NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals could go in a number of directions with the 28th pick and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey could be one of them. The interior lineman out of Pittsburgh has a rare level of athleticism that could transform a team’s pass rush.
His combine was otherworldly for a defensive tackle and he’s drawn comparisons to future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald based on his size, athleticism and also coming out of Pittsburgh. Kancey ran a 4.67 40 which was the best of all interior defensive linemen at the combine. Kancey has risen up draft boards ever since his spectacular combine outing.
In three years at the University of Pittsburgh, Kancey was 2x All-ACC, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and a Unanimous All-American in 2022. He totaled 91 tackles with 16 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss. Kancey also played in two bowl games.
Kancey’s athleticism coupled with a quick first step off the ball makes him dangerous. His height of 6’1 and 280-pound frame also gives him good leverage over an offensive lineman as well. Ironically, his size may also scare some people as well due to how short he is. There have even been questions on if he’d be able to be an every-down player in the NFL.
This is what NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said about Calijah Kancey as a prospect:
“He is very sudden to change direction and cross the face of blockers. However, if he doesn’t win early, he struggles to free himself and gets stuck. In the run game, he relies on quickness to shoot gaps and disrupt. His lack of size (6-0, 280) shows up on occasion, with him getting washed right down the line. Overall, I wish he was bigger, but he’s a very dynamic and disruptive presence along the interior.”
The Bengals have had a top defense for the last two years and Kancey could make them even better. The biggest weakness of the Cincinnati defense has arguably been their pass rush which generated just 30 sacks in 2022. Putting Calijah Kancey next to D.J Reader, Trey Hendrickson, and Sam Hubbard would instantly open everyone else up and cause more problems for quarterbacks.
A rotation of Reader, Kancey, B.J. Hill, and Zach Carter would be amazing to watch in the interior. Kancey has been mocked somewhere between pick 15 and the early second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Cincinnati has not taken a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft since 2001 when they took Justin Smith fourth overall out of Missouri.
At 28, Cincinnati will most likely take the best player available over a player who addresses a specific need. If the Bengals get a hold of him, they could potentially have their new Geno Atkins for years to come.
