The Cincinnati Bengals got back in the good graces of fans with their third-round pick of NC State linebacker Germaine Pratt.
Pratt followed the polarizing second-round selection of Washington tight end Drew Sample and hits a perceived much bigger need on the roster.
Interestingly, Pratt’s pro outlook from a positional standpoint is all over the place. The 6’2″, 240-pound linebacker is a former safety with interesting analysis from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
“He plays upright in space and is unorthodox and inconsistent in taking on blocks and finding his run fits. However, he plays with good lateral athleticism and burst and found his way to the football enough to fill out the stat sheet in his lone year as a starter. He will continue to improve with time and could become an eventual starter at either SAM or WILL.”
Pratt really broke out last year as an All-ACC selection with 101 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.
The Bengals really couldn’t afford to wait on linebacker any farther down the board and with Pratt, appear to get a prospect who will be in the mix right away. With Preston Brown back on a new deal to play the two-down thumper role, the Bengals have to hope some of Pratt’s safety-type athleticism will let him play one of the outside roles or in the middle on passing downs.
With notables like edge rusher Jachai Polite off the board just before the Bengals’ pick in the third, it is clear Pratt was the best player available on the Bengals’ board.
Finding a possible three-down player at No. 72 isn’t a bad deal.
