6 young players who give the Cincinnati Bengals hope

Evan McPherson, K (21)

For years, kicking issues plagued the Bengals. That’s why spending a fifth-round pick on Evan McPherson was deemed risky by the fans but so far, it’s paid off in a big way.

McPherson has been clutch as a rookie. He was the hero in two games with both coming in the first month of his NFL career. That’s a lot to ask of a rookie but McPherson came through in the clutch.

Yes, the rookie out of Florida struggled in the loss to Green Bay but Mason Crosby’s performance in that game showed it wasn’t an easy day to be kicking in the Queen City. Since then, McPherson has continued to be clutch, and Bengals fans feel good when he’s taking the field, whether it’s for a field goal attempt or an extra-point attempt.

On the season, McPherson has gone 11-of-14 (78.6%) on field goals while knocking through all 27 extra points asked of him. Having a solid kicker will help the Bengals in tight games and McPherson has already shown why that is. He doesn’t turn 22 until July so the Bengals will hopefully have the Florida rookie as their kicker for a long time.