A Geno Atkins-like player next to DJ Reader would be quite the boon for the Cincinnati Bengals defense right about now.
And looking at the upcoming draft class, one prospect is making his best Atkins impression before likely being taken in the first round.
Pittsburgh’s Calijah Kancey ran a 4.67-second 40-yard dash at 6’1″ and 281 pounds — giving him a time just faster than one posted by a guy named Aaron Donald back in 2014.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote the following while ranking Kancey as the 30th overall prospect in the draft:
“Kancey is a short, compact DT with rare twitch and explosion. He is at his best against the pass. He rockets out of his stance and wins early in the down with quick hands, leverage and a burst to close. He is very sudden to change direction and cross the face of blockers. However, if he doesn’t win early, he struggles to free himself and gets stuck. In the run game, he relies on quickness to shoot gaps and disrupt. His lack of size (6-0, 280) shows up on occasion, with him getting washed right down the line. Overall, I wish he was bigger, but he’s a very dynamic and disruptive presence along the interior.”
Another shorter, “too small” defensive tackle with good burst and abnormal pressure rates during his college days? Geno Atkins.
An interior pass-rusher isn’t the biggest need for the Bengals, especially with so much cash already wrapped up in Reader and B.J. Hill. But these traits and what he could do from Day 1 for the defense would be impossible to ignore if he somehow fell to the end of the first round.
A unanimous All-American, Outland Trophy finalist and now combine standout, Kancey would be one of those “A+” picks if the Bengals were able to make it happen.
