Breaking down the Bengals’ selection of DB Daijahn Anthony in Round 7

The Bengals grabbed an intriguing player with the pick they received from the Texans in the Joe Mixon trade.

The Cincinnati Bengals have closed things up for the weekend (at least in terms of picks being made), and they made an interesting one with the pick they received from the Houston Texans in the Joe Mixon trade.

Near the commencement of Round 7, the Bengals selected versatile Ole Miss defensive back Daijahn Anthony.

What are the Bengals getting in Anthony?

Aside from a great surname, you mean? They are getting an aggressive and versatile defensive back. With the Rebels, Anthony lined up as both a bigger nickel back and as a safety.

He has decent speed as a hybrid type of player (4.56 40-yard dash) and can provide solid secondary depth and special teams prowess. The latter could be especially critical with D.J. Ivey returning from a late-season knee injury after executing a number of productive plays for Darrin Simmons’ group.

Here’s where Pro Football Focus had Anthony lining up over the past three seasons.

So while he’s listed as a safety, it’s evident that Anthony can play all around Lou Anarumo’s defense.

What will Anthony do for the Bengals?

He will have to fight for a role on this team, especially with their heavy re-investment in safety in free agency. His best initial path to the final roster will be to show he can be a valued member of the special teams crew.

He’ll likely play close to the line of scrimmage, be it as a box safety or covering shorter routes in the slot. Tre Flowers manned a role similar to this for a while, and we’ll see if he will back up Geno Stone in some of his duties, too.

It’s worth pointing out that after the draft, Zac Taylor said Dax Hill is working in the cornerback room this year. So that makes Anthony’s path to the 53-man roster a bit easier if he’s primarily working at safety.

Lou Anarumo has recently begun collecting versatile players, be it on the defensive line or in the secondary, so Anthony makes sense from that standpoint, too.

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