Welcome to the Jungle Jordan Battle

[Dr.Z]

Damned good football player. He is a blast to watch play the game. I love this pick. The way that he plays the game seems absolutely Taylor made for the type of defense we have. Now in hindsight it seems like the fit is such a no-brainer with him in Lou’s D.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(04-29-2023, 12:52 AM)bengaloo Wrote: It's pretty obvious at this point that Zac doesnt put a high stock in TE's like a lot of us fans do, and is pretty comfortable with what we have. I expect we will draft one and there are some good prospects left, but all I see in the TE thing is the fans wanting a near pro bowl caliber TE when we just need an average one for this offense to work. 

Sounds like a Tee extension is really happening going off of the way we are playing things so far.

Still want a TE in case Irv Smith Jr gets hurt which seems inevitable though and want a RB real bad like Keaton Mitchell to help 
take away the 2 high looks we get with our WR's.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(04-29-2023, 01:07 AM)Dr.Z Wrote: Damned good football player.   He is a blast to watch play the game.  I love this pick.   The way that he plays the game seems absolutely Taylor made for the type of defense we have.  Now in hindsight it seems like the fit is such a no-brainer with him in Lou’s D.

Yes sir Dr.Z. Jordan Battle is a stud Zone Strong Safety perfect for Lou's D.

[Dr.Z]

(04-29-2023, 01:10 AM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Yes sir Dr.Z. Jordan Battle is a stud Zone Strong Safety perfect for Lou's D.

Yes sir.   I admittedly was kind of thinking Antonio Johnson before the pick, as I really came away impressed with him during the pre-draft process and from the tape I watched of him, but Battle really fits well, and could push for snaps sooner than what is assumed. 

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

I was pretty surprised with this pick. I wanted Washington or D. Jones.

Having said that, I was also somewhat underwhelmed with the Scott signing and having Thomas & Anderson as the backups. This gives us 3 guys who can play while Anderson develops. I assume Thomas will be the casualty (IIRC we cut him late last year then re-signed him). I hope he sticks on the PS to mentor the young guys at safety.

He is a ZT kind of guy. Team captain. Big time program.

[*Synric*]

Ok Ok. Im not a fan of the pick but doesnt mean I don't like the prospect.

Jordan Battle is one of the more instinctive DBs in the class. Amazing vision from the Safety position combined with his ability to quickly diagnose route combinations make him a very very good coverage safety. He is also a plus run defender but isn't the thumper you expect from Alabama safeties. The big reason Battle is here at the end of the 3rd is his range in 2021 he played closer to the line with smaller zones and was a better player. In 2022 his lack of range really jumped out as the deep safety.

[*pally*]

Lou has been aware of Battle for some time, he and Lou’s son were in the same math class at St Thomas Aquinas High in Miami. The same school that produced former Bengals Geno Atkins and Giovanni Bernard

[Frank Booth]

(04-29-2023, 01:50 AM)pally Wrote: Lou has been aware of Battle for some time, he and Lou’s son were in the same math class at St Thomas Aquinas High in Miami.  The same school that produced former Bengals Geno Atkins and Giovanni Bernard

he said he didnt know that until his son texted him about it after the pick

[MasonDT70]

Time for the opponents to have an up Hill Battle throwing against this secondary.

[phil413]

(04-29-2023, 01:52 AM)MasonDT70 Wrote: Time for the opponents to have an up Hill Battle throwing against this secondary.

Nothing against Scott but I hope these two stick for this quote.

[grampahol]

Some CFA named Up coming soon..

[Bilbo Saggins]

(04-29-2023, 02:03 AM)grampahol Wrote: Some CFA named Up coming soon..

I hate to be a doubting Thomas, but I can't let you off Scott free on that one.  Mrs. Up Anderson both sketch me out.

Back at the Batcave...

"Hey Lou, which secondary players d'you want?"
Lou: "Yes."



F'real, I'm liking the pick.  They have a vision for their secondary.  Battle seems like a cerebral field general type who can play in the box.  Maybe we'll see 3 or 4 safeties on the field for some packages.

[brian5562]

Love the pick. Love it even more that it wasn't Washington. Washington is the most overrated player in this draft.

As far as battle you get a super intelligent player that will be ready to contribute immediately.

[Eraserhead]

(04-29-2023, 12:34 AM)Synric Wrote: Yea I dont hate the prospect but I dont see the pathway to the field for him on his rookie contract unless its due to injury. 

I give this pick a D+

So far I would grade the rounds B+, A-, D+. Honestly the Bengals usually draft better than this but they are taking depth and picking really late.

You're 100% wrong. He'll see the field as a rookie box safety in certain situations and in TE coverage at times. If Scott struggles at all, Battle could see even more playing time. Saying you don't see a pathway during his whole rookie contract is just a weird thing to say.

He's my favorite pick so far and I think Murphy and Turner will be fine players. It's been a great draft so far. 

I saw you saying in the draft thread that they messed up trading with KC and letting Pittsburgh get Washington. You were 100% wrong there too. Lou obviously had a defensive guy in mind, which is why he said "see you in a little bit" and "told you so". If they had wanted Washington, they would have stayed put and took him, but with Lou's comments and the trade back, it's obvious they had no interest in taking him. 

[*Synric*]

(04-29-2023, 02:48 AM)Eraserhead Wrote: You're 100% wrong. He'll see the field as a rookie box safety in certain situations and in TE coverage at times. 

He's my favorite pick so far and I think Murphy and Turner will be fine players. It's been a great draft so far. 

I saw you saying in the draft thread that they messed up trading with KC and letting Pittsburgh get Washington. You were 100% wrong there too. Lou obviously had a defensive guy in mind, which is why he said "see you in a little bit" and "told you so". If they had wanted Washington, they would have stayed put and took him, but with Lou's comments and the trade back, it's obvious they had no interest in taking him. 

Daxton Hill as a first round pick received less than 100 snaps at safety his rookie year most of his snaps came at corner in one game but the path for his future starting was there. Scott signed for 3 years and Hill is entering the second year of his rookie deal. The only path for Battle's way to the field is through insurance of Scott or Hill not working out or injury any way you slice it if Battle is on the field its through a bad safety decision or an injury.  

Edge and Corner you can see the path to them getting on the field at premium money saving positions... Safety no so much especially after 2 recent investments. I shouldnt be so hard on the pick it is a very late 3rd round pick Special Teams are where they usually end up.

[Eraserhead]

(04-29-2023, 02:58 AM)Synric Wrote: Daxton Hill as a first round pick received less than 100 snaps at safety his rookie year most of his snaps came at corner in one game but the path for his future starting was there. Scott signed for 3 years and Hill is entering the second year of his rookie deal. The only path for Battle's way to the field is through insurance of Scott or Hill not working out or injury any way you slice it if Battle is on the field its through a bad safety decision or an injury.  

Edge and Corner you can see the path to them getting on the field at premium money saving positions... Safety no so much especially after 2 recent investments. I shouldnt be so hard on the pick it is a very late 3rd round pick Special Teams are where they usually end up.

We'll revisit this during the season when Battle is seeing the reps as a rookie you emphatically stated he wouldn't see during his whole rookie contract. He'll see those reps even without injury or bad play elsewhere.

[Eraserhead]

(04-29-2023, 02:26 AM)brian5562 Wrote: Love the pick. Love it even more that it wasn't Washington. Washington is the most overrated player in this draft.

As far as battle you get a super intelligent player that will be ready to contribute immediately.

It was a great pick. People hating on the pick or saying he won't see the field are ding dongs. 

[CJD]

(04-29-2023, 12:34 AM)Synric Wrote: Yea I dont hate the prospect but I dont see the pathway to the field for him on his rookie contract unless its due to injury. 

I give this pick a D+

So far I would grade the rounds B+, A-, D+. Honestly the Bengals usually draft better than this but they are taking depth and picking really late.

I wouldn't go that low. We have one player who we expect to be a solid starter at safety, but I don't think anyone seriously thinks Nick Scott is un-upgrade-able. If the Bengals truly feel like Battle could be Vonn Bell 2.0 by his 2nd or maybe 3rd year, that's worth the pick, imo. 

I liked the DE and CB picks in rounds 1 and 2 because, even though neither one will be a starter, DE4 and CB4 get a ton of snaps year in and year out. Last year, our DE3 and DE 4, Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai, had 412 and 334 snaps, respectively, on defense. And adding more of a rotation should increase those numbers and lower Hubbard's and Trey's numbers too, which will be beneficial for everyone.

Our CB4, by snap count, was technically Chidobe Awuzie due to injury and he had 471 snaps. CTB was the CB4 at the beginning of the season and he went on to have 591 snaps in 2022.
Even CB5 had 171 defensive snaps. and CB6 had 50 snaps. So there's snaps to go around in the corner room and that's before you even talk about Apple, our biggest snap contributor at CB, no longer being on the team.

Safety 3 though...Daxton Hill had 131 defensive snaps.

Granted, no safety was injured, so that matters. But there are not very many "3 safety looks" in this defense anymore. Maybe Battle's addition brings those back? But even then, is Battle playing over Anderson? I'm not sure. Safety 4 last year got 25 defensive snaps...

And, perhaps most importantly, Murphy is expected to eventually replace Hendrickson (free agent in 2025, but his cap hit in 2024 is 17.5M at age 30 so...maybe a cut/trade candidate if Murphy exceeds expectations) and Turner is expected to eventually replace Awuzie (free agent in 2024).

Our top 3 safeties are signed through at least the 2026 off season.

It's nice to plan for the future, but this was super duper planning for the future haha.

[Frank Booth]

people were complaining the bengals didnt land an impact starter with the first 2 picks

well Battle can legitimately win the SS gig. Scott is mediocre

[thompson19osu]

(04-29-2023, 03:58 AM)Frank Booth Wrote: people were complaining the bengals didnt land an impact starter with the first 2 picks

well Battle can legitimately win the SS gig. Scott is mediocre

My thoughts exactly. I love the pick. We now have two safeties on rookie contracts. Also as someone else pointed out the drafting up on D points towards a likely Higgins extension. I like this move.