David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
It’s clear that the Cincinnati Bengals wanted to bolster their backfield as you look back on their 2013 draft. With the sure-handed BenJarvus Green-Ellis already on the roster, the Bengals went out and drafted two more RBs this past April. They struck in the second round with Giovani Bernard out of North Carolina, and then again in the sixth round with Nebraska‘s Rex Burkhead.
Obviously, given the rounds each of these backs were taken in, one could deduce that Bernard is probably in line to fill the No. 2 spot on the depth chart to start the season. Burkhead on the other hand, will likely compete to be the No. 3 back.
Burkhead was an interesting choice for Cincinnati in the sixth round, as many analysts projected him to go undrafted. After an injury-filled senior season, Burkhead’s stock had fallen quite a bit by the time the draft rolled around. He was only able to rush for 675 yards and five touchdowns last season in Lincoln, and he just didn’t finish out his career the way he would have liked to.
Still, he’s been given an opportunity to compete for playing time on the talented Bengals’ offense. Clearly, the team saw something they liked in the 22-year old.
He”ll bring a north-south style of running to the Bengals’ backfield, while providing the offense with another solid pass-protector. Burkhead is not a fancy running back, he’s just a hard-nosed old school kind of player, that will bring toughness to the huddle. He’ll come into training camp with a chance to show he belongs, and odds are that he’ll find his way onto the final 53-man roster.
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