In a draft class where the Cincinnati Bengals stepped out of their comfort zone and made a lot of uncharacteristic picks (which, wouldn't you know it, were widely praised by fans and experts alike), selecting Tacario Davis in the third round did feel more in tune with their usual draft strategy.
By bringing Davis aboard with the 72nd overall pick, it felt like the Bengals were more intrigued by traits, rather than anything else like production or game film. This was all but confirmed in the press conference following the selection.
Just listen to how defensive coordinator Al Golden and assistant GM Trey Brown spoke of the Washington alum following drafting him.
While it is a bit of a reach, as many outlets had projected him to go early on Day 3 rather than Day 2, Davis should still prove to be an interesting and no less impactful addition to the defense. Not only can he play the outside cornerback role, which the Bengals needed more bodies in that room following the departure of depth pieces Marco Wilson and Cam Taylor-Britt this offseason, but with his frame, Davis could potentially be converted to safety in a pinch as well.
However, it's not his potential versatility that makes him such a significant selection, nor is it the fact that picking him could suggest that fellow cornerback Dax Hill's future in Cincinnati may be in jeopardy. It's the niche role he fills that the Bengals badly missed out on in 2025.
Tacario Davis can fill Tre Flowers-like role and cover opposing tight ends-- which the Bengals' defense desperately needed last year
The 2025 Bengals' defense was awful in a lot of aspects, historically so, but from a statistical standpoint, there was no aspect in which they were worse than covering opposing tight ends. Cincy's defense essentially gave up a triple crown to tight ends, as over the course of the year, they allowed the most receptions (116), yards (1,444), and touchdowns (16) to that position. In a year full of defensive lows, that was arguably their lowest point.
The linebackers who were big enough to shadow tight ends weren't fast or strong enough in coverage, and those who could keep up with them were too small and would get out-muscled by them.
That's why drafting Tacario Davis could end up being the most impactful selection from this draft for Cincy, as he has the measurables (6'4, long arms, 4.41 forty time) to play as a big nickel and get assigned to cover the other team's biggest pass catcher.
The Bengals haven't had someone who could fill that niche since Tre Flowers was in stripes — someone who notably gave top-of-the-line tight end Travis Kelce trouble when the Bengals and Chiefs faced off.
Davis compares similarly to Flowers, as he is an inch taller, his forty time is a few hundredths of a second faster, and his arms are just about half an inch shorter. This was a comparison that defensive coordinator Al Golden himself made, as he was the linebackers coach during the Bengals' Super Bowl run.
Beyond the measurables, one of the biggest red flags/weaknesses scouts listed regarding Davis-- that being his tendency to grab and get too physical, which will, of course, result in big chunks of penalty yardage in the NFL-- is less significant when lined up against tight ends, as they typically don't draw penalties like wide receivers do, and defensive backs can be more handsy with them.
Given they used a third-round pick on him, Davis will ideally have a bigger role than a tight end cover specialist, but it's nice that Cincinnati finally has someone who can keep up with them after the position ate their defense alive last season.
If Davis can get a little more sound on his technique, cut down on penalties (he had six at Washington in 2025), and can adapt to a "big nickel" subpackage role while cross-training as a contingency option on the boundary, he could very well wind up as the fan-favorite pick from the Bengals' 2026 rookie class.
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