Grade the pick: Bengals trade up to take Tycen Anderson

After a trade with the Chicago Bears for the 166th pick, the Cincinnati Bengals went after another defensive back, as they selected Tycen Anderson out of the University of Toledo. The Bengals gave up pick 209 in the process.

After selecting two secondary players in the first two rounds, Zac Taylor and the front office must be looking to add some more solid depth to the safety room.

At Toledo, Anderson saw most of his snaps in the slot while also showing some ability to play deep or help stop the run in the box.

After five collegiate seasons Anderson has proven to be a solid tackler, as he totaled 233 tackles in his career, with his best season coming in 2019 in which he totaled 84 total tackles. He also has shown some nice ball skills when it comes to pass deflections but has not recorded an interception since the 2018 season.

For the Bengals, this pick once again comes back to testing. With some good testing numbers and solid college production from Anderson, this feels like a plug and play piece especially when Lou Anarumo goes into a nickel package.

The main question with this pick; why another safety?

It appears this front office is focusing on versatility and athleticism when making this positional depth picks, and Anderson fits just that. He also gives the Bengals another potential starting safety in 2023 when Jessie Bates and/or Vonn Bell could leave as free agents.

If nothing else, Anderson could be a key piece in the rotation of the secondary for several years to come.

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