Instant analysis of Bengals picking Tacario Davis in the third round

The Cincinnati Bengals hit Day 2 of the draft with defense on the mind and used the No. 72 pick on Washington cornerback Tacario Davis.

>After adding pass-rusher Cashius Howell at No. 41, Davis arrives as a possible starter in a second year that could use some help.

>The Bengals entered the draft without a true starting nickel corner and in desperate need of depth on the boundary at the fourth spot and deeper. There were justified mocks wondering if they could take a cornerback in Round 1.

>At Pro Football Focus, Davis was the 123rd-ranked player, so not totally on value by that one metric, at least.

>Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, though, says Davis could develop into a starter one day.

>“Davis is more disruptive than productive with size, length and strength to reroute releases from press,” Zierlein wrote. “He slams catch windows closed when he’s in the neighborhood. While his physical traits make a wideout’s job tougher, their route-running prowess can do the same to Davis. He’s average matching breaks and more complicated routes tend to shake him. His long arms help him defend throws from deep zone and make tackles in the open field. An NFL staff should be able to coax more consistent run support from him.”

>Davis is a big prospect at nearly 6’4”, so he figures to be more of a boundary player, potentially. Either way, the Bengals appear to have a great boundary starting duo with DJ Turner and Dax Hill, so his fit is a little interesting to think about here.

>One of the younger players in the draft class, Davis is a really interesting prospect for Bengals coaches to mold. His positional fit and even draft value could cause hot debates all summer, but any cornerback depth is a plus right now for a team quietly very seriously struggling at that spot.

>Grade: B

>This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Instant analysis of Bengals picking Tacario Davis in the third round