If the first three weeks of the 2012 NFL preseason are any indication of what to expect, the Cincinnati Bengals may end up with one of the biggest steals of the 2012 NFL Draft in wide receiver in Marvin Jones.
The former California star displayed another impressive performance during Thursday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers after catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski in the third quarter. Jones may have only finished the game with two catches for 21 yards, but he’s also stood out with big plays during the team’s previous two games against the New York Jets (two catches for 48 yards–including a 45-yard catch) and Atlanta Falcons (one catch for 42 yards).
It’s only preseason, but Jones is showing plenty of potential for the Bengals’ passing game in the future and will certainly be one of the top players on offense to keep an eye on during the regular season–assuming he makes the 53-man roster. Jones was the type of player that improved year after year at California and if that happens to be a similar case in the NFL–Cincinnati will be even more thankful that he managed to fall in their lap in the fifth round in April.
Of course, Jones still has plenty to prove in the NFL considering he hasn’t really played against any first-team defenses like he would during the regular season–but that doesn’t mean the Bengals and their fans shouldn’t at least be excited about their rookie wideout.
Dan Parzych is the Director of Content for www.RantSports.com
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