Bengals attended UCLA pro day

The Bengals ventured to California on Tuesday for the UCLA Bruins’ pro day.

There, they were able to scout several NFL Draft prospects, including cornerback Fabian Moreau. That’s who Cincinnati specifically met with, according to Tony Pauline. The report from Pauline does not include who from the Bengals was in Los Angeles for the event.

Unfortunately, Moreau suffered a pectoral injury while doing the bench press. It’s unclear how severe the injury is, but if it’s serious enough to require surgery, it could be a big hit on the cornerback’s draft stock.

Prior to the injury, CBS projected Moreau as a late first-round prospect, which could put him in play for the Bengals early in Round 2 if he’s still on the board. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein actually compared him to Darqueze Dennard. That’s probably not a good thing given Dennard’s injury history, which already seems to be an issue with Moreau before he even enters the NFL.

While Moreau was a highly-regarded prospect, the guy Cincinnati should really be looking at is Takkarist McKinley. The 6’2”, 250-pound defensive end is regarded as one of the top pass-rushers in this draft.

After being a role player for most of his college career, McKinley broke out during his senior season with 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and 61 total tackles.

CBS projects McKinley as a Round 1-2 prospect, so he could be another guy to watch for early in Round 2, though some mock drafters have him going as high as the middle of Round 1.

However, McKinley’s relatively small frame probably takes him out of the running for Cincinnati, at least as a defensive end. Could they take him to be a situational outside linebacker who moves to end on passing downs? It’s possible. But the Bengals have typically shied away from that type of pass-rusher, especially high in the draft.

Another Bruin who could fill a need is offensive tackle Conor McDermott. A massive man at 6’8” and 307 pounds, McDermott already has an NFL body, but his strength leaves a lot to be desired, as Lance Zierlein writes:

"Just not strong enough to play in our league. Unless he finds more core (strength), I can't see him being able to survive against power." -- AFC South scout.

CBS projects McDermott as a Round 4-5 prospect who looks likes a developmental prospect in the NFL. The Bengals tend to draft a developmental lineman every year, so perhaps McDermott will fit that bill this year.

One other Bruin to watch for is defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes. The 6’3”, 305-pound Vanderdoes was a beast his first two years in college, but a torn ACL in 2015 led to him missing all but one game, and he clearly wasn’t the same this past season.

That’s why Vanderdoes is a very intriguing prospect this year who CBS projects to go in Round 4-5. He might be someone to watch for on Day 3 if the Bengals want another body on the interior of their defense.

Other notes on UCLA pro day per Walter Football:

• McKinley didn't perform in the testing drills at the pro day.
• Moreau opted for the bench press, but strained his pectoral in the process.
• Wide receiver Kenny Walker blazed the 40. The time listed is 4.33, but some had him in the 4.2s. Walker could be signed as a UDFA.