The Cincinnati Bengals have had a trend of drafting cornerbacks with their first round draft picks, and so far that is a trend that Marvin Lewis and crew have really succeeded with.
Going back to the back to back draft picks of Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall to the recent selections of Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard.
Darqueze Dennard was a very accomplished college football player during his time at Michigan State. Dennard, a winner of the Jim Thorpe award and Jack Tatum trophy (awarded to the top collegiate defensive back), two time first team All-Big Ten, a Big-Ten defensive player of the year and even has two conference titles and a Rose Bowl to his resume…. You sometimes wonder why the Bengals drafted him in the first round, right? (Insert Sarcasm here).
Dennard hasn’t had a lot of opportunity in his time with the Bengals. It’s easy to see that when he has played behind players like Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Adam Jones. But when his chances have come, he has shown the ability to shine.
Mr. “No-Fly Zone” has shown great instincts when his time has come, has matched up really well against some of the NFL’s best Wide Receivers, and has shined as a very good special teams player for the Bengals. We have seen Dennard force a fumble in a playoff game, get a sack blitzing out of the nickel and made a very athletic interception against the Buffalo Bills…. This gives reason to believe that Dennard has a lot more to show in his NFL tenure.
With Leon Hall’s tenure more than likely coming to an end with the Bengals, and also the wonder if Adam Jones will be back with the Bengals, Dennard is going to get his chance to make a name for himself as a big time player, and something we may see him grab his opportunity and shine with.
Dennard has battled position depth and injury during his time with the Bengals but has been a constant professional who has waited his turn and chance to succeed. In 2016, Darqueze Dennard will not only get his chance, he will justify the Bengals drafting him with the 24th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Be sure to subscribe to our podcast Men in Stripes brought to you by Stripehype.com on iTunes.