AFC Notes: Daxton Hill, Rashod Bateman, Bengals, Ravens

Bengals

The Bengals have a crowded secondary after retaining S Vonn Bell and adding S Geno Stone during this free agency. Cincinnati HC Zac Taylor mentioned DB Daxton Hill will move to cornerback after spending his first two seasons as a safety.

“We’ve seen it from him and we think it’s the best opportunity right now to help our team,” Taylor said, via Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

“One of the reasons you took him was because of all the various things you’d seen on tape from him. He’s a superb athlete, he’s got great size, and he did a good amount of coverage at Michigan, playing inside covering slots, played some outside. The versatility is what made him the pick that he was. We’re really excited for his future. He has done a tremendous job embracing this opportunity, and I’m excited to see him go out there and compete.”

Ravens

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta thinks they got really good value out of their 2024 draft picks and got several players later than expected.

“I do. I think that this was one year that the board – you’ll often hear me say, ‘Oh man, we had a chance; we missed out on some guys,’ but this year, we were patient,” DeCosta said, via RavensWire. “And the board – more often than not, not in every single case – but the best player was at a position of need. So, we basically started just checking off boxes, working our way down through each pick. We were basically able to just cross them off, cross them off, cross them off with a really good player. So, from that standpoint, I think it was good. It was really good.

“I think the coaches and the scouts – we did a good job communicating. One of the things that we have is a dialogue throughout the Draft – this guy or that guy, what do we think and how does this guy fit? You might have two players at different positions, and they’re graded the same. And, you’re trying to figure out, how do you split hairs between these two players, and you do it with talking to your coaches. You do it looking at the analytics, but you also do it looking at the players that you might get in the next round or moving back. And what does that pool of players look like at those positions? This year, I think it worked out really well.”

Rashod Bateman

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta believes that WR Rashod Bateman will make a big impact for the team next season.

“Rashod’s [Bateman] a player that – I’ve said it a million times, and I think Coach [John Harbaugh] would say the same thing … I am extremely excited to watch Rashod this year,” DeCosta said, via Ravens Wire. “I think his best football is ahead of him. So, to get him back was kind of a no-brainer. It’s something he wanted. It’s something we wanted. When both sides kind of see the same goal, it’s easy to kind of accomplish. I just feel like he’s a really, really talented player who has had some bad luck with injuries. I think he’s got a very bright future, and I’m excited to watch him play.”