Bengals draft cornerback Davontae Harris

The Cincinnati Bengals return to the defensive side of the ball in the fifth-round selecting Illinois State cornerback Davontae Harris.

The Cincinnati Bengals have had an excellent draft so far this weekend. Addressing their top needs in the first few rounds and grabbing talented players high on their board on day three. The biggest need came by addressing the center position with Ohio State Billy Price in the first-round. Cincinnati then grabbed a playmaking safety to help bolster their defense in the second-round with Wake Forest Jessie Bates.

The great picks don’t stop there as the team grabbed Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard in the third- round. Following Hubbard, the Bengals grabbed a dynamic and athletic linebacker out of Texas, Malik Jefferson. They opened up day three by grabbing running back Mark Walton out of Miami.

With the first pick in the fifth round for the Bengals at pick 151, Cincinnati selects cornerback Davontae Harris out of Illinois State. Harris could find himself as a safety or cornerback at the NFL level giving him some versatility in the Bengals roster. His 2017 season wasn’t as impressive but he was a ballhawk in 2016 with 15 passes defended including 2 interceptions.

Cincinnati wants to bring more ballhawks and playmakers to this defense to get back to causing turnovers in 2018. Harris will need some development and learn to squeeze routes on the outside according to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. He overcame a stuttering problem and was told to be very intelligent and confident while playing the game of football by coaches.

Next: Bengals grab running back Mark Walton in fourth-round

Most likely Harris will be a backup cornerback or safety as he develops in the Bengals roster. Another possible playmaker and we know how the Bengals love to develop cornerbacks. He will see limited time in 2018 and possibly 2019 but could become a solid depth cornerback for Cincinnati in the future.