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The Cincinnati Bengals got just the wide receiver they needed in this year's NFL Draft.
It came in the form of Pittsburgh Panthers star Tyler Boyd, and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein agrees. Zierlein tabbed the new Bengals receiver as his favorite draft selection of Round 2 in this year's Draft.
Round 2: Tyler Boyd, WR, Pitt (Cincinnati Bengals)
Drafted Round 2, 55th overall
Pre-draft projection: Round 2
Summary: Boyd and the Bengals could be the perfect match. The Bengals already have a vertical threat in A.J. Green. Boyd gives them a possession receiver with the ability to make contested catches. When Green is being double-teamed, Boyd has the ability to rack up a lot of catches, which is something the Bengals didn't have before.
There's no question Boyd has been one of college football's best receivers in recent years, so the hope is he'll replicate that impact in the NFL for a Bengals team in need of more pass-catchers. Back in 2014, Boyd caught 78 passes for 1,261 yards and eight scores while his 27.6-yard kickoff return average ranked 10th in the NCAA in 2014.
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In 2015, Boyd finished with a career-high 91 catches to go with 926 yards and six scores. Pitt didn't have much of a passing game though as Nathan Peterman was more of a game manager. That led to Pitt being geared more toward the run, which helped lead to Boyd's drop in yards and touchdowns. He also didn't get nearly as many deep targets, leading to his yards per catch dropping to 10.2 after it was 16.2 in 2014.
Boyd's drop in production also helped lead to him falling to Round 2 of the draft before the Bengals got him. While they missed on first-round targets like Josh Doctson and Corey Coleman, Boyd will be looking to prove he should have been in the first-round discussion.
That's probably in part why Zierlein and other draft gurus really liked the Bengals getting Boyd where they did in the middle of Round 2. He's primed to make as big of an impact for his team as any rookie receiver this year.