Anthony can give the Bengals depth at safety and in the slot.
The Cincinnati Bengals made it a point to revamp the safety room this offseason, and that continued in the NFL Draft.
With the 224th overall pick (Round 7), Cincinnati selected Ole Miss Rebels defensive back Daijahn Anthony.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Anthony had quite the collegiate journey, which began at Division II Shepherd College from 2019-20. After sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID-19, Anthony transferred to Liberty, where he spent two seasons before transferring to Ole Miss for his final year.
In the 2023 season, Anthony had 61 tackles, three interceptions, eight pass breakups, and 2.5 tackles for loss in 13 games (10 starts). He earned a respectable 71.6 Pro Football Focus grade while primarily lining up at slot cornerback and at both safety spots.
Going into the draft, Anthony was viewed as a late Day 3 prospect.
- ESPN had Anthony ranked 330th overall.
- Pro Football Focus ranked him 252nd.
- CBS Sports had him 170th.
- Sporting News ranked Anthony 220th.
- The Consensus Big Board, which factors in all the rankings across the internet, had Anthony ranked 279th overall.
- NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave Anthony a Rounds 5-6 projection and a 5.93 grade, putting him in the ‘Average Backup Or Special-Teamer’ tier. Here is Zierlein’s scouting report of Anthony:
Hard-hitting safety with man cover tools but potential limitations if asked to play on the back end. Anthony is high-cut but with good size and an aggressive field demeanor. He aligned as both a big nickel and a split safety. He’s fairly comfortable handling man coverage duties over the slot and does a nice job of staying connected with routes and disrupting catch tries with timing. He’s fast enough to play over the top from center field, but the instincts are average, and he can be clunky swiveling hips with the changing gaze of the quarterback. He needs to take more consistent angles and do a better job of wrapping up, but Anthony has the talent to become a versatile backup.
Looking ahead, Anthony will be competing for one of the final defensive back spots on the 53-man roster. He’ll mainly be competing for a safety spot, though his experience playing slot cornerback could give him an edge over guys like Tycen Anderson, who is coming off his second season-ending injury.
As of now, the Bengals’ top safeties are going to be Geno Stone, Jordan Battle, and Vonn Bell. Because Dax Hill is moving to cornerback, that gives Anthony a clear path toward making the 53-man roster as the team’s fourth safety.
Be sure to go follow our Twitter page and ‘like’ our Facebook page for more Cincinnati Bengals news, views, and other fun stuff. Who Dey!
You must be logged in to post a comment Login