Bengals meet with late-round TE and NT prospects

While the front office spends money in free agency, scouts and coaches are busy getting ready for draft season.

Duke Tobin and the Cincinnati Bengals front office have been busy since the new league year began. They’ve addressed most of their greatest needs by signing guys like Sheldon Rankins and Trent Brown, but with the draft ahead, they’re still very much focused on scouting and how they’re going to fill out their final roster.

The Bengals reportedly met with Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker (via Kelsey Conway) and Florida Atlantic nose tackle Evan Anderson (via Tony Pauline), both of whom are considered to be Day 3 picks.

Anderson put on a show at the East-West Shrine Game. He didn’t get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but at the game, he weighed in at 319 pounds and stood 6-foot-0.

At FAU in 2023, he had 58 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. He’s projected to go somewhere on Day 3 of the draft, and if he’s available, he could help free up Bengals linebackers on early downs as a rotational player.

The Bengals tackled their tight end position early in free agency by re-signing Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson, as well as bringing in free agent Mike Gesicki. However, Hudson and Gesicki are both on one-year deals and are the two best pass-catching tight ends on the roster.

I understand not targeting a tight end in the early rounds, because the Bengals are pretty set in 2024. However, if they’re looking ahead to 2025, Holker could make sense. He ran a 4.78 second 40-yard dash at the Combine and is definitely considered more of a pass catcher than a blocker, like Gesicki.

The Bengals will continue to do their due diligence on the players written on their big board until the Draft finally arrives on April 25.

What do you think about Anderson and Holker?