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The Bengals made it down to Houston for the Cougars' pro day on Friday.
While there weren't many players working out who will be drafted, the two guys that could hear their names called fit two positions of need for Cincinnati. Joey Mbu is a 6'3", 313-pound defensive tackle who likely won't hear his named called until late in Day 3, but could be a nice addition to the Bengals.
Mbu notched eight tackles for loss, three sacks and 61 tackles over the past two seasons, and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares him to current Texans lineman Jerrell Powe.
STRENGTHS Mindful of getting hands on opponent quickly and with good arm extension. Gritty and plays to the whistle every snap. Very active hands and works to keep himself clean as he mirrors run play down the line. Frenetic pass rusher who gives guards a moving target to try and track. Senses screen passes and reacts. Football and personal character are sky-high, according to regional scouts.
SOURCES TELL US "The coaches at Houston can't stop talking about how good the kid is and what kind of leader he is." -- AFC defensive line coach
NFL COMPARISON Jerrell Powe
The other Cougar to watch out for in the draft is receiver Deontay Greenberry. The 6'3". 200-pounder caught 201 balls for 2,612 yards and 20 scores over his three college seasons. He could be a guy Cincinnati looks at with one of their final picks in the draft, and he can play both outside and from the slot. However, drops were a real problem for him in college, and that's not something the Bengals need from another one of their receivers.
Here's a brief excerpt from his NFL.com profile:
STRENGTHS Has excellent size and overall length. Played outside and from slot. Shows some acceleration at top of post routes to gain moderate separation. Shows an ability to make challenging adjustments to poor throws.
WEAKNESSES Upright into routes and breaks. Needs to improve route running for next level. Too much wasted motion out of press coverage with head fakes and jukes at top of his routes. Tied for second in FBS with 11 drops. Struggled to make contested catches and had way too many focus drops.
BOTTOM LINE Possesses the size, but lacks the speed, route sharpness and hands that are desired from the position. He has some ability, but might need to work his way up the ladder to get a legitimate shot.
Here's how CBS Sports ranked all of Houston's prospects:
RANK | PLAYER | POS. | POS. RANK | SCHOOL | CLASS | HT. | WT. | PROJ. ROUND |
205 | Joey Mbu | DT | 19 | Houston | Sr | 6-3 | 313 | 6 |
283 | Deontay Greenberry | WR | 37 | Houston | Jr | 6-3 | 198 | 7-FA |
430 | Trevor Harris | DE | 36 | Houston | Sr | 6-5 | 233 | -- |
541 | Rowdy Harper | OG | 31 | Houston | rSr | 6-6 | 295 | -- |
684 | Efrem Oliphant | OLB | 54 | Houston | rSr | 6-1 | 230 | -- |
751 | Derrick Mathews | ILB | 38 | Houston | Sr | 6-0 | 214 | -- |
832 | Daniel Spencer | WR | 114 | Houston | Sr | 5-11 | 195 | -- |
855 | Markeith Ambles | WR | 118 | Houston | rSr | 6-2 | 215 | -- |
887 | Bryce Redman | C | 31 | Houston | rSr | 6-1 | 285 | -- |
952 | Eric Braswell | DE | 73 | Houston | rSr | 6-5 | 268 | -- |