CINCINNATI – A lot of times when the Cincinnati Bengals are particularly interested in a prospect, they will try to arrange some private time with him while in town for his pro day, whether it be a dinner the night before or after or a classroom, whiteboard session.
Last month when offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher and new offensive line coach Scott Peters went to Athens, Ga., the experience was even more hands on – literally.
While Peters, a former Brazilian Jui-Jitsu champion, and Georgia guard Dylan Fairchild, a two-time undefeated state champion wrestler in high school, hit it off in the meeting, it was on the turf at the Bulldogs practice facility where the connection turned kinetic.
“We just met and watched film and went over different types of install, and then me and coach Peters did a little demonstration where we just basically put hands on each other,” Fairchild said. “That’s where I really felt a connection. I could just feel in my hands, and his hands...I don’t know, you could just feel that wrestler mindset, that jiu-jitsu mindset kind of connect right there.”
Asked if he wanted to throw down with Peters, Fairchild laughed and said, “I kind of did.”
There will be more opportunities after the Bengals made Fairchild their third-round pick Friday night while announcing a path for the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder to be the answer to one of the team’s biggest questions heading into the offseason.
“Left guard is absolutely his to win,” Pitcher said. "We’re going to demand it out of him early. We’re not waiting. He’s going to show up, the demands are going to be clear, and we’re going to ask him to go do it right now.”
Fairchild was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs, which means he will be joining former teammate Amarius Mims in the Cincinnati offensive line room.
There were a lot of mock drafts pointing to Georgia right guard Tate Ratledge being the Bulldog to reunite with Mims, and the Bengals had a chance to make that happen in the second round.
But they passed on finding a guard to target one of their favorite prospects to add to coordinator Al Golden’s defense in South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.
“We went (to Georgia’s Pro Day) with Dylan in mind,” Pitcher said. “We went down there with high regard for the player, and we left with an even higher regard. It’s just fortunate we had an opportunity to have him.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say one was ahead of the other,” Pitcher added, referencing Fairchild and Ratledge. “Obviously, we had interest in both players. They’re both really good college football players, so we went down there with an open mind. But we just came away super impressed with Dylan.”
The hands-on physical workout sparked a connection, but it was classroom setting that really set in place the direction.
“He’s tough, and the intangibles are through the roof,” Pitcher said. “We’re talking about being an undefeated high school wrestler — you really feel that strength. You feel that will to move people.
“The toughness and the nastiness is all over the tape,” he added. “And then you go meet the kid and you look him in the eye and hear him respond to questions, and you hear him talk about what’s important to him. It oozes out of him. That’s who he is.”
Of course there are a lot of tough, nasty offensive linemen in the NFL.
But it’s more cerebral than any position on the field beside quarterback. That’s why the private meetings are especially beneficial when scouting offensive linemen.
And like every other element of their time spent with him, Fairchild nailed it.
“With the mental part of playing the position, you start to dig into a little bit more as you watch the tape, and you probe, and you question, and you poke holes – ‘Why did you do this? Why was your response that on this specific play?’” Pitcher said.
“You try to listen for things that clue you into the fact that this guy understands football. He understands what was being asked of him, and he’s going to be able to grow in that role,” he added. “He’s a young player. He’s going to make mistakes. There are mistakes on his tape, but all of those things are correctable. We’re going to work like hell with him. We think we got a really good player.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/ as 'It Oozes Out of Him' - Georgia Guard's Nastiness, Zeal For Sparring Lands Him (Likely) Starting Job With Bengals.
