Bengals
Bengals LB Logan Wilson had high praise for second-round LB Demetrius Knight Jr. after their first few on-field practices together. He believes the rookie’s combination of size and speed will make him effective consistently.
“He’s done a hell of a job for a rookie with how much we’ve installed and covered,” Wilson said, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “I’m looking forward to playing next to him.
“He can do everything at a high level. Just a matter of putting it all together. He’s fast, hits, big, shifty. All the things you want in a linebacker, he’s got.”
- Knight has shown up exactly as advertised after being drafted in the second round by Cincinnati. Members of the defense already envision him as a future leader of the group, and he’s currently slotted to start opposite Wilson, writes Paul Dehner Jr. of the NY Times.
Browns
Browns DL coach Jacques Cesaire raved about first-round DT Mason Graham, who has drawn praise from many in the organization, including star DE Myles Garrett.
“I love Mason,” Cesaire said on Thursday, via Browns Zone. “The thing I love about Mason, I think everybody heard he ate a little bit too much, and he threw up that first day. But what a lot of people are not talking about is that the kid finished. He went back out there, puke and all, and finished the rep. But here’s a kid that every day he got better. Every day he came out here, he’s running to the ball as fast as he could. You see his rush game developing, you see him launching with hands. It’s going to be hard obviously coming from a read scheme, going to an attack scheme. But he’s done a really good job and he’s great in the room, extremely smart individual, hardworking. So I can’t wait to see him come out and play.”
“I think he’s hungry,” Garrett added. “He’s pretty quiet, but I see him watching a lot. I see him learning, and he’s just really inquisitive, staying near to make sure that he hears every detail and just picking up on things. I see him taking things from the meeting room to the playing field, not really asking any questions but just naturally picking up on those, too.”
Steelers
Broderick Jones is entering the third year of his career and set to be the Steelers’ starting left tackle after playing the opposite side. Jones admitted that he’s still “a couple more weeks” away from feeling comfortable with the starting job.
“I think it went as good as it could go,” Jones said, via SteelersWire. “You know, with everything going on — with me moving back to [LT] from [RT]. I still got a couple more weeks to hone in on my skills and continue to develop on the left side — and come in ready for [training camp].”
Jones reiterated he needs a bit more time before being ready for a regular-season game.
“If I’m being honest, I think I probably do need a couple more weeks,” Jones said. “Not saying I’d be bad, but just for me. Just to feel like I’m in the mindset to play an actual game — versus somebody else other than going against Alex Highsmith or Nick [Herbig].”
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