MOBILE, Ala. _ Linebacker Jack Kiser, who played more football games than anybody ever did for Notre Dame, found himself in one more collegiate practice run by NFL coaches here Tuesday during his first day as a pro at the Senior Bowl.

He could thank new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden for that as he thought back to all the tape he watched of Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson during the last three years Golden was his defensive coordinator.

"Every day that we watched film, it was of Logan Wilson, it was of the Detroit Lions, the New England Patriots," Kiser said. "It was NFL film, it was NFL drills. That's what we were doing out here.

"Logan Wilson? Seems like he's the teach-tape guy. Every drill, we watched Logan Wilson. Hopefully get to be a player like that one day."

The NFL scouts say maybe not because Kiser, 25, is projected to go anywhere between the fourth and sixth rounds in the April draft. As every Cincy schoolkid knows, Wilson was the first pick of the third round. That was five years ago, and the Bengals still can't believe he was there.

But you can't sell Kiser short after he played in 70 games during six years while changing positions, earning a master's and leading the Fighting Irish to a national title game. And Golden gave him plenty of resources to make it, as he did defensive end R.J. Oben, at the other end of the spectrum as the son of an NFL alum who played for him just a year after transferring from Duke.

Oben, whose father Roman is a 12-year NFL offensive lineman, also says Golden got him ready for Tuesday's work.

"Just the versatility along our defensive front, putting me in different positions and learning techniques I had never used before in my career," said Oben, reunited with Kiser on the American team. "Giving me the edge, giving me an extra inch with knowledge of the game in my last year, so I was grateful for that."

The word on Golden from Kiser and Oben is the same that you've heard all week.

"His attention to detail, his ability to have a plan throughout the season, the way we attacked the day was consistent," Oben said.

Or, as Kiser called him, "A wizard at breaking down defenses and expecting what's next."

But both seemed to be struck most by their last encounter last week with Golden, shortly after they got back from Atlanta and the loss to Ohio State in the title game.

"He was emotional," Kiser said. "The biggest thing about the guy is he cares so much. He cares about the players, he cares about the program, he cares about challenging each other, being the best every single day. That's him. Before he left, he made sure everybody had the chance to swing by his office and get to talk to him."

Kiser spent three years at South Bend before Golden, and he spent the three years with him hearing him in his ear calling plays as Golden transitioned him from outside to inside linebacker.

"He changed this defensive program," Kiser said.

Golden has never been an NFL defensive coordinator, but his biggest calling cards for the job came in the last two years when the Irish led the nation in pass efficiency and Kiser was in the middle of it both times.

"One, we had the cats to play man-to-man and, then, two, Al had the changeups he'd be able to throw in. And his ability to help us recognize what's coming. The splits, the route concepts. He had us prepared, prepared, prepared. So by the time the game came around, we knew what to expect."

There was really no surprise that Golden would be gone. And that it would be Cincinnati. On his first day on the job Tuesday, Kiser knew Golden had a dream to pursue, too.

"Talking to him, you knew it was a dream of his to go and win a Super Bowl and that's exactly what he has a chance to go and do," Kiser said. "I'm just proud of him. I know he's been in that building before and how respected he is. I'm grateful and appreciative that he was able to coach me and make me a better player and now he gets a chance to chase his dream."

SLANTS AND SCREENS

Arkansas edge Landon Jackson is an interesting guy down here for the National team. All 6-7, 280 pounds of him. He's got the prototypical body for a pro pass rusher and actually looks taller as he towers over a tape recorder. Some have him going as high as the second round, and he's got the adjectives you want to hear: High-motor. Explosive first step.

He watches the NFL sackmasters on tape, but he didn't start watching NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals until late in the season "because he had been really balling out at the end," Jackson said. "He's got pretty decent power. A lot of people don't see him as a speedy guy, but when you break down his film, he's actually pretty twitchy. He can move pretty well." …

Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna, a 6-3, 300-pound prospect playing for the Nationals, is trying to get on the map here. It turns out he grew up on the same street as Bengals defensive tackle Jay Tufele in southern Utah. Tafuna followed Tufele's career to USC, the Jaguars and now the Bengals, and he's brought a pretty good approach to this week of practice when it comes to what he wants to show the scouts.

"Getting off that rock consistently. Not thinking as much. I felt like I was doing that today," Tafuna said. "But when you think, that's when you slow down." …

There's Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard, and then there's the Moving the Chains duo of Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Sirius Radio. Hardest workers in the game.

On Sunday, Miller was in Philadelphia for the NFC Championship Game while Kirwan was in Kansas City for the AFC tilt. By Tuesday they were here nestled in a Hancock Whitney Stadium booth broadcasting practice.

They were on Illinois running back and future Bengal Chase Brown early in the week of last year's game, and here are some names they threw out to watch for all teams.

Miller likes Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan, a late add he thinks may be better than Shepherd unknown Tyson Bagent, the guy that bolted out of this game in 2023 and is 2-2 as a starter for the Bears.

"OK, needs for you guys," Kirwan says as he spied Bengals.com lurking in the booth. "You know I love the small schools."

So Kirwan has a name circled: Bowling Green wide receiver Harold Fannin Jr.

"With your quarterback, he'll catch 60 balls as a rookie," Kirwan said.

"You've got to get stouter inside," said Kirwan of the Bengals defense, and he's got a guy. "The kid from Kentucky. A big wide body in the middle. Love him."

That would be Kentucky's Deone Walker, a 6-6, 345-pounder who is 20 years old, is still growing, and, who knows, could bolt into the first two rounds with a big week down here …