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The Cincinnati Bengals knew they needed help out wide yet opted not to draft a wide receiver in the NFL Draft. However, the team did manage to fill that void with a trio of undrafted free agents that all have a chance at making the final cut.
The Bengals currently have A.J. Green, John Ross and Tyler Boyd at the top of the pecking order. After those three, it gets a little competitive. That’s where the undrafted guys like Ventell Bryant, Stanley Morgan Jr. and Damion Willis will get their chance.
Per Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson, all three can make a run at the final few receiving spots, but Willis will be the one to watch.
“And you’ve got to figure the three undrafted receivers can make a run pushing Cody Core, Auden Tate and Josh Malone. Temple’s Ventell Bryant (6-3, 209), Nebraska’s Stanley Morgan (6-0, 202) and Troy’s Damion Willis (6-3, 204), all have the size and look to have the hands. Keep an eye on Willis, coming off a season with 17 catches of at least 30 yards.”
Willis decided to leave Troy after his second season with the program. A successful season which resulted in a Dollar General Bowl victory for the Trojans, Willis ended the season with 56 catches and 875 yards as the team’s leading receiver.
What stuck out to Hobson is the 17 catches for 30+ yards. Willis ended his sophomore season with a 15.6 yards per catch average. However, all that and his ten touchdowns wasn’t enough to land him a spot in the lengthy 2019 NFL Draft.
Ultimately, it will be players like Cody Core and Josh Malone, two receivers with multiple years under their belt and little to show for it, that will need to ensure they keep their spot with these younger, college-age athletes gunning for their position.