Cincinnati Bengals coach Bill Lazor and Robert Livingston were spotted at Louisville pro day. Livingston was seen working out Jaire Alexander.
Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander was originally projected to be a second-round pick after suffering two separate injuries in 2017 but finds himself climbing the draft boards. Many recent mock drafts have him climbing back into the middle of the first round. Missing four games at the beginning of the season due to a knee injury and then missing two later in the season because of a broken hand have teams concerned about his durability but his talent is all there.
Louisville brought in Alexander from North Carolina with hopes of his potential and it worked out for them as he earns second-team All-ACC honors. He came in as a receiver but made the transition to cornerback early in his first year with Louisville to fill the need in the secondary. During his 2016 campaign, he had 39 tackles, 9 pass breakups, and 5 interceptions. In 2017, in between injuries he brought in 19 tackles, 4 pass breakups, and a single interception.
Alexander is an aggressive cornerback that likes to make a play for the ball at the catch point. His ball skills as a former wide receiver are remarkable and look to be a playmaker in the NFL. The aggressiveness that Alexander has and hard hitting are like that of a safety.
He impressed at the NFL combine with his 4.38 40-yard dash, one of the highest at the cornerback position. The Louisville product also tested well in the verticle at 35 inches. Probably his best drill was the quick agility with a 3.98 short shuttle and 6.71 three-cone drills. All of those are top cornerback numbers.
The former Cardinal is also a playmaker on punt returns which is another need for the Bengals. Returning kicks for Louisville he tallied 29 returns for 223 yards in 2015 and 19 returns for 195 yards in 2016. He also returned a 69-yard return against ACC rival Florida State in 2016.
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Cincinnati could look for more help at the cornerback position and also find themselves solving their kick/punt return spot as well. Alexander is a great prospect and shut down corner that the Bengals could use. With cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick not living up to the deal he recently signed and cornerback Darqueze Dennard on his fifth-year option, the Bengals might look for a cheaper lockdown cornerback early in the 2018 draft.