4 prospects Bengals could regret passing on in 2023 NFL Draft

D'Shawn Jamison, CB (Texas)

Texas cornerback D’Shawn Jamison is another player who was available at the end of the draft and into free agency.

Jamison had a great game versus Oklahoma. What came through that game was his ability to play downhill and hit hard in run support.  

Against Alabama, his coverage skills were on display. He showed off his coverage skills on a wonderful pass breakup early in the second quarter versus the first-overall draft pick, Brice Young. Unfortunately, Jamison dropped the interception. However, the week before versus the University of Louisiana Monroe, he made sure he held onto the pick and returned it for a touchdown. 

Jamison is another player who got better year after year. This is largely due to him being able to concentrate strictly on playing corner. 

Up until this past season, Jamison returned kicks for the Longhorns, averaging 26.8 yards per return. He also has a punt return for a touchdown from his freshman year. 

He has since traded his punt return shoes in for a pair of punt block cleats, showing that he could have been a big-time contributor to the Bengals’ special teams. 

Also, because he was able to concentrate on being a corner last season, Jamison was able to focus on his coverage skills. And it paid off. His QB rating when targeted last year was 56.6 for PFF. That is excellent! 

It would have been worth it to bring in a hard-hitting corner who finished his career with a season where he held opposing quarterbacks to a 56.6 passer rating. The arrow is only going up on Jamison. 

Jamison could have been a player with an amazing upside to add to the cornerback room via the backend of the draft or free agency. However, the young defensive back signed with the 49ers. The second player on this list to do so. 

Of course, we should hope that Cincinnati has zero misgivings when it comes to any of its acquisitions this year. Nevertheless, Jamison, Banks, Parish, and Willis are four very underrated players with a lot of potential who slipped through our paws toward the end of the draft.

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