Film Room: The Bengals found an instant starter in Demetrius Knight

This guy is a BEAST.

There was surprise among fans when the Cincinnati Bengals selected South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight in Round 2, but there is a reason the team targeted him. Knight is a versatile linebacker with old-school toughness and new-school speed. He is big and fast and a leader, and he became a captain for a very talented defense in only one season in South Carolina.

Knight will have an opportunity to start next to Logan Wilson immediately.

Let’s take a look at what he brings to Cincinnati.

Knight (17) was one of very few linebackers in this draft with a traditional build, which is helpful for making run stops in the box.

You can see what a powerful hitter he is in this clip. He flows from the backside of the counter play and unloads on the ball-carrier, helping to bring him down for no gain.

In this clip, he scrapes over the double team before the blocker can come off to engage with him.

Knight wins with quick processing and speed, making the tackle on the line of scrimmage.

But it is not enough to be able to make plays between the tackles. Modern linebackers have to be able to make tackles from sideline to sideline.

Knight is on the backside of this play, but that doesn’t stop him from flying down the line of scrimmage and making the tackle outside of the numbers.

Knight also shows strength on this play. He disengages from the guard’s block at the beginning of the play and brings his hips through for a monster hit at the end.

In fact, let’s take a closer look at that tackle.

One of the often misunderstood things about tackling is that it’s actually better to tackle high than it is to tackle low.

Yes, the low man wins, but the leverage battle takes place before contact. Whether you’re tackling or blocking, you generate power and movement by rolling your hips through contact at an upward angle and continuing to run your feet on contact. This is a textbook example.

Knight is an excellent tackler, powerful and dependable.

How about this example of speed? Knight bites on the play action, keeping him in the box as the tight end runs an arrow route.

Many linebackers would be out of the play, but Knight goes from zero to ludicrous speed and runs him down in the flat for a gain of about five yards.

Here is another example.

Knight is spying the quarterback, and as soon as he breaks to pocket, Knight takes off like a cannonball, throwing the quarterback to the ground and causing a fumble,

We can argue over the next several months about draft value and where you could have gotten a certain player, but when Knight takes the field for the Bengals this fall, you will be glad he’s on our side.