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It’s been a busy weekend for the Cincinnati Bengals and day three is no exception. The team had three picks in the fifth round and the route they took was a little surprising to some.
With the No. 151 overall pick, Cincinnati tapped Illinois State for cornerback Davontae Harris. He’ll be competing with a number of high-profile corners for playing time in 2018. Harris had 14 total pass breakups and two interceptions with the Cardinals last year. There is talk of Harris having versatility to play safety as well.
With their second pick in the fifth round, Cincinnati took Virginia defensive lineman, Andrew Brown. He has played both in the interior and exterior spots on the line for the Cavaliers, racking up 9.5 sacks and 23.5 over the past two years.
At No. 170 overall, Cincinnati decided to go with Western Michigan defensive back, Darius Phillips. He was a two-time All-MAC player of the year, who was a former quarterback and immense athlete at 5’10” and 190 pounds.
Like Mark Walton, the Bengals could be looking at Phillips as a kick return option. After an exciting rookie season, Alex Erickson’s productivity dipped in 2017 and Adam Jones was released before free agency.
After starting his WMU career as a wide receiver, he finished his last three seasons as a corner. On defense, he had 12 interceptions from 2015-2017, while also scoring six total touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns.
Reactions to Davontae Harris pick:
Bengals fans, 5th round pick Davontae Harris of Illinois State didn't just overcome the "small school" stigma, he overcome a brutal stuttering problem early in college. Here's his story & Podcast @HEROSportsFCS : https://t.co/7Ds7HwDGqX pic.twitter.com/rVzK7X0AQf
— Brian McLaughlin (@BrianMacWriter) April 28, 2018
#Bengals 5th rounder Davontae Harris worked out at the Northwestern pro day, and at that time he said no team specifically asked him about playing safety, but he he knows it may be expected of him: https://t.co/vmEW4MAOxi
— Jim Owczarski (@JimOwczarski) April 28, 2018
The Bengals have selected Illinois State cornerback Davontae Harris. IT seemed likely they would add another cornerback to the room with the departure of Adam Jones, and they had liked Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson, but he went off the board early on... https://t.co/zn3sqya3tU
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) April 28, 2018
Love this play by Illinois State CB Davontae Harris. He starts out here at the top of the screen pic.twitter.com/lvaJAM9OfR
— Justin (@afc2nfc) April 13, 2018
Reactions to Andrew Brown pick:
The Bengals select Virginia's Andrew Brown, who ranked 28th in pass-rush productivity among draft-eligible interior defenders in 2017 (7.6)
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 28, 2018
Andrew Brown has all the NFL athletic traits 6-3, 296, with length and power. Around because he needs refinement on playing the position.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) April 28, 2018
The Bengals are having a terrific draft class. Adding Andrew Brown up front is a great fit and value.
— Kyle Crabbs (@NDTScouting) April 28, 2018
#Bengals are having an awesome draft. Love the upside with Andrew Brown, especially at this point in the draft. I wrote a feature on him during the Senior Bowl. #WhoDey https://t.co/gYR6mXrnIR
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) April 28, 2018
With the 158th pick of the #NFLDraft, the @Bengals have selected @UVA_Football DL Andrew Brown in Round 5. pic.twitter.com/DGbWZ22W1y
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) April 28, 2018
The Bengals select Virginia's Andrew Brown, who ranked 28th in pass-rush productivity among draft-eligible interior defenders in 2017 (7.6)
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 28, 2018
#UVA fans learn of Andrew Brown's selection on the video board ... pic.twitter.com/qvNgJeGlF7
— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) April 28, 2018
Reactions to Darius Phillips pick:
The Bengals add a playmaker to their secondary in Western Michigan CB Darius Phillips, the 85th ranked player on our big board pic.twitter.com/yYCdajZIVt
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 28, 2018
Well, the Bengals said they wanted playmakers who could force turnovers. Darius Phillips set an FBS record with 12 career runbacks for TDs (5 KO returns, an FBS record five pick-sixes, 1 PR, 1 fumble return). His 3,145 career kickoff return yards ranks sixth in FBS history
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) April 28, 2018
#Bengals draft pick Darius Phillips had five kickoff return TDs, five INT return TD, one punt return TD and one fumble return for a TD #NFLDraft
— Richard Skinner (@Local12Skinny) April 28, 2018
WMU’s Darius Phillips goes to the Bengals. My story on him from September on what made him a 5-way scorer: https://t.co/c0gBc8fX6Q
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) April 28, 2018
For my #Bengals peeps, I saw a lot of Darius Phillips - NFL Draft prospect of the day: Western Michigan CB Darius Phillips https://t.co/ZNSTgQ5LFQ via @thetexanswire
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) April 28, 2018
What do you make of the team’s three fifth round selections?