New Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Ryan Finley wasn’t the most-hyped passer coming out of college.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t excel in the pros and it didn’t stop the Bengals from having an eye on him throughout the process before trading up to get him in the fourth round.
Finley played 40 games at NC State, throwing for more than 10,000 yards and 60 touchdowns with 25 picks, completing 64.5 percent of his passes.
Grades-wise, Pro Football Focus largely liked what it saw, per Steve Palazzolo:
Finley specifically thrived throwing the ball at the intermediate level of the field, as he completed 80-of-130 passes for an FBS-high 1,378 yards throwing between 10 and 19 air yards in 2018. He also recorded nine touchdowns and four interceptions his way to the 15th-ranked PFF passing grade on intermediate throws (86.2) among signal-callers with 100 or more such attempts.
The grades also note Finley was a solid passer in clean pockets and brings up the expected pro setbacks such as arm strength.
On paper, Finley has always seemed like another version of Andy Dalton, but with arguably better pocket presence but a lacking arm.
Cincinnati coaches love his poise, droves of experience and the way he performed on the whiteboard during interviews.
Finley’s starts over the last eight games could dramatically alter the course of the franchise.
