Cincy Jungle
“Who Dey nation believes in me. I want nothing more than to prove every single person here right.”
A massive need for the Cincinnati Bengals during the NFL Draft was a defensive tackle after losing DJ Reader.
The Bengals quickly added to their depth at that position in the second round when they selected Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Kris Jenkins.
Over the weekend, Bengals’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo talked about Jenkins and how excited they were to have him in Cincinnati.
“I just like everything about his game,” Anarumo stated. ”He’s a tough. Tough run defender. He’s got great football instincts. As Zac (Taylor) already mentioned, he brings leadership. He’s been a captain, I think second-team All-American, just a tough guy overall and plays the game the right way.
“We see him as a three-down player. He’s already shown that in college at a high level. Right now, he’ll be slotted in to rotate in with the other guys, and we’re very excited to have him.”
The biggest thing that the Bengals needed to address at DT was run-stopping ability. Jenkins can fill that spot but still has work to do in the pass-rushing game.
“That’s a position that, where he’s coming from, he’s facing a lot of double-teams inside. I think he’s got a little bit of ways to go in that part of his game, which we can help him with, but he’s really demonstrated that he has been a stout guy in the run game so far, and we can kind of build on his game from there.”
To his credit, Jenkins made it clear that he’s motivated by the faith Bengals coaches and fans have in him.
“Who Dey nation believes in me. I want nothing more than to prove every single person here right,” Jenkins said in an interview with FOX 19’s Jeremy Rauch.
There is no doubt that Jenkins has big shoes to fill heading into his rookie season, but it is good to hear the confidence the coaching staff has in the Michigan star.
Follow our Twitter page and ‘like’ our Facebook page for more Cincinnati Bengals news and views! Who DEY!!
