Bengals selected Tulane DE Cameron Sample with the No. 111 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Though a three-year starter for the Green Wave, Sample (6’3/267) had been flying under the radar as a prospect heading into 2020, steadily improving each year, but not really putting it all together yet. He excelled as a senior, racking up 52 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 48 pressures and 31 stops as an every-down player who recorded 711 snaps during the truncated season. He opened a lot of eyes at the Senior Bowl practices when he posted a stellar 78-percent win rate in 1-on-1’s, earning an elite +8.0 rating from PFF for his performance which was the highest 1-on-1 grade PFF awarded to any edge defender at this year’s Senior Bowl. If his practice dominance wasn’t enough, Sample was named Defensive MVP of the Senior Bowl game itself. The Tulane edge defender tested above average in almost all of his Pro Day drills, earning a 7.46 RAS. He’s a speed edge rusher with a nice burst off the line and remarkable agility for his size. It would behoove him to develop more pass rush weapons to combine with his powerful bull rush. Sample could potentially slide inside if he were to add some functional weight and is somewhat like Trey Flowers. The Bengals swapped Carl Lawson for Trey Hendrickson in free agency but could still use some extra firepower opposite Hendrickson on the defensive line. Sample will compete with third-round rookie Joseph Ossai for snaps in his first season.
