Round 3

Before I get into the 3rd round, quick stats the Bengal's first pick I forgot to provide:

A.J. Green 6' 3.5'' 210 (thanks for the half inch NFL combine) WR, Georgia
Mel Kiper grade: 9.4, #1 overall WR. #3 best player overall

The Bengals 3rd round pick was the most intriguing to me. Here's a look at the guy we got.

Dontay Moch 6'1'' 247, DE/OLB Nevada.
Mel Kiper grade: 8.8 #3 best OLB

Moch is a freak athlete for a guy any size, let alone as large as he is. I can't emphasize enough how fast he is for a 250 pound man. The times he put up are literally unheard of. He was the fastest defensive lineman EVER at the combine posting a 4.42 in the 40 yard dash. He was tied for 15th fastest guy at the combine and that is against 175-200 pounders. He has been clocked at 4.31 at Nevada which is elite speed at any position.
His athleticism isn't just limited to strait line speed either. He blew away all linebackers and linemen in the vertical leap (42 inches) and broad jump (10' 8'') as well. While those stats don't directly translate to the position they are a good indicator of lower body explosiveness which does directly translate to the position.
Moch isn't just a workout warrior either, he was quite productive and a good football player. He had a lot of un-tallied production as well according to Mel Kiper in the form of holding calls on O-lineman that just couldn't deal with his speed. While speed is his main weapon in pass rush he also has a very productive bull rush he uses as a counter to overpower blockers. There is that lower body explosiveness I was talking about. He was used primarily as a defensive end with his hand in the dirt but they also stood him up and even used him to blitz the A gap as a linebacker.

So the guy is obviously a physical specimen that is built to rush the passer. What makes him so intriguing is that he's too small to be an NFL DE and has never played linebacker. The natural fit for him would be a 3-4 defense as a pass rushing outside linebacker but the Bengals are interested in playing him at SAM linebacker. In our 4-3 defense this is more of a traditional tackle and cover position so it will be a big transition. Now I'm sure Zimmer will tailor the position to his strengths a little more and we've had a converted DE at SAM before in Rashad Jeanty who played quite well.
Early on he will probably be a situational pass rusher who will both stand up and put his hand in the dirt to get after the QB on obvious passing downs. I'm sure they'll move him around to get him in good match ups and just cut him loose. It may be a year or two before he can contribute as an every down player if ever.
So the bad news is he is a project that may not be able to contribute as a regular SAM linebacker. The good news is, the worst case scenario is you have a freakish athlete that is a situational pass rusher. And any defensive coordinator in the league will tell you you can never have enough pass rushers.
Also, can we talk about special teams real quick? This guy runs like an elite corner, is 250 pounds and is used to contact every down. He might be one of the scariest cover guys in the league right out of the gate.
Now at the time I would have like to have maybe seen the Bengals grab Martez Wilson instead as he was more of a pure linebacker but Moch has so much potential that my mind has kind of changed. Also he'll contribute more on 3rd down which is a big part of NFL football.

So to summarize, freak athlete with huge potential. Probably should have gone in the second round. Is a project for SAM linebacker but should contribute as a pass rusher and on special teams right away. Look out for this guy a few years down the road, could be making pro bowls.