Why the Bengals selected Jeremy Hill over Carlos Hyde

The Cincinnati Bengals could have gone either way.

LSU running back Jeremy Hill v Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde. A huge majority wanted Hyde, who is a tough runner with big-play power and those deep Cincinnati connections (born in Cincinnati and went to Princeton High School during his freshman year).

Cincinnati selected Hill, who has a similar style, largely because Hue Jackson liked his experience in Cam Cameron's system in Baton Rouge.

"Carlos is a tremendous player. He’s doing great things in San Francisco," Jackson recalled after Wednesday’s practice. "We were looking for a back like this. I had people in place at LSU that I trusted. Not that I didn’t trust the coach at Ohio State, but it was that I knew the system (Hill) had come out of. I knew the things he had been exposed to. I knew the things that we would try and do with him here. And I had in my mind a model how fast he could pick things up because of where he played.

"Duke and the guys, they’re outstanding, and they had nothing but good repots on him as a football player," Jackson said. "All those things added up, he was the best guy for us."