The Bengals only had six picks in last year’s draft, and Dylan Fairchild was out this week.
Once again, the Bengals started two rookies at linebacker.
While Demetrius Knight was the higher pick, Barrett Carter seems to bring more speed and processing ability to the linebacker table.
Carter was all over the field, filling gaps and making nice high tackles. He led the team in tackles with eight solo and 12 total.
Demetrius Knight is the team’s season leader in tackles, but he struggled in that area this week. He seems to be stopping his feet and lunging for ball-carriers, but ending up on his face. This is a correctable problem that Knight must deal with immediately
The team’s first round pick, Shemar Stewart, returned from injury but failed to stand out in the absence of fellow defensive end Trey Hendrickson. With another week and a half to rest, hopefully, Stewart can take a step forward.
On the other side of the line is guard Jalen Rivers. He had his ups and downs in this game, particularly in pass protection. He gave up one sack and allowed Joe Flacco to be pressured on a few other occasions. The fact is that he is a Day 3 rookie who looks like he belongs on the field. He didn’t make ridiculous errors. He just needs to improve his consistency.
It will be interesting to see if Rivers gets the next start. Veteran guard Dalton Risner had an excellent day, and Dylan Fairchild was the higher pick at guard.
Running back Tahj Brooks played accusingly on special teams yet again. He was joined by undrafted rookie long snapper William Wagner, who has been excellent with his snaps this season.
This is a very promising rookie class, but between injuries and missed tackles, their Day 1 and Day 2 picks have struggled of late. The need to get Stewart, Knight, and Fairchild on a positive developmental timeline.
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