What experts said about Cam Taylor-Britt

Is he a steal, or a gamble? It depends on who you listen to, but, truly, only time will tell.

Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, with pick No. 60. They traded up three spots with Buffalo to get him, a move they felt necessary after four cornerbacks and five defensive ends had already gone off the board in the round. It marked the fifth time since 2014 that Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin had traded up in a draft.

But was it worth it? Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor certainly thought so.

“We felt good about giving up the sixth round pick to get a guy who is going to come in and provide some great competition for us in the second round. We felt comfortable there,” Taylor said. “Duke and those guys did a great job handling that. Great poise ... great poise under pressure by Duke.”

That view was not necessarily shared by everyone.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had Taylor-Britt tabbed as no better than a third-round selection.

“Compact, muscular zone corner with aggressive ball challenges but angles of attack that lead to troubling results. The size and traits are enticing, but he gives away too many yards due to poor pursuit angles. Taylor-Britt has the feet and athletic ability to pounce on throws when allowed to park and read play design from zone. He gets burned by double moves but showed off his impressive recovery speed at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has safety experience but lacks consistency as a tackler to be trusted at the position. Taylor-Britt has the tools to stick it out at cornerback, but feast/famine play creates a buyer-beware tag.”

Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department saw Taylor-Britt as a potential fourth-round selection, but recognized an upside that could potentially make the former Cornhusker a star.

“Ultimately, Taylor-Britt is a unique player who can find a role as a weapon for a defensive coordinator in the NFL. If he can play more consistently in the pass game while continuing to be disruptive in the run, he might be a steal in this draft.”

At the very least, Taylor-Britt could turn out to be a productive starter at the next level.

“I think this is an NFL starter and a scheme-diverse one at that. Taylor-Britt has the ball skills, functional athleticism, and tackling prowess to see the field early on.

Ideal role: Perimeter starting cornerback”

Or, according to Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network, maybe Taylor-Britt will make his mark as a nickel back.

“At times last season, Taylor-Britt displayed the ball skills and wherewithal to start at the next level. He was also very inconsistent and did not stand out as I had hoped during Senior Bowl practices. He possesses an upside, and at the very least Taylor-Britt has the ability to develop into a productive nickel back at the next level.”

Wherever it may be and whatever the role, it appears that Cam Taylor-Britt is going to be a part of the Bengals’ secondary for some time to come.