CINCINNATI \u2014 As the sixth and seventh round of the draft unfolded last month, the frustration level grew incrementally, pick by pick, for Arkansas defensive tackle Eric Gregory.<\/p>\n
He started 44 games in the SEC, after all. He posted his most productive season last year. He\u2019s molded like an NFL defensive tackle prototype at an athletic 6-feet-3, 319 pounds. He had draftable grades. What was happening?<\/p>\n
Then, late that Saturday afternoon, the phone rang. It was a team with an upcoming pick. He answered, prepared for a conversation he\u2019d remember for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n
He got a sales pitch. A team calling to lure him in case he goes undrafted.<\/p>\n
The phone rang again from a team with a pick. Another sales pitch. Then another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a little upsetting,\u201d Gregory said, serving up an understatement the size of the chip on his shoulder. \u201cI wanted to turn the phone off, but I knew I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, he turned on dad mode. In the most stressful moment, Gregory poured attention into his 1-year-old daughter, Aurora. That part was easy for the 24-year-old. Understanding how to handle setbacks and the perspective of what truly matters.<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s dealt with a quarter-century of adversity. His father recently died, and he moved from his hometown of Memphis in his senior year of high school to expand his profile at IMG Academy. He\u2019s had to live with coaches in the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been on my own for a long time, so I kind of grew up fast,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cWith that type of stuff, you mature fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, when Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery called after a draft where his team, surprisingly, didn\u2019t draft a single defensive tackle, Gregory realized the frustration of the day no longer mattered. Not for his career, not for his football future, not for his daughter or his son due in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew immediately when I got off the phone with them,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cGoing in, I was a little mad I didn\u2019t get drafted. I felt like I should have been drafted. But the opportunities I have with the roster, I have a great opportunity to come in and produce right away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Welcome to the new landscape of college football and rookie expectations. Gregory might be a rookie feeling like a freshman again in the hallways of Paycor Stadium during minicamp, getting fitted for pads and finding his locker. But he\u2019ll turn 25 the day before the Bengals\u2019 home opener and is a grown man in every way.<\/p>\n
Gregory played a whopping 61 games for the Razorbacks. He played against current teammates Joe Burrow and Ja\u2019Marr Chase in the Battle of the Golden Boot in 2019. LSU won in a 56-20 rout, as they did against most teams that year, but Gregory shared the field. He\u2019ll do it again six years later.<\/p>\n
Every year brought a decision of whether to declare or stay. He stuck around, put on 90 pounds early in his career, changed positions from end to tackle and graduated. He could have come out last year, but NIL compensation kept him comfortable, and the extra COVID-19 year of eligibility gave him options.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plan is never to stay that long, but injuries come and life happens,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cJust like last year, I decided to come back, I had a baby. I didn\u2019t want to be going through this new process right here with a newborn baby, so that\u2019s why I decided to stay there last year. It definitely was hard to stay that long. You want to get out there and come in younger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being 25 used to warrant a red flag next to a name on the draft board. That\u2019s not the case anymore. The Bengals have four rookies who will turn 25 this year, including second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.<\/p>\n
Scouts would prefer younger, of course, with second contract considerations and growth potential all part of the equation. But with so many older players around, there\u2019s an increasing number of situations where age and maturity are an advantage, especially at positions where a team needs immediate impact.<\/p>\n
That includes Knight, who drove for DoorDash after games to support his family while playing for Charlotte, then transferred to become a captain and play for an extra year at South Carolina. He\u2019s spending OTAs lined up next to veteran Logan Wilson as a starting linebacker.<\/p>\n
“I develop the tenacity to hunt” \u2013 Demetrius Knight Jr. #WhoDey<\/a> x @iam_the1knight<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/85NNx1TpQz<\/a><\/p>\n