The Cincinnati Bengals’ trend of drafting high-character players under the Zac Taylor regime continued last weekend
, as a myriad of highly talented leaders are headed to the team in this year’s class.One pick the team made on Day 3 was a little bit of an outlier, though. The Bengals selected wide receiver Colbie Young at the end of the fourth round, who has a coveted blend of height/weight/speed.
One may think that a prospect who is close to 6’5” and 220 pounds with sub-4.5 40-yard dash speed would
have been drafted earlier than No. 140 overall. But one off-field incident and injuries caused him to slip to Cincinnati in the fourth.
Given his intriguing skill set and Georgia connection, some who watch Young’s tape are reminded of a current NFL star receiver and former Bulldog: George Pickens. The former Steeler and current Cowboys standout stands over 6’3” and hovers around 200 pounds.
Famed NFL Draft analyst, Todd McShay recently talked up the Bengals’ selection of Young on The Ringer’s “The McShay Show”. Most notably, how this risk-reward scenario could tip into the latter category for the Bengals.
“I’ve watched Colbie Young when he’s right, and he’s so much different than any other receiver you would have gotten on Day 3 of this draft, physically and talent-wise,” McShay said on his program. “But it’s always something. There’s some maturity. Can be a handful, all of that, right?”
The “maturity” aspect that McShay noted and one we alluded to earlier stems from a 2024 incident off of the field. In a concerning incident, Young was initially cited for Assault and Battery on both his girlfriend and their unborn child. That was later reduced to a lesser sentence, and Young was sentenced to probation.
“You know, when you get a feeling about a guy like George Pickens, right?” McShay continued. “There’s more meat on the bone with this guy than what we saw in college production. It’s about getting him in and getting him focused.”
McShay ended his statement with his sentiments about the Bengals being a successful landing spot for some of these profiles. While the middle and later years of the Marvin Lewis era in Cincinnati exemplify this notion, Cincinnati’s can’t-say-no-to-him historical attitude about troubled—albeit troubled—wide receivers can’t be denied.
Another Pickens with which Who Dey Nation should be familiar (Carl) saw his surefire first round stock slip to the second because of attitude concerns. Cincinnati used a 2005 third round pick on Chris Henry (RIP), who was a first round talent, while 2024 third round pick, Jermaine Burton, was another talented guy with a myriad of issues.
The first two saw great success with Cincinnati. Pickens is No. 4 in team history in yardage (6,887) and No. 3 in receiving touchdowns (63). Henry sadly only lasted five seasons with the Bengals, but posted 21 touchdowns. Burton, on the other hand, made a minimal impact with the Bengals, but was recently invited to Bills minicamp.
As for the “other” Pickens (George), he’s had a productive and tumultuous NFL career. A first round talent drafted in the second round of the 2023 Draft, he’s had two 1,000-plus yard seasons and was a thorn in Cincinnati’s side while in Pittsburgh.
While he was known as a similarly-intriguing prospect because of his measurables, his aloof nature and penchant for silly penalties were concerning. Pickens had a Pro Bowl season last year with Dallas, racking up career-highs in receptions (93), yards (1,429) and touchdowns (9), he has yet to sign his franchise tag tender.
Of course, the measurements, personality concerns, and Georgia background connect dots. But, if Draft history is any indication, the Bengals have a great relationship with the Bulldogs program. This points to a solid relationship between the University of Georgia and the Bengals’ front office.
Some of the Bengals’ most decorated players have been from the program (A.J. Green, Geno Atkins), but they have routinely drafted other contributors (Clint Boling, Odell Thurman, Dylan Fairchild). Burton, Thurman (in a different vein) and Pickens also bring hesitancy.
While there are both exciting and concerning comparisons with Young and his potential in the Bengals’ offense, Young brings a blend of intrigue and caution for his long-term outlook—despite his Relative Athletic Score and McShay’s take.
