Marcus Hardison Visits Bengals Monday

Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Marcus Hardison (1) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals brought in defensive lineman Marcus Hardison from Arizona State according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com on twitter.

ASU DL Marcus Hardison visiting #Bengals today. Getting A LOT of attention as draft nears. Had 10 sacks, 6 forced turnovers in 2014.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 20, 2015

The Bengals have been looking for options in this years NFL Draft to help improve their pass rushing. According to CBSSports.com, Marcus Hardison is a late third to early fourth round pick, although he could move up and could be the first of two Bengals third round picks or even fall to their third round compensatory pick. He brings decent size at 6’3″ and 307 lbs, and would add great depth behind Geno Atkins and Domata Peko.

In his senior year at Arizona State, he had 10 sacks and two interceptions. He had 41 total tackles during the regular season and ended the Sun Bowl with 3 solo tackles and 10 assists against Duke in a 36-31 victory. He made an impact in almost every game in 2014 and he only started his senior year, since he took over the starting role from Will Sutton. He saw the field in a very limited role in 2013 but proved this season to be a valuable asset to Todd Graham’s defense in his last year.

He has earned his shot at the NFL and by the looks and sounds of Gil Brandt, plenty of teams will be keeping an eye on him. If the Bengals do land his services in Cincinnati, he could grow into a future starter. Look for his name late in the third and don’t be shocked if the Bengals take a chance on him, if he is available.

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