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Might the Bengals be interested in drafting a QB early in this year's draft?
That would be the case if they're interested in UCLA's Brett Hundley. He apparently met with Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to NFL.com.
Hundley had dozens of meetings with NFL clubs, and met with new Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach Ryan Day, Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and veteran Denver Broncos coach Greg Knapp, among others. Every team peppered him with questions throughout their brief encounters, and the young signal-caller was able to convey his football IQ while bringing up numerous examples of his leadership abilities from his four seasons at UCLA.
Hundley is widely regarded as the third best QB prospect in this class, though he's not expected to go in the first round with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Hundley was once regarded as a first-round prospect, but didn't improve enough in his junior season to warrant spending a high pick on him.
Hundley is UCLA's all-time leader in passing yards and scores with 11,713 total yards and 75 touchdown passes against just 25 interceptions - only five of which came in 2014. He also rushed for 1,747 yards on 479 attempts (3.6 avg) with 30 scores. Even with that kind of production, Hundley might not even hear his name called in the second round of this year's draft.
Some don't even expect Hundley to ever be a quality NFL signal-caller, which may lead to him falling to the third or fourth round, where a team like the Bengals may scoop him up to battle AJ McCarron for the backup quarterback role, behind Andy Dalton.
Here's a brief except from his NFL.com profile:
SOURCES TELL US "Someone will draft him, but I don't think he will ever be a starter. He can't read coverages and struggles to process. It is going to take a few years before he looks like a backup in my opinion. He has a long way to go." -- AFC area scout
NFL COMPARISON Jason Campbell
BOTTOM LINE Hundley flashes athleticism and talent, but his basic quarterbacking issues will take time to improve. In 2014, more than 54 percent of his pass attempts were from six yards and in, including 29 percent from behind the line of scrimmage, which is nothing like an NFL offense. Hundley is a "flash" prospect who shows the physical tools to be a starter, but his internal clock and issues with reads and progressions must be improved to give him a shot at becoming a decent NFL starter.
Bengals fans must love seeing the Jason Campbell comparison. Still, Hundley has a lot of upside that if he ever reaches, very well may make him an upgrade over Andy Dalton, even if that's not what Cincinnati drafts him to be.
It's worth noting the Bengals also made it down to UCLA's Pro Day, though it appeared that was to see offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche.