Zac Taylor Shares Final Thoughts on Bengals' 2025 NFL Draft Class
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00:00The six men that we drafted, I think they all really fit us really well from a player standpoint, what their abilities are, from a character standpoint, how they're going to fit in the locker room.
00:12Again, I'm really impressed with this class, and I think we walked away, and we've made a football team a lot better over the last three days, and I'm really excited about it.
00:19So that'll open it up to you all.
00:21From my vantage point, two things that stick out would be the character, I would say, and the other would be just physicality and all these guys seem very physical.
00:28Yeah.
00:28I think the theme is they love football.
00:31You know, you're really – all six of these guys, as you've gotten to know them, some I know better than others, but that's what you took away is, man, they just love talking football.
00:40They love being around football.
00:41They love being around their teammates.
00:42They made huge impacts on the programs that they were at, you know, and by huge impact, I mean, not only on the field, but the way that people talked about them off the field, you could feel that the impact they made there, and that means something to us.
00:54Did that shift a little bit?
00:55Maybe this draft class?
00:56No, I mean, it doesn't always – no.
00:59I can think of several classes that fit this same description, and it's just the way they fell at the times we were picking, you know.
01:06But, again, it's a group of six men that I'm really excited about.
01:10What would you like on top of your step?
01:11Yeah, tough, great lateral quickness, good ball skills, you know, can protect force as well.
01:19So, really just a really good all-around player.
01:23You know, our running back coach knew him.
01:25Justin Hilde knew him from the recruiting process years ago.
01:28And so, again, these are – he was a good class.
01:31Todd was one that we were really, really high on from a scouts and coaches perspective.
01:35And so, for him to be there in the sixth round when we got him, we were really lucky that he fell to us at that point.
01:41How important was it to get a man with a bigger back?
01:43He's like 215 or so, a race hat.
01:46Yeah.
01:47I think that we have a good mix of running backs in our room right now, you know, to answer your question.
01:52I think all shapes and sizes, all abilities.
01:56So, it's really good – really good to get a mix of those guys in there.
01:59Is that an update on Zach Moss?
02:00Progressing along, you know, and so, again, excited to worry about where he's at.
02:05So, if you feel deep enough, you can say, if you could dig up the safety spot right now or would you be able to go in the free agency with this?
02:11Sure.
02:12They were in the draft, just six picks.
02:14Yeah, you're talking about college free agency?
02:15Yeah.
02:15Yeah.
02:16Go out of it before you can –
02:17We'll see.
02:18You know, we'll see.
02:21Do we yes and so?
02:22Okay, great.
02:22Can you just – to double up a linebacker, I know you guys like Carter, but just in general,
02:28two really good players that we were really high on, you know, with Demetrius and Barrett.
02:36And just really felt like that they could come in and affect us and had high grades on them.
02:44They really fit needs for us, we felt.
02:47And so, excited to add both those guys to the mix.
02:49Drafting two linebackers who were captains and then the captains, that's a whole –
02:53fill out like 20-20 in that way.
02:55Yeah, it's – there were moments like that.
02:58Yes, very much so.
03:01You know, where you're really crossing your fingers for a lot of picks, waiting for Logan
03:04and Akeem in 2020.
03:07And now you get these two guys that – with Demetrius and Barrett that I feel like, you
03:12know, will impact us and we're excited about that.
03:14What do you think at any point in the offseason when you want to do a little bit of a culture
03:21reinvention or a little bit of a culture recycling maybe and just try to maybe focus on –
03:28I think adding good people that have leadership qualities is never a bad thing for us.
03:33You know, and so, again, I think these guys can walk in and they've got to prove themselves
03:39first and foremost to this team.
03:41But I believe that once they do that, they'll be able to take on whatever part of their career
03:46significant roles for us.
03:48And, again, that is important for us.
03:50What do you like most about the way you guys attacked and now have kind of concluded in a way
03:55the reinvention of the defense?
03:58What do you like about how that has come out now?
04:00Yeah, we can go play football now.
04:02Obviously, our players don't know any of this game yet.
04:04We haven't gotten to that piece yet, but just from a, man, we can put a depth chart out there
04:10and feel really good about where we're at.
04:14That's a big piece that helps us sleep well at night right now and guys that we're excited about.
04:19You know, so we already had guys currently on the roster that really got us excited
04:24and then you get to add these three on defense that we just added and feel really good about now.
04:28Let's go implement the scheme and get guys comfortable and go play ball.
04:32Is there something about the personnel that you have now that you feel like you have
04:35specifically added across all the positions that it feels like makes the defense feel a little different?
04:42I think this is a group with great hunger and urgency to be great as a unit.
04:48So as a unit, as a position group, and as an individual, I think now you look across the board
04:54at every single person that's on that board in there and they all fit those same characteristics,
04:59get the same description, and that is really, it's got me fired up.
05:04How different is your offensive line when you feel now with the addition of Jalen?
05:09I think those guys will come in here and compete, you know, and it's really good.
05:12There's, you know, obviously Dylan is more guard.
05:17Jalen, as you've heard, you know, has flexibility.
05:20He'll come in and provide that for us as well.
05:23So I think those are two guys that, you know, we spent a lot of time on.
05:27You know, Jalen came in here and we got a chance to talk to him face-to-face in my office
05:31and throughout the building.
05:33Dylan, obviously our guys went down to Georgia and spent extra time with him as well.
05:36And we had him in the combine formal.
05:38So two guys that we did a lot of work on and felt really good about.
05:42So, again, we're very pleased to add him to the group.
05:45Sometimes, Zach, a really good draft coach's perspective or GM's perspective
05:52or Duke's perspective can be getting other teams to react to you.
05:56Do you think with your defense other teams are going to have to worry about something
06:00you're in personnel now?
06:02I can't speak for them, but I feel really good about where our personnel's at.
06:06So, again, I walk away from this draft.
06:10I think Duke and his staff just did a great job
06:13and really pleased with where we're at as a rush right now.
06:16I have two questions.
06:18How much confidence do you have?
06:20How much about the confidence you have in how to develop guys,
06:23get these young guys in position quickly, play a role?
06:25Who would you say?
06:26Al.
06:26Al, yeah.
06:27How much did all of that play a role with?
06:30And how do you all play about doing the draft role
06:31and kind of the confidence you guys have in him to get guys up to speak for?
06:34Yeah, I have tremendous belief in Al.
06:36I think he's got a great conviction in what he wants to do on defense
06:38and how he's going to do it, who he needs to do it with,
06:41and that defense's staff as well.
06:44I think we've got great teachers, guys that believe in what they believe in
06:48and are excited about the players we have in the building.
06:51And so, again, that's all important.
06:53And, again, that makes me really excited.
06:56And I can't wait to see these guys get to work,
06:58get these guys in the classroom first, get them on the field.
07:01But I really like the direction we're headed there on defense.
07:03And secondly, about Zach Ross,
07:05it seems like it's been a time for the better for him.
07:08What kind of update can you give us on his neck injury
07:11and kind of how that's developed in the last one?
07:12Progressing along is the best way for me to say it.
07:14Has he been cleared yet to play or practice?
07:16It's progressing along is the best way I can say it.
07:18Understanding what TJ Slate brings to you,
07:21looking at an interior pass rush,
07:22did you feel when you started this off-season process
07:25that you had what you needed from an interior pass rush?
07:27Yeah, I think that's something you're always looking at.
07:29And, again, we just at different points in the draft hit us in other spots.
07:36And so, again, undrafted free agency is still coming.
07:38We'll work hard to add some guys to the mix there.
07:41And I think that's just, again,
07:42we feel good about the four guys we have in the room right now.
07:45We feel good about how you can utilize some of the defensive ends
07:48in the known passing situations as well.
07:51So, you know, people don't necessarily always say
07:53that's the interior pass rush, but it can be for us.
07:55And we've certainly got a vision for a lot of the guys we have there
07:58since before free agency, before the draft,
08:01and now post-free agency, post-draft.
08:03So we feel good about all that,
08:04and we'll continue to try to add to the mix there
08:07as these hours pass here coming up.
08:09I know you just took them over the past two days,
08:11but is it reasonable to think that your first three picks
08:15could start this year?
08:17Yeah, there isn't a draft pick we just took
08:19that isn't going to walk in here and try to compete for playing time.
08:22And so, again, I'm not going to make any predictions
08:25about who's being a starter, who's being a backup,
08:27who's majoring in special teams.
08:28It's a group that I know is going to come in here and compete.
08:31Our vets are going to handle them the right way
08:33and incorporate them in the locker room
08:34and let them know what we're all about in a very positive way.
08:38And so I'm just excited to see how that mix works out for us.
08:40How much talk was there exactly about adding picks?
08:43Was there any?
08:44Always, always.
08:45You know, we took a lot of phone calls.
08:50Sometimes they work out.
08:51Sometimes they don't.
08:52But, again, there was always – it feels like every year
08:56there's always a lot of action that sometimes it pans out,
09:00sometimes it doesn't.
09:00But I know we were receptive to a lot of it
09:02and it just didn't always work out.
09:04Was there a thought process that the injury was probably
09:05and it wasn't going to be – you know, we were going to get to the third end.
09:08Yes.
09:09Probably that's a lot of ways that y'all felt like you had to get it.
09:11You felt good at him.
09:13Yes.
09:13You were confident that that was going to happen.
09:15I didn't feel good Dylan was going to be there,
09:16but, yes, that's how it worked out.
09:17Yeah.
09:18What do you think that is the biggest improvement defense
09:21has been, you know, the last couple of days?
09:26Personnel was?
09:27Yeah.
09:27What do you think is the biggest improvement?
09:28Yeah.
09:28You know, we just added three guys that are hungry,
09:32love football, and are excited to be in the mix.
09:34You know, no predictions from the group,
09:36just come in here and compete and earn some time.