Bengals leveraging hometown connection to high-upside prospect
Getting to play for your favorite team growing up is a rarity in the NFL, but the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed that dream to come true a handful of times with great success. Kevin Huber, Sam Hubbard, and Tee Higgins were each Bengals fans as kids, and two of them grew up in the Queen […]
Getting to play for your favorite team growing up is a rarity in the NFL, but the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed that dream to come true a handful of times with great success.
Kevin Huber, Sam Hubbard, and Tee Higgins were each Bengals fans as kids, and two of them grew up in the Queen City. All three also happened to be great players at their positions.
Could a young cornerback join the mix as the next lifelong Bengals fan to play for the team? Carrington Valentine makes it a possibility.
Before playing three years at the University of Kentucky, Valentine was a standout at Cincinnati's Moeller High School, which is Hubbard's alma mater as well. Valentine cheered on the Orange and Black prior to donning the checkered Blue and White and becoming one of the most productive SEC cornerbacks of the last two years.
The Bengals bringing him in for a visit made all the sense in the world, which is what they did per The Draft Network's Justin Melo.
This isn't just a local Draft hopeful meeting with the team, Valentine has a lot of qualities the Bengals are looking for in a cornerback. He stands 6-0, 193 with 32.25" arms and runs a 4.44 40-yard dash.
Valentine's as explosive as he is long and fast, which makes him built like the cornerback defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo likes to develop. For reference, last year's second round pick Cam Taylor-Britt measured in at 5-11, 196 with 31.5" arms and blazed a 4.38 on the 40.
The Cincinnati native isn't just an athlete, he's a proven tackler. His solo tackle market share of 95.69 against primarily SEC competition is incredible, and shows he brings physicality with his size. He's got production in coverage as well, sporting am 84.06 pass deflection market share.
Valentine's athleticism and production combined adds up to notable upside at the cornerback position. If he's left on the board sometime on Day 3, the Bengals could develop a worthwhile player who's been a lifelong fan.
The match makes too much sense to not happen.
