Quotes from:
Zac Taylor
Head Coach
"Dylan is a guy we've had high regard for since this process started for us. We're excited. He'll come in and get started right away. Again, it's just the intangibles we'd like. The skill set fits us, fits our division, fits our scheme, so we're really excited to have Dylan on the team."
Before we officially got started, you said he'll play left guard. Is there any reason he'll play left over right?
"That's where he's been. He's been a left guard for the last two seasons for Georgia. We've watched a lot of Georgia players over the last two years. We've watched every offensive lineman that's come through there. He really impressed us. We had a formal (interview) with him at the Combine. We really enjoyed him. (Dan) Pitcher spent time with him, he and Scott Peters can comment more on that. We were crossing our fingers that he would be there when we picked and we had to wait a lot of picks for it, but we were happy he was there."
Did you go into today feeling like you had to draft a guard?
"We did, yeah. There's a lot of scenarios out there and obviously, we want to take the best players that are available. We're very thankful that a linebacker that we really coveted and a guard that we really coveted were both there, so it's been a good day for us."
Dan Pitcher
Offensive Coordinator
What did you take away from your trip to Athens, Ga., to evaluate all those guys and Dylan in particular?
"It was a really productive trip. It was a great visit down there. Obviously, there's a tremendous caliber of player — it's definitely a Pro Day worth going to. We went with Dylan in mind. We spent time with him, Scott and myself in the media room. Obviously, Scott got a chance to get hands-on and work him out on the field. We went down there with high regard for the player and we left with an even higher regard. It's just fortunate we had an opportunity to have him."
When you're evaluating traits and intangibles, what stands out for you for a potential draft pick at guard?
"To me, it's a blend of stoutness, power, ability to anchor versus power, the ability to re-direct laterally with quickness. There's a lot explosive, twitchy interior rushers in our league, so you have to have that appropriate blend of strength and lateral mobility and we believe Dylan has both those things in spades."
What made you go down to Georgia with Dylan in mind?
"I wouldn't necessarily say one was ahead of the other. Obviously, we had interest in both players (we were scouting). They're both really good college football players, so we went down there with an open mind. There's other guys, too, that we went down there to see. It's definitely a worthwhile visit for a coordinator, but we just came away super impressed with Dylan. Again, we enjoyed our time in the classroom with him and we felt he was able to really articulate his role within their offense, what he was asked to do. He was able to point out some of the errors that he made and how he would correct them moving forward and then again, the physical component of his play style really fits us. He's tough, the intangibles are through the roof. We're talking about being an undefeated high school wrestler — you really feel that strength. You feel that will to move people. It's all there with Dylan so we're super excited to have him."
Is it just a coincidental benefit he played alongside someone who will be a Bengals teammate in Amarius Mims in college at Georgia or is there something to that?
"I don't think it's nothing; it's helpful. I wouldn't' say that was a deciding factor in our decision, but obviously rapport, especially in that room with those guys, is incredibly important. If guys have pre-existing relationships and played with one another and they know one another and like one another, it's one of those things that obviously helps. But I wouldn't say that was a deciding factor."
Is left guard his to win?
"Left guard is absolutely his to win."
Is there a certain game or situation on tape you watched that made you feel really good about his draft potential as a member of the Bengals?
"Through the course of this whole process, I probably watched his whole season. He's a guy that showed strides over the course of the season. He's a guy who battled and played through an injury. He played less than 100 percent but just toughed it out. He was able to show he could correct errors made earlier in the year where he struggled a little bit and he's a guy with tremendous upside. He's 22 years-old. He's got two years of starting football under his belt. He's got a great physical skill set and we think all the intangibles, again, to realize that potential."
Georgia is a good program but is there something else perhaps about the way they play that makes them strong projections for NFL players?
"I think they just demand a lot from their players. They demand a lot physically. They demand a lot mentally. It's obvious when you see the success they've had under that head coach and under that program and when you go down there, you feel the energy in that building. You see what's demanded of those guys and you feel the energy they have for one another, their teammates and the program. I think it's always good to have guys from an environment like that."
Did you go into the offseason with the intent of being more physical in your interior offensive line?
"I think that's a prerequisite to get to where we want to go and we believe we have the pieces in this building to reach our ultimate goal, but you've got to be physical. Dylan's a player helps us do that."
Is he the kind of guy that got good reps against the top defensive linemen in his class and helps make him ready made for the NFL?
"Sure. I mean, listen: He's a young player, but he's started for two seasons. He's grown, he's improved. Statistically, he's been a very efficient pass protector and obviously that's something that we value."
How much does his wrestling background show up in how he moves?
"I think, yeah, there's a leverage element. Being rooted in the ground and being able to play with a base and being able to torque in tight quarters, control a defender, generate running lanes and again, it's that protection, it's that ability to anchor, to absorb power, to not see the ground so that we can break that separation for Joe (Burrow) to sit back there and do what he does."
How do you view the right guard position if left is his to win?
"Sure. I think we have a handful of guys in the building right now who are tough competitors who have all played a considerable amount of NFL football. We're going to compete. We're going to give guys an opportunity, so we have Cody (Ford). We signed Lucas (Patrick). Cordell (Volson), and now we add Dylan to the mix. There's other guys, too, that will have an opportunity to show what they can do. We're going to compete and those jobs are whoever shows they've earned the job."
Did you watch any of his old wrestling tapes perchance?
"I saw a clip on the way down on TV, but I focused mainly on football."
Did you ever wrestle?
"No, believe it or not. Look at me."
What was the experience like working with Scott Peters through this draft process?
"It was great. I learned a lot from Scott. As you guys get to know Scott, (he's a) tremendous technician (with) a lot of energy for that element of his job. The hand-to-combat, giving guys tools to win in that phase, that's who he is. It just seeps out of him, so when you see him interact with these young players, they really gravitate to that. You see their eyes light up when he starts talking about how he's going to be able to develop them. That's what makes us go. That's doesn't mean that's the only thing that makes us go, but that's what makes us go first and foremost."
Considering what you have on offense and what the team did in the offseason, did you wonder when you'd come to the podium and when a player would be taken on that side of the ball?
"Those are things that I really can't control. I'm just thankful the Bengals are having the opportunity to get better. It's a team game. Three phases. Obviously, I have my role in one of them, but I just want us to be better, and we know we're close."
How important do you think it was to get a guard and address it with a guy that you think can come in and compete right away?
"I think it's really important. I think he's a player who can compete right away. As we mentioned before, he's immediately thrown right in the mix at left guard, and he's a player with a lot of upside yet to realize. We're going to demand it out of him early. We're not waiting. He's going to show up, the demands are going to be clear, and we're going to ask him to go do it right now. But we know there's a process there too, for him to grow and ultimately become an excellent player."
Do you want him to work on the right side too, or would it just be focused on the left side?
"We'll deal with that moving forward. Obviously, he's played all of his football at left guard. And so, a young player, bringing him into a new setting in the best league in the world, we want to put him in a position to have success. That makes the most sense right now, at left guard. It doesn't mean he won't cross-train. We'll figure out the pieces wherever they fall once we get to the season. But the initial plan is for him to work at left guard."
What do you know about him mentally — his toughness and his nastiness?
"The toughness and the nastiness is all over the tape. And then you go meet the kid and you look him in the eye and hear him respond to questions, and you hear him talk about what's important to him. It oozes out of him. That's who he is. It's central to who he is. With the mental part of playing the position, you start to dig into a little bit more as you watch the tape, and you probe, and you question, and you poke holes. 'Why did you do this? Why was your response that on this specific play?' You try to listen for things that clue you into the fact that this guy understands football. He understands what was being asked of him, and he's going to be able to grow in that role. And we believe those things are all true. He's a young player. He's going to make mistakes. There are mistakes on his tape, but all of those things are correctable. We're going to work like hell with him. We think we got a really good player."
When you were watching Scott work with him, did you get a sense of what he's going to be like during the season? They say he works almost as hard as a lineman in practice ...
"Scott? Oh, yeah. Scott is hands on. That's central to his philosophy as a coach. He's going to demonstrate, and he wants the guys to be able to feel what he's talking about. And so, you guys will enjoy watching his individual periods."
Did you get nervous seeing some of the other guards come off the board?
"That's the draft. This is draft 15 for me. It just kind of comes with the territory. There are 31 other buildings and a lot of really smart people who watch the same tape we watch. So, it's no surprise when guys come off the board that you had high regard for. But Dylan is a guy who we had a lot of regard for early in the process. It grew as we went along and we were just really happy he was sitting there for us in the third (round)."
Do you see any commonality among the three guys you've drafted the first two days?
"They all play really, really hard, and that's unmistakable when you put the tape on. And I think when you get talented guys that play really, really hard and are coachable and care, then you have a hell of a foundation."
