The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their rookie minicamp this weekend with rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham making a well enough first impression to make him the early favorite to start once the regular season kicks off against the New England Patriots September 12.
Marvin Lewis conducted five practices over the weekend and seemed to be most impressed with his first-round pick out of Oklahoma. Most teams were hesitant towards selecting Gresham after a knee injury prevented him from playing his final season with the Sooners, but he’s made it clear through workouts at the Combine and during individual team workouts that it won’t be an issue. Even tight ends coach Jon Hayes seemed impressed with his ability after an interview with Geoff Hobson on the team’s site.
“We understand we’ve got a lot of work in front of us, but it’s only going to get better,” Hayes said. “He’s been out for eight months, but I was very impressed. His suddenness, his power, his ball skills, movement skills are the things that just flash and stick out to you. From a football aptitude and athletic standpoint, he did a great job.”
One of the key highlights from Gresham’s first weekend with the Bengals was his ability to transition into lining up in the left-hand stance after Hayes grilled him during one of the practices over the weekend. While most players would take some time to adjust to the new formation, he seemed a pro later that day with the new stance—which shows Gresham’s ability to learn as a football player.
The Bengals entered the 2010 NFL Draft with a number of players in mind to use their 21st pick on. Cincinnati knew the decision would be based off player availability, and with Gresham still on the board, they found it hard to pass on a player drawing comparisons to San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.
With the status of Reggie Kelley’s return still up in the air and Chase Coffman still unproven as an effective tight end, the Bengals had questions at the tight end position entering this year’s draft. They bring in a player in Gresham who not only has the size and strength to be an effective blocker, but a pass-catching tight end. He finished his final two seasons at Oklahoma with 156 catches for 1,664 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Post a Comment