Bengals select Rodney Anderson with 211th pick

The Cincinnati Bengals have selected Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson with the 211th overall pick, their third in the sixth round.

The Bengals drafted Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams earlier today, so it’s clear they wanted multiple backs behind Giovani Bernard and Joe Mixon going forward, likely because Bernard is a free agent in 2020.

Anderson becomes the fifth running back currently on the roster, joining Mixon, Bernard, Williams and second-year player Quinton Flowers. Expect the Bengals to sign at least one running back as an undrafted free agent as well.

The running back position saw its fair share of injuries in Cincinnati last season, and Anderson’s injury history is mainly why he was available over 200 picks into the draft. At Oklahoma, Anderson suffered multiple season-ending injuries that cut his freshman (leg), sophomore (neck) and senior (ACL) seasons short.

When he’s on the field, Anderson is a special talent, and his connection to Joe Mixon should help ease him into the locker room. Anderson’s similarly built to Mixon and his on-field athleticism is reminiscent as well. If Mixon were to go down for any period of time, Anderson would be an ideal replacement. But he’ll have to prove his durability in the NFL before he can be relied on to lead a backfield.

Bengals’ remaining top draft needs are:

DE, WR

Day 3 NFL Draft schedule: 12 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 27

Here’s a link to the full seven-round NFL Draft order and live draft tracker!