Wesley Johnson met with Bengals at Vanderbilt Pro Day

As the Vanderbilt Commodores held their Pro Day on Friday, the Bengals were just completing a deal for Marshall Newhouse. Don't expect that to take them out of the market for an offensive tackle early in the NFL Draft though.

Commordores tackle Wesley Johnson is one of the top OT prospects this year. Tony Pauline of Walter Football reported that the Bengals were among several teams who showed specific interest in Johnson:

Offensive lineman Wesley Johnson, who played tackle at Vanderbilt, but is projected to center by a number of schools, weighed in at 302 pounds. Johnson's weight has been steadily increasing, which is what scouts had wanted to see. Johnson met with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals at length after the workout.

Johnson didn't do much work at the Pro Day after posting good numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine. Towards the end of Vanderbilt's regular season, Vandy Head Coach James Franklin said Johnson will have a long NFL career because of his tireless work ethic:

If he stays healthy, he's got a chance to play for 12 years in the NFL. I truly believe that, because of his demeanor -- he's got all the things you're looking for. The one thing he doesn't have right now is just the raw mass. I think that's going to come over time. You've got to remember, Wes was 235 pounds when he arrived here on campus. But he's got the length, the intelligence, he's gritty, he's strong. He's got to put a little more size on.

As of now, Johnson is projected to go in Day 3, probably around the sixth round, due to his lack of "bulk" and needing 1-2 years to develop his boy in an NFL weight room. He sounds like an ideal "project" lineman that Paul Alexander loves to get one of every year.