J.T. Barrett Worked Out For Bengals Yesterday
J.T. Barrett isn't expected to be among the first quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft. However, he was one of the winningest quarterbacks in all of college football during his career at Ohio State. There should be some team that will take a shot on him. With back-up quarterback AJ McCarron gone, could he be on the Cincinnati Bengals NFL Draft radar?
Barrett obviously played for the most local college powerhouse up in Columbus. Odds are the Bengals have seen plenty of him in college. On Tuesday, he worked out for the club. He was one of a few dozen local NFL Draft prospects that took part in workouts at Paul Brown Stadium.
Barrett spoke about the experience after the workout. From the Associated Press:
Barrett and Florida quarterback Malik Zaire threw passes to receivers from Thomas More, Cincinnati, Miami of Ohio, Kentucky and Akron. Barrett took snaps in a shotgun formation at Ohio State; Bengals coaches worked with him on his footwork Tuesday.
"I thought it was smooth," he said. "They changed the footwork I'm normally accustomed to doing. I couple of throws I wish I had back, but it happens."
[...]
"Unless you're some guy that has a funky release or a slow release and throwing motion, they don't really try to touch your arm," he said. "The biggest thing is the footwork and the hips."
Quarterback could be a position of need on the Cincinnati Bengals NFL Draft board.
McCarron provided solid security behind Andy Dalton for four seasons, starting three games in 2015 when Dalton went down with injury. The former Alabama star is an interesting comparison for Barrett; both were bona fide winners in college, but their ceilings as NFL passers have been questioned.
McCarron signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he will probably be penciled in as the starter. The Bills are also likely to take a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft, as the team has multiple early picks.
NFL.com's profile of J.T. Barrett has him as a player that "should be in an NFL training camp" this year. His player bio raves about his leadership skills and character, but there are questions about his arm strength and accuracy as a passer.
