Los Angeles Rams: Five-year history of the 52nd overall pick
By Jason Reed
2019: Drew Sample, TE
If there was not much to write about Kemoko Turay then there really is not much to write about Drew Sample. The rookie tight end had virtually no impact on the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, playing only nine games with five receptions on six targets for 30 yards.
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He did not haul in a touchdown in his rookie season, but hey, he got one first down! That is something to build off of.
There is still a lot of time for Sample to blossom into something special but the pick itself, even before the production in 2019, was questionable. Zierlein had Sample as a fourth-round talent last year and the selection of a tight end at this point in the draft was strange.
Sure, there was a need there with uncertainty at the position because of depth and injuries, but it was not a pressing need for the Bengals and they obviously had many other needs on the roster, including at linebacker.
The team ended up drafting a linebacker in the third round in Germaine Pratt, who started nine games for the Bengals and had a decent, but not a great, season.
Sample still has time to blossom but the Bengals probably could have picked him in the third round and gone with another position in the second round. Selecting him this high in the draft when the team did not even use him much is a big swing a miss.
Pro Bowler Mecole Hardman was selected four picks later but you could make the case that he was a Pro Bowler because of Kansas City’s system and Tyreek Hill getting hurt.
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So far, the Bengals have dodged any major bullets, as no other second-round picks have really blossomed into something extremely special, but if Sample does not blossom then this will be an awful selection.