Andy Dalton attends TCU pro day

26 NFL teams were present for TCU’s pro day on Friday. The Bengals were represented there in the form of former Horned Frogs quarterback Andy Dalton.

Also accompanying Dalton was his son, Noah.

As for the pro day, several potential NFL draftees were in action, the most notable being pass-rusher Josh Carraway. The 6’3”, 242-pound Carraway was a First-Team All-Big 12 performer in each of the past two seasons as an undersized defensive end. He racked up 16 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and 95 total tackles across 25 games during that span.

That kind of production should have the Bengals’ attention, even if they prefer their ends to be bigger. Perhaps Carraway can be used in a hybrid role that allows the Bengals to utilize his pass-rushing skills on obvious passing downs. They desperately need more help in this area, and Carraway looks like someone who could give it to them. He’s projected as a Round 5 prospect by CBS Sports, and the Bengals have eight picks on Day 3.

Another late-round TCU guy that Cincinnati may target in is offensive lineman Aviante Collins. The 6’4”, 295-pound Collins has had an interesting college career while playing all across the line. He started at left and right tackle in 2013, but was relegated to the bench for most of 2014, though he did start one game at left tackle.

Collins then missed most of 2015 due to injury, but made a strong return in 2016 while starting every game at right tackle. However, his smaller frame has him projected to play guard in the NFL, though his experience at tackle will give him an edge to make a 53-man roster as a swing lineman.

The Bengals certainly need more depth across the line after Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth departed this offseason. Collins is projected as a late Day 3 selection, and I expect the Bengals to draft multiple offensive linemen this year.

One other Horned Frog to watch for is defensive lineman Aaron Curry. Another undersized lineman, Curry played primarily at defensive tackle in college, where he recorded 5.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 50 total tackles this past season.

But at 6’2” and 278 pounds, Curry isn’t playing that in the NFL anytime soon. Either he has to bulk up significantly, or he’ll be forced to move to defensive end. He might end up being a tweener that plays both spots like Margus Hunt and Wallace Gilberry have. Either way, Curry is projected as a Round 7 pick/priority free agent.