The Bengals welcomed rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Dylan Fairchild to Paycor Stadium Saturday. But it's not exactly like they're strangers.

Knight, the second-rounder from South Carolina who blew in with the fastest top speed at the NFL scouting combine among linebackers, has been studying tape for years of the man he may join as an Opening Day starter in Logan Wilson.

"Since the year they went to the Super Bowl," Knight said. "I came across a game and said, 'This guy's quick. He's all over the place. He knows what he's doing.' I asked my coaches to dig up film of him, and the next thing I knew he was part of my arsenal."

Fairchild, the third-rounder who has the left guard job “to win,” has already been locked in battle with Bengals offensive line coach Scott Peters in their now-famous drills during last month's Georgia pro day.

"The firmest guy I've put hands on since I've been coaching," said Peters Saturday as the former Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion and trainer of MMA champions recalled the day. "Extremely strong. Couldn't move him an inch. It was incredible. He's very strong. It was impressive."

The 6-5, 318-pound Fairchild said he could feel the bond developing between him and Peters as the workout of the two champions went on. Fairchild, who twice won Georgia's high school heavyweight title as an undefeated champion, says he thinks those skills transfer to the league.

"In a couple of ways," Fairchild said. "Mentally, the biggest thing. Just having a relentless mindset, battling it out in the third and fourth quarter of these long games. As a wrestler, there's no quit in you. The other part is physically. You can get into uncomfortable, awkward positions and feel comfortable."

One of the NFL comps for Fairchild in style and stature is three-time Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller, a player Peters coached in Cleveland for four seasons.

"Fair assessment," Peters said. "Very much similar physically. Dylan has that in his body. He's a really strong kind. He's just kind of learning the game, and he understands the game. I'm looking forward to working with him and seeing what we've got."

What they've got in Knight is a throwback. A ready-made pro and plug-in captain. A six-year college player who turns 25 in July. Knight took the call from head coach Zac Taylor sitting next to his wife and their 10-month-old on her lap playing with a phone. Their two-year-old waited out of the picture as the littlest one began to be overwhelmed with the noise of the reaction.

"He's OK today,' his dad said. "He's at the pool."

His dad is also in the pool to compete for a job thanks, in part, to studying Wilson.

"The tenacity he plays with, but also the IQ he plays with," Knight said. "Smart. He knows where the routes are going, and he's a great talent in coverage. Great all-around linebacker."

So imagine the kick when Wilson texted him right after he talked to Taylor.

"Awesome," he said.

One of the bold items in Knight's bio is that he's distant cousins of R&B legends Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin. But music isn't distant in the family.

"My sister sings in college," he said of his younger sister, a senior at Alabama's Samford University. "My dad sings in church. I went to sports like my mom. She played basketball and did track in high school."

And Knight likes listening to music. His favorite of the cousins' hits is Franklin's "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."

"My sister's got that on repeat. So does my dad," Knight said. "She's probably got the dance moves, too."

Knight likes to flip through the eras. Lately, he's been on a Michael Jackson kick. A few weeks ago he had some Sinatra as part of his soundtrack prepping for the draft.

"De-Lovely," said Knight of one of his Frank favorites. "There's something about him. It's music that takes you into a time machine."

But he didn't have to go back very long to remember who he was rooting for in Wilson's Super Bowl three years ago.

"Of course," Knight said of the Bengals. And, he didn't think it was a penalty when Wilson was called for an invisible hold on third-and eight from the Bengals 8 with 1:44 left and the Bengals winning.

"I don't think it was," Knight said.

He's in the right place.