The Cincinnati Bengals may have their eye on some depth at the linebacker position in the 2024 NFL Draft.

They sent their new assistant coach Ronnie Regula to UTEP’s Pro Day, and he ended up running linebacker Tyrice Knight through his drills.

The 6-foot, 233-pound Knight also mentions in the interview that Cincinnati has been in contact with him frequently throughout the process.

New Bengals assistant Ronnie Regula was the one at Tyrice Knight’s pro day. Colin with more info on the convos between the Bengals and Knight ahead of the draft. https://t.co/NsJ1cw8mCW

— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) March 26, 2024

So let’s talk a little bit about Knight as a prospect. He started three seasons at UTEP. He had 192 solo tackles in that span. He also had 4.5 sacks last season. The thing that jumps out pretty quickly is that he is a strong tackler. He isn’t necessarily going to a lay a big hit on someone, but guys aren’t going to get away from his grasp often at all.

He also isn’t a guy you’d call a great athlete, but when he sees a play unfolding he has some explosion to be able to get to the ball carrier. He is average in zone coverage, but he would need work if asked to do any man-to-man, especially with the talent at the NFL level.

Knight has all the makings of a Day 3 pick who could easily make the team as a special teamer. That’s not nothing either, with the NFL approving the XFL-style kickoffs. Knight could certainly excel at that if he can work on shedding blockers.

The Bengals aren’t in desperate need of linebackers, with Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt both getting contracts last year, but you can never have enough young depth players to compete on special teams and for those last roster spots. Knight might spend some time on the practice squad due to the nature of how the NFL roster works, but it wouldn’t be a bad spot for him to be able to develop while watching a pretty good duo at linebacker.