Undrafted free agents 2018: Old Dominion RB Ray Lawry signing with Bengals

The Bengals are signing undrafted free agent running back Ray Lawry out of Old Dominion.

The news comes from the player himself.

I spoke with Lawry in the lead up to the draft to discuss his preparation for the NFL and the Bengals’ interest in him.

“I’m a playmaker, I’m able to make plays with the ball in my hand and I can play against almost anyone,” he said. “I have been preparing for this my whole life. It was always a dream of mine to make it to the NFL. I’ve always been ready and now it’s finally here. It’s a blessing and I’m taking it all in and trying to get better.”

Lawry has a crazy college stat line that includes 4,080 rushing yards, 45 rushing touchdowns, 489 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns in four years. 2016 was his best season when he had 1,255 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2017 he only played in eight games due to injury but he is healthy now.

“It sucked but it made me mature a lot,” Lawry said of his 2017 injury. “When you’re in the NFL if you want to have an long career you’re likely going to suffer an injury or setback. So it was a setback for a comeback and I stopped feeling sorry for myself to get back on the field. I was able to come back fast and play at the same level as before.”

Lawry doesn’t have a lot of special teams experience because he was such a focal point of Old Dominion’s offense starting on his first day with the team, but he is open to helping in any way possible at the NFL level.

“When I was in college, the offense went through me since my freshman year,” he said. “I can do kickoffs, punts, all that stuff. I can even do protection. I’m excited and look forward to playing special teams.”

And by the way, his dad is also a football coach and demands a lot out of him. He should be ready to bring it in OTAs with the Bengals.

Read More: Bengals UDFA Tracker!