4. Akeem Davis-Gaither
The Bengals spent a fourth-round pick on Akeem Davis-Gaither in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Appalachian State product appeared in every single game as a rookie in 2020 but his production was met with mixed results.
Year two was a big one for Davis-Gaither and he did okay during his sophomore season. PFF gave him a grade of 60.2 but fans were impressed from what he was able to accomplish in the second year of his career.
Davis-Gaither racked up 28 tackles, three defended passes, and one forced fumble through nine games before sustaining a foot injury that led to the end of his 2021 season.
The Bengals saw a tremendous amount of improvement from their linebacker position in 2021, as Logan Wilson was a huge playmaker for the team during his second season. Germaine Pratt also stepped up and played a lot better during the 2021 season as well.
While Davis-Gaither might not have been as impressive as these two, he still was a big part of the defense and the absence was felt when he went down with the injury and didn’t return.
Fortunately, the former fourth-round pick should be healthy enough to take the field for year three and the Bengals should be excited to have him back on the gridiron.