How excited are you to join a wide receiver group that includes Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?

"It's a blessing to be around such legendary receivers. It's really a full circle moment — one of my only camps I went to, I met Tee Higgins there. Just being able to be around those guys, learn from them and develop into a receiver."

What do you remember about that experience with Tee Higgins?

"How dynamic he is. The body frame, he has the same type of frame (that I do), so kind of looking up to him. Clemson was one of the teams I liked coming out of high school, so it just being around him and seeing him."

What camp was that?

"It was one of the (Dabo) Swinney camps back in, I want to say 2018, 2017."

What do you feel you did in the pre-draft process to leave a strong impression with the Bengals?

"Actually, just the way I ran in my 40 (yard dash) was one of the things I was really emphasizing. I caught the ball throughout the Combine drills, my interview process and trust in me bouncing back from injury like that to be able to come back and play, and the type of athlete they're getting — the 'dog' they're getting that wants to play football."

Did you end up having surgery?

"Absolutely."

Are you fully cleared?

"Absolutely. I balled out at the Combine and showed I'm ready to go and perform at the next level."

What's your best route?

"Any route that Joey B (Burrow) calls, that's going to be my best route."

About the arrest and any off-field concerns, what did you want to convey to the Bengals?

"For them to take me in this round, this pick right now, there's nothing but love and respect for them. I love and respect that they looked at the individual that they're actually getting and not what's portrayed on the internet or social media. They're getting a guy who's ready to work, someone that wished he had more time, was able to do what I was able to do in college, put more tape out there, but for them to trust me and take me on this pick right now, (I have) nothing but love for Cincinnati."

What led you from junior college to Miami, and then to Georgia?

"They (Miami) were the team that could get me in there the fastest. They were able to get me there in spring instead of fall camp, so just getting in their system early, the fastest, gave me a chance to actually play that first year in Miami. And then the winning culture there in Miami to Georgia. You see guys like Ladd McConkey, George Pickens, Brock Bowers — talented receivers that got drafted pretty high. I just wanted to be a part of that system, organization and program."

Do you have any experience on special teams and if so, where did you play?

"I played everywhere. Punt, punt return, kick return — whatever. Coach (Kirby) Smart does a great job making sure everybody is ready and prepared for that next level, so if there is that last guy on that roster spot, there's not one special teams thing I can't do to make sure I'm on that 53 (man roster)."

Did you talk with guys like Amarius Mims during the process at all?

"Not yet, but I'm definitely going to reach out to him pretty soon."

Growing up in the Pennsylvania area, were you more of a Pennsylvania football fan or New York football fan?

"Jets all the way growing up. In college, I was more Clemson or South Carolina type of guy growing up. I kind of liked seeing how they performed. It was more basketball up in New York. We were a very basketball-oriented family."

You dropped a Joe Burrow reference. What are your impressions of your new quarterback?

"It's unreal. It doesn't get any better. Getting the opportunity with one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now is a great opportunity to be a great receiver with a guy that can put the ball wherever you need it to be."

Did you ever reach out to Tee Higgins? It seems that's your game doing kind of what he does?

"I talked about it multiple times during my pre-draft. He's one of the guys I studied — him and Drake London. They're two receivers that I absolutely looked up to throughout my college career, just seeing how successful they were."

What gives you the confidence the best football is ahead of you?

"The way I've developed these past years. You see from junior (college) to Miami to Georgia, I get better and better every year.

With the right coach and right experience, the sky is the limit."

Where there any valuable lessons that you learned dealing with adversity on and off the field that you feel made you a better person and better football player?

"Absolutely. There's the love of the game. Going through that experience two years ago, not being able to be around my brothers, being around that locker room experience made me want to love the game 10 times more. Just how much it drives me and motivates me, and just how you look at different situations and different scenarios, appreciating things more because not everything is guaranteed."

One thing that Zac Taylor talked to us about you was your football intelligence. How do you feel your football intelligence comes across on the football field?

"Being able to be in different programs and different systems, I learned playbooks very fast on the fly and being able to be around the game. That's the reason why I was able to see the field at Georgia and Miami, is the way I can learn a playbook and understand and learn from others. I feel like that really translated into this draft right here, and I'm able to get in there and learn from Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase and all the other guys that are in there."

Did you expect to be a fourth-round pick, or where did you expect to go today?

"Between four and five, I knew I could potentially hear my name called between there. I was ready."

You're coming from a great sports area but not known for producing a lot of NFL talent. Is there anybody in the Triple Cities area that you looked up to?

"Absolutely. My brother, Devin Young. He got a great opportunity at Maine University, put up numbers there and came up short of his opportunity in the NFL. He's one of my football mentors and someone I look up to."

What's your message to everyone back home now that you're in the league?

"It's possible. Never give up, trust yourself, trust the people around you. Stay true to yourself and keep working."

Have you had any contact with A.J. Green? That seems like a good comp for you being a Georgia guy.

"I've seen him a couple games at Georgia. He congratulated me multiple times. I think he was at the Alabama game when I scored that game. I haven't personally sat down and talked to him, but that's a guy I'm definitely going to reach out to just for any extra tips in the game."

For fans not familiar with their game, how would you describe it to Bengals fans trying to get to know you?

"Big, physical receiver who can do it all, can play inside or outside. Just a guy who is reliable with his hands and can catch everything that comes his way, has good top-end speed, and just a hungry, tenacious guy who's ready to work."