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Bengals DB Coach Vance Joesph (we think) attended Louisville Pro Day

The headline story coming out of Louisville's pro day on Monday is how average quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked. The Bengals appear far more interested in safety Calvin Pryor.

By Josh Kirkendall

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Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The predictable headline on Monday will be the reaction and response to Teddy Bridgewater's Pro Day. The Cincinnati Bengals were one of 29 teams that attended the University of Louisville Pro Day on Monday -- the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers did not attend.

"To be honest, I expected a little more. Very average at best," said Mike Mayock with the NFL Network. It should be noted that after his Pro Day in 2011, Blaine Gabbert drew significant reviews.

"He's my No. 1 quarterback, and to me he's the one quarterback in the draft who, if you've got to bang the table for a franchise quarterback, he's the guy,'' NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said after Gabbert's workout. "The kid confirmed everything you want to see in a franchise quarterback. I thought he did as good as he could have. His footwork was real clean. His arm was real accurate, and his arm strength was great."

So, there you go.

Ebenezer Samuel with the New York Times writes that he looked good, just not great. Jeff Reynolds with NFLDraftScout.com, headlines that Bridgewater was "off the mark often".

The workout, practiced, rehearsed and mastered in the comfort of his home indoor practice facility, won't sway teams with interest. If teams give Bridgewater's on-film resume a look and sit down with him for an hour, we're betting they, too, will buy in.

His ball was loose at times and wobbled into the hands of his receivers but he also showed touch in the red-zone portion of the workout, flashed deep accuracy that also lacked great timing on occasion and hit his receivers in stride while on the move in Monday's session. Overall, his footwork was not great and his timing was average to poor on some throws.

Since it's extremely unlikely that Bridgewater will be in play for the Bengals, we'll move on.

We believe that Bengals defensive backs coach Vance Joesph attended to check out safety Calvin Pryor.

Mayock called Pryor a "bigger, faster version" of former Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders. Pryor and Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix are viewed as first-round locks in the 2014 NFL draft.

Pryor, foregoing his senior season to enter the 2014 NFL draft, was awarded first-team All-AAC honors with 75 tackles, three picks, four passes broken up and two forced fumbles. At the end of his college career -- he was promoted as a stater midway through his freshman season in 2011 -- Pryor accumulated seven interceptions, 14 passes broken up and eight forced fumbles.

Former Louisville defensive coordinator Vance Bradford, now with Texas, said of Pryor:

"He had three games in a row where he hit somebody and they did not finish the game," Bedford said via the Journal Sentinel. "He doesn’t want to injure anybody, but he brings a certain physicality that if you’re going to throw the ball down the middle of the field, you’re going to pay a price.

"That’s how the game used to be played. He did things the right way and that’s what people like about him so much. And he’s a coach on the field—high football IQ. He controls everything. Gets guys lined up. Makes the checks. He does it all. He’s a guy Louisville is going to miss next year and I wish I had him here with me at Texas right now."

According to ESPN and NFL Draft Scout, Pryor is the second-best safety entering the draft -- second to Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. However, Mel Kiper Jr. said that that's not the case for every team.

SB Nation's own Mocking the Draft has Pryor listed as second.

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Bengals Pro Day Attendance and Workout Tracker

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