Bengals have meeting scheduled with TE Michael Mayer

The Cincinnati Bengals are clearly thinking about going with a tight end in the first round, and they continue to make these ambitions clear.

Last week, they met with Utah Utes star Dalton Kincaid. And this coming Monday, per FOX 19’s Joe Danneman, they will be meeting with Michael Mayer.

Mayer played at Notre Dame and is widely expected to be a first-round pick.

The Bengals will be bringing in former Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr., who they signed in free agency. They also will have former second-round pick Drew Sample on the roster, who they recently re-signed as well.

However, the future of the position is still unclear, and the team may be hoping Mayer is the answer.

Mayer spent three seasons with the Fighting Irish, playing 12 games in each. This past season, Mayer had a career-high nine touchdowns and ended the year with 809 receiving yards, despite questionable play at the quarterback position for the first couple of months.

The 6-foot-4 Mayer had 1,649 yards throughout his last two seasons combined, truly breaking onto the scene as one of the best tight ends in college football.

“Mayer needs to become more consistent with his blocking technique and execution, but his controlled athleticism, play strength through contact, and stellar intangibles raise his floor as a prospect,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote in his draft guide.

The Bengals watched Hayden Hurst head to the Carolina Panthers in free agency. While Smith Jr. is a solid short-term solution and provides the explosive Cincinnati will look for from its tight end, Mayer could be a stud in the Joe Burrow-led offense for the next decade to come.

Kincaid and Darnell Washington are two other tight ends that could be on the board for Cincinnati at No. 28. They all possess different strengths, and Mayer may be the best combination of all intangibles on the board, at least per Brugler he is.

Be sure to go follow our Twitter page and then ‘like’ our Facebook page to get all of the latest Cincinnati Bengals news, views and some other fun stuff for Bengaldom. And as always, Who Dey!