondering what the low grade was about...

There wasn’t consensus on the board about Davis versus Abney. Pre-draft, Daniel Jeremiah and Todd McShay had Davis ranked higher than Abney, while Kiper and Brugler had him ranked lower. Abney went in the 5th round so Jeremiah and McShay were more accurate about where the two were actually drafted (72nd and 157th, respectively).

19 minutes ago, Inigo Montoya said:

There wasn’t consensus on the board about Davis versus Abney. Pre-draft, Daniel Jeremiah and Todd McShay had Davis ranked higher than Abney, while Kiper and Brugler had him ranked lower. Abney went in the 5th round so Jeremiah and McShay were more accurate about where the two were actually drafted (72nd and 157th, respectively).

So did we reach for Davis or was Abney severely overrated? That's quite a bit of separation for there to have been any debate between the two of them.

45 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

So did we reach for Davis or was Abney severely overrated? That's quite a bit of separation for there to have been any debate between the two of them.

Dunno. There’s variance everywhere in the pre-draft rankings, but it was more that Abney went much later than expected. Solid prospect but does nothing special. Physically, corners with his profile are dime a dozen.

https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2026/04/28/bengals-controversial-picks-mel-kiper-resets-expectations/89842009007/

Mel Kiper resets expectations for one of Bengals' controversial picks

Chris Roling

Bengals Wire

April 28, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET

When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Washington cornerback Tacario Davis in the third round, it didn’t move the needle as much as some of the surrounding picks the franchise made in the order. 

As we noted in our deep dive analysis of the Davis pick, the value was a little off by some boards and he projects to fill a pretty niche role for the time being. 

But it’s Davis getting some major spotlight in the draft aftermath from someone like ESPN’s Mel Kiper. 

Kiper recently highlighted Davis and name-dropped Mansoor Delane in the process. 

“Mansoor Delane was a popular match for Cincinnati at No. 10 before the Lawrence trade, and while Tacario Davis in the third round isn't that level of premier cover CB1, he should be a solid option opposite DJ Turner II,” Kiper wrote. 

For now, Davis projects as a possible tight-end stopper right away while developing into a possible very down-player in the future. 

Still, not bad to get that sort of schematic, niche fit with some upside in the third round. And boundary cornerback depth was very quietly a pretty big need for the Bengals this offseason. 

Those Bengals have some tough decisions to make on future contracts for the likes of DJ Turner and Dax Hill on the boundary, too. Davis’ arrival and what he shows early could play a small role in how those things play out, too.