The Bengals were looking for a wide receiver to complement last year’s first round draft pick A.J. Green, and took two receivers in the first five rounds. They selected Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu in the third round and then took Cal WR Marvin Jones in the fifth. With training camp starting, the battle is on to determine who can earn the number two receiver position.
According to Bengals insider Joe Reedy, the early leader in minicamp is Marvin Jones, who shined in the first few days of rookie minicamp, making some impressive catches and is starting to catch the coaches eye.
The Bengals hit the jackpot last year in the Draft, when forced to overhaul their offense and replace former Pro Bowl tandem Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. They drafted Green in the first round with the fourth pick, and came back to get Andy Dalton in the second round. Both players made the Pro Bowl in their rookie year. Going into this season, they replaced Cedric Benson with former Patriot running back Benjarvus Green Ellis, and now the Bengals are looking for a strong number two receiver to take the heat off Green.
Jones was a solid three-year starter at Cal, catching over 40 passes for over 600 yards in three successive years. At 6-foot-2 and running respectable 4.4s in the 40, Jones has good physical skills, great hands and comes out of a good system at Cal to make him NFL ready. He was projected to go in the third or fourth round, and if he continues to perform like he has so far, he could be a steal in the fifth.
Although Jones thought he would go higher as well, he’s happy to be in Cincinnati. “I ended up in a great spot,” he said.
“The young talent says something about the direction they’re going,” Jones said. “They run a West Coast offense. Obviously, playing at Cal for four years, that’s what I’m used to. I can come in and run every route and vie for a position.”
