Draft Recap: Round 5

This is another very interesting pick.

Robert Sands: West Virginia, Safety 6'5'' 218 lbs
Kiper's grade: 7.5 #3 best safety in the draft

If you're a hardcore football fan, your first reaction should be "Holy FUCK that is a big safety". 6'5'' 220 is a very large man to be patrolling the back end of your defense. Almost unheard of large.
I'll admit I don't know a ton about this guy but I like what I've heard. He's obviously very large but still athletic. Has good range and loves to hit. Seems to be more effective as a strong safety playing near the line of scrimmage. I've also heard that he can be a little stiff in coverage as long legged high cut athletes like himself tend to be. That said, you don't want to be catching the ball going into his zone cause he's a whole lot of man and he's not afraid to launch it at you.

The Bengals grabbed another physical freak here which is exciting for the 5th round. He's proven himself at WV in run support. What I'm excited to see is how he does back in coverage. He's just so long that he will have a huge radius to knock balls away and hopefully bring a few down with him. While I'm sure he'll get ample time around the line of scrimmage I think he's built to patrol the middle, contesting deep balls with that build up speed and freakish height.
I hear all the time about how some tight ends are too athletic to cover with a linebacker and too big to cover with a corner. Well hopefully this guy is your answer.

He seems like a fit for the strong safety spot on the Bengals and should be a big contributor on special teams right away. I'd be surprised to see him start this as he has to transition into a more pro style defense and work on his coverage skills. However if the Bengals don't make a big splash in free agency for a safety he may be called into action. Might not be the worst thing either with the Bengals unlikely to compete for the playoffs this year due to a young team and abbreviated off season. This is definitely a guy to keep your eye on.