Kentucky CB Carrington Valentine visits Bengals, per report

The Cincinnati Bengals secondary has grown tremendously over the last few seasons.

The room headlines Mike Hilton, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Chidobe Awuzie.

Awuzie is coming off an ACL injury sustained last season, and the Bengals do not look to be bringing back Eli Apple.

The cornerback class in the upcoming NFL Draft is deep with talent, and Cincinnati hosted Kentucky Wildcats star Carrington Valentine for an in-person visit, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

Valentine is from Cincinnati and played high school football at Moeller.

The Wildcat totaled 119 career tackles with 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 16 pass breakups, and one interception.

In 2022 Valentine led Kentucky and ranked ninth in the SEC in passes defended with 11. He also tallied 48 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.

Valentine is not only talented on the field but also exceptional in the classroom. He was named to the 2020-21 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.

The cornerback’s draft profile on NFL.com states, “Valentine has the physical traits necessary for the NFL but the instincts and body control to extend his coverage against quality route runners leaves something to be desired. He’s solid at crowding vertical throws and can play press-and-bail, but he has had coverage busts in zone. Also, he bites too easily on double moves. Valentine’s lack of aggression as a run defender could make it tougher for zone teams to give him a chance.”

Valentine believes he is the “ultimate competitor” and could be a great addition to the Bengals' secondary room for the upcoming season.

The NFL Draft is just a few weeks away.