Bengals restock defensive line on final day of NFL draft

By foxsports
Published

CINCINNATI (AP) The Bengals opened the final day of the draft by helping a defense that's already one of the NFL's best.

Cincinnati added Baylor defensive tackle Andrew Billings in the fourth round, giving it another player who can stop the run and contribute to a successful line rotation. The Bengals gave up the second-fewest points in the league last season and spent most of free agency trying to keep the defense intact.

They had high regard for Billings, who was projected to go in the first three rounds. His below-average height for a tackle - 6-foot-2 - probably was a factor in making him slip to the fourth round, where the Bengals were quick to take him. They already have Pro Bowl tackle Geno Atkins, who is only 6-foot-1.

''I think his height maybe is restrictive in some ways for some people at times, but we've done pretty well with these guys that have certain characteristics that catch our eye,'' coach Marvin Lewis said. ''And then you get to know the player a little more and you like everything about him. We couldn't be happier.''

The Bengals went into the draft with a top priority of getting a receiver who can start immediately. The top four receivers were gone by the time they picked at No. 24 in the first round, so they went with Houston cornerback William Jackson III.

They got what they needed in the second round in Pitt's Tyler Boyd, who will get a chance to win the starting slot receiver job. They took linebacker Nick Vigil from Utah State in the third round, adding another player like Jackson who will get a chance to develop over time.

Billings could have a spot in the line rotation right away.

He threw a party at home on Thursday night, thinking he could go to some team in the first round. When he got passed over on Friday in the second and third rounds, his family and friends were subdued and he felt snubbed. Billings had expected the Vikings, Redskins or Packers to take him in an early round.

Slipping to the fourth round gave him a sense that he has to prove he belongs in the NFL.

''I can't even explain,'' he said, on a conference call. ''I like the feeling, though. I actually like the feeling.

''It's something I'm going to carry with me my whole life.''

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