Bengals Draft: Grading the seventh-round selection of Jeffrey Gunter
The Cincinnati Bengals spent their final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft on Jeffrey Gunter out of Coastal Carolina. While Gunter lined up at outside linebacker during his time with the Chanticleers, he’ll be utilized as more of a defensive end in Cincinnati.
With this Gunter selection, Cincy spent five of their six picks on the defensive side of the ball. As good as the unit was last year, the front office clearly sees room for improvement, adding Gunter, Daxton Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt, Zach Carter, and Tycen Anderson. The lone offensive player was Cordell Volson.
Gunter gives the Bengals a solid late-round addition who can come into this defense and help them out with stopping the run. He had 5.5 sacks last year and isn’t a stranger to getting after the quarterback, totaling 12 sacks over the past two seasons.
Jeff Gunter will come in as a defensive end, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) April 30, 2022
Bengals Draft: What grade does Jeffrey Gunter pick deserve?
The seventh round is all about hoping the player a team lands can become some type of contributor to the team. The Bengals spent last year’s seventh-rounder on Wyatt Hubert and an injury sidelined him for his entire rookie season, which was unfortunate.
This year, the Bengals also added a ferocious defensive talent in Gunter who should be able to make the team and find the field as a rookie.
Zac Taylor noted that Gunter is going to be used mostly as a pass-rusher but, as is the case with the rest of their draft picks, he’s versatile and can be plugged into different spots on the defensive side of the ball.
R7: Edge rusher Jeffrey Gunter. Good relative athletic score, known for pass rush.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) April 30, 2022
Zac: “He fits some depth for us. He’ll come in as a (designated pass rusher) type guy but can come and play different roles for us.
It’s hard to really give a harsh grade to a seventh-round pick. They fell to the end of the draft for a reason and teams are simply hoping to find someone who can fill their depth needs. Gunter is someone who should be able to do just that.
I’ll give the selection of Jeffrey Gunter a B. The Bengals could have spent this pick on a wide receiver like Samori Toure or an offensive guard like Marquis Hayes but adding to the defensive line is never a bad thing.
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What grade would you give the Jeffrey Gunter selection?