Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample continues to draw praise from onlookers during OTAs.
Sample already impressed A.J. Green and some outside critics during rookie minicamp. Now he’s hit the second week of OTAs and grabbed the attention of perhaps the most important player — his quarterback.
Here’s Andy Dalton, via Bengals.com:
“He’s picked up on things quickly. He’s what you want in a tight end. ‘Polished,’ is a good word for him. Some of these guys, you wonder if it’s going to be too big for them and all that stuff. But he comes in and he fits right in. It’s good to see. When you get a guy like that in the second, you want him to be what he is. So it’s good to see him out there with everybody and see how he fits.”
At this point, it almost feels like everyone is publicly rallying around Sample because he was the team’s most-criticized pick. Still, the criticism made sense because he was mostly a blocker at Washington and didn’t put up notable production.
But hype also makes sense. Sample was bound to look physically impressive at worst considering he checks in at 6’5″ and 255 pounds. He’s also getting plenty of run in non-contact looks with guys like Tyler Eifert out.
No matter how one feels on the topic, Dalton himself weighing in on the matter is a big endorsement for Sample.
