Bengals land Jordan Battle in third round of NFL Draft
After trading back three spots, the Cincinnati Bengals added another defensive back in Alabama safety Jordan Battle with the 95th overall pick. Cincinnati traded their original selection at No. 92 overall for picks 95 and 217, the latter being the last pick in the sixth round. This is the sixth time the Bengals have made […]
After trading back three spots, the Cincinnati Bengals added another defensive back in Alabama safety Jordan Battle with the 95th overall pick.
Cincinnati traded their original selection at No. 92 overall for picks 95 and 217, the latter being the last pick in the sixth round. This is the sixth time the Bengals have made a draft trade in the past seven years
Battle, a three-year starter in college, racked up over 250 career tackles, 16 passes defenses, and six interceptions for the Crimson Tide. He ended his time at Alabama as a captain, and his leadership and all-around ability made him too enticing for the Bengals to pass up.
For a look at what Battle does well, here's what A to Z Sports' Tyler Browning wrote in his evaluation:
Doesn’t have full center field type of range, but can safely be relied on to cover half of the field in dual safety looks. This is backed up with his testing. 4.55 40-yard dash, puts him in the 58th percentile. … Best suite for bracket coverage if he is asked to be man on man on receivers. Something that allows him to play over the top with help underneath. Has shown he can trigger down and close on RBs quite quickly. … Has shown he transitions his eyes to the QB when the receiver turns to locate the football. Communicator on the back-end of the defense. You see him making coverage calls, making sure everyone is on the same page.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler had this to say about in his NFL Draft guide
Overall, Battle's tape and skill set scream "average," but he is a smart, experienced safety with reliable football character and competitive toughness. He projects as a low-ceiling post/box starter in the NFL with core special teams skills.
Battle is by far the most surprising pick of the Bengals' draft thus far considering their safety room seemed full entering the weekend. He figures to compete with last year's fifth-round pick Tycen Anderson and veteran leader Michael Thomas for a spot behind starters Dax Hill and Nick Scott.
