Nick Muse to meet with Bengals ahead of NFL Draft

As the NFL Draft draws closer, the Cincinnati Bengals are continuing to take a hard look at the young crop of tight ends coming out of college.

Two weeks ago, we saw reports that they were interested in Trey McBride and Grant Calcaterra, and they met with Isaiah Likely at the NFL Combine.

Clearly, the team is looking to fill the void of C.J. Uzomah taking flight to New York to play for the Jets. Bringing in Hayden Hurst was an intriguing response, but the team is clearly still looking to improve the position room at the end of the month.

That brings us to Nick Muse, hailing from the University of South Carolina. The fifth-year senior is heading into the league with a modest showing last season, but some metrics recorded in drills have scouts checking in on the potential he may have as a receiving tight end at the next level.

Muse posted a 4.21 second shuttle time and 27 reps on the bench press. After playing both linebacker and tight end in high school, Muse switched exclusively to tight end when he got to college. He caught 20 passes for 222 yards and two scores this past season. His best year was in 2020 when he hauled in 30 balls for 425 yards and one score.

Limited college production will undoubtedly come into question, but the potential a team could find and athleticism standpoint may make him a Day 3 target for a time with need.

As the Bengals continue to evaluate the tight end position, look for them to potentially take a late-round flyer on a player without a ton of great plays on tape, but the physical makeup to potentially snag a roster spot and develop over the next coming years.

If you’re having flashbacks of Tyler Eifert, perhaps temper expectations a bit with this draft class, but it does appear to have talent that will be around in the later rounds.