Bengals experimenting with RB James Wilder Jr at fullback

The interesting observation regarding the rookie minicamp (which kicks off Friday) is that the Bengals need players to fill positions to conduct these sessions.

You're not going fulfill a reasonable practice with only nine draft picks and 11 college free agents. There are a handful of players who played for Cincinnati last year at Paul Brown Stadium, and players who were given an invite to tryout for the squad to fill the field with bodies. It might sound impersonal but tryout players are thrilled to have one one final shot to make the offseason roster -- which leads to training camp, preseason games and the 53-man roster (if they're impressive enough).

It also means that players may practice outside of their comfort zones -- and gives those players an opportunity to show some versatility. According to ESPN beat writer Coley Harvey, running back James Wilder Jr. is giving it a row at full back this weekend:

Sounds like one of them, RB James Wilder Jr., may be getting some reps at fullback this weekend. Will be interesting to see if that happens

— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) May 8, 2015

Cincinnati signed Wilder as a college free agent following the 2014 NFL draft; he spent the entire season on the Bengals practice squad.