Bengals in attendance for Penn State pro day

Though the Bengals don’t hold a top-10 pick this year, as was the case in 2017, they are still doing their due diligence in scouting some of the biggest stars of the draft class. Such was the case recently, as Cincinnati brought representation to Penn State’s pro day.

Running back Saquon Barkley, largely seen as a top-five pick in this class, was one of the prospects on display this week. Barkley averaged 5.7 yards per carry in his Nittany Lions career and had 1,000-yard rushing seasons each of his three years there.

Barkley also had back-to-back seasons with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016 and 2017, while also contributing as a receiver. Last year alone, Barkley had 54 catches for 632 yards and three scores through the air.

Tight end Mike Gesicki has catapulted himself up draft boards, thanks to a great showing at the NFL Combine. He was the top performer in every major skill challenge for his position group and should be a guy who gets drafted in the second round. Here’s some insight from Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline on Gesicki’s pro day:

By all accounts, Michael Gesicki had a tremendous day.

He measured 6057 and 254 pounds, seven more pounds than his combine weight. Gesicki, our No. 1 tight end, stood on his combine numbers but looked tremendous catching the ball. In one instance, he was forced to go low and grab a pass near the turf and teams were impressed with his bend and athleticism coming away with the catch.

Last year, Gesicki was a dominant tight end in college football. Nine of his 57 catches were for scores, as he also racked up 563 yards.

Another prospect Cincinnati may be eyeing is safety Marcus Allen. Seen as a mid-round talent, Allen is coming off of two straight productive seasons with Penn State.

Though he only had one interception in his four-year tenure with the Nittany Lions, he was a tackling machine, as evidenced by his 320 total career tackles. He also had three career sacks, 10 passes defended and five forced fumbles.

Might one of these prospects end up in stripes?