The Bengals have drafted a Michigan player in each of the last four drafts, and when they took defensive back Dax Hill in the 2022 first round, it began a skein of taking a Wolverines defender in the first or second round in the last three drafts.

While the Bengals hold the 17^th pick in Thursday's first round and look to beef up their defense, Michigan seems to have three more lock first-rounders.

But Hill doubts defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson are going to be there. And he had to be reminded of 340-pound defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, who was just a growing freshman when Hill was in his last season in Ann Arbor.

"Oh yeah. Big Guy. I remember him," Hill said when he looked him up on his phone.

Hill had to laugh. At 24, he's now an old man out of Michigan heading into his fourth NFL season, and if the Bengals exercise his option next month, that will be a fifth year all of a sudden.

"If they do," Hill said, "it's just another year I can prove myself."

Hill's not thinking about the option, or this draft for that matter. He warns of the mock drafts. One thing he knows for certain. When he reported back to work with the Bengals for the start of the voluntary offseason workout program Monday, he's ready for whatever new defensive coordinator Al Golden throws his way as he heads into the last stages of his ACL rehab.

After playing in the slot at Michigan, the Bengals moved Hill to safety for his first two NFL seasons before putting him at starting cornerback last year. He was their best corner before he got hurt in the fifth game, and also looked good occasionally playing the slot, where cornerbacks coach Charles Burks has said Hill could get some reps during the experimentation phase of the voluntary workouts on the field next month.

But it sounds like Hill isn't going to push it and is hoping to be back full go at some point in training camp. Six months into his rehab, he says he feels like he's overcome all the physical and mental obstacles and now it's just a matter of strength training.

Like the other big names on defense who were there Monday, Golden got good grades on his address of about five brief but banner minutes. Remember, they're not on the field with the new scheme for another month and until then they'll view it on their iPad if they want.

"Great first impression," Hill said. "I feel like he was stern in a good way. He has a great resume behind him … He's been coaching 30-plus years now. He's used to knowing what he's doing and we have to abide by that and we respect it."

Cam Taylor-Britt, another starting cornerback from the draft class of '22, liked Golden's message of no gray areas.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Tayor-Britt said. "Love him already. Very vocal. Very detailed. The message today, get adjusted to the new stuff right now … a simple guy. He just wants us to go out and play."

The guy who knows Golden best, the guy Golden had a hand in drafting five years ago when he was the linebackers coach, Logan Wilson, heard no surprises.

Wilson, who missed the last six games because of a knee injury, says he's ready to go right now. That should be a big help next month as Golden implements his scheme with Wilson on the field.

"He's a player's coach. I think he'll empower us. It will give us a different type of energy," Wilson said. "Get back to the fundamentals of ball disruption and things like that. Turnovers are obviously the big part of playing defense. Especially the more we can give the ball back to our offense with how explosive they are."

When he made the move to change defensive coordinators after last season and with it a chunk of the staff, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was searching for different frames of reference after six years with the same defense.

He got exactly that with Golden in a conversation he's enjoying.

"I think anytime it's just different people, you're always going to have different conversations. And that's the beauty of it is people can see things differently, and that's good," Taylor said Monday. "We want different voices in the room. Al has done a great job of opening it up to every coach that's in that room.

"What are your thoughts, what are your opinions, before deciding on something official. But he's done a great job driving the bus, making those decisions when needed. So it's just been a fun process to be part of, and I'm really encouraged by it."