After Sunday's career day with seven catches for 82 yards, depending on what spreadsheet you view, the Bengals' Dohnte Meyers is leading all wide receivers in making tacklers miss during his first year making the transition from the CFL to the NFL.

But he couldn't avoid Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson for this week's conversation. Among the topics are the biggest move of his life, when his parents moved from Brooklyn to metro Atlanta, as well as his dream of playing pro baseball. Also, it turns out the old Uber Eats driver likes his deliveries the way he likes his catches.

Contactless.

Plus, how a possible meeting this week at Sunday's game (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s FOX 19) with Bengals all-time receiver Chad Johnson would be a full-circle-YouTube moment.

The Conversation

GH: I was talking to Chad Johnson yesterday. He says he's going to be on the sidelines at the game Sunday. He says you can do what he couldn't do. Elude people. He thinks you had to have some kind of running back in you at some point.

DM: I grew up playing running back my whole life. My first year playing receiver was in college. So in high school, I just used a lot of packages where it's just kind of like an out route or a bubble or go.

I wasn't really skillful at playing receiver. I was just a natural athlete because I didn't really have one position in high school. My main position was just returning kicks. I would have some jet sweeps, I had some running plays, I had some passes, but I just didn't have a pure skill set at one position. But when I got to college (Delta State), that's when I really developed and honed in on playing receiver.

GH: Why?

DM: I just thought my skill set mirrors that position better. Just my body type and my natural attributes. I feel like if I maximize all of those, that'll be the best opportunity for me.

GH: Did anybody advise you to do it, or was it an outgrowth of the recruiting process?

DM: It was just a culmination of many factors. Just understanding that running back was getting hard. I could not block the A gap, and just my body type. Whenever I got too big, I just lost some of my juice. I was like, I can't. That's my X factor. I've got to figure out how I can keep that and still be productive. Especially where the game was going.

Wes Welker, Dante Hall, (Julian) Edelman, all those guys I was able to watch. I can do that. I can see myself with similar skill sets. AB (Antonio Brown) at the time. A lot of small receivers, but then also I could see myself having a facet of that game.

GH: Andrew Hawkins, the old Bengals receiver who played in the CFL and is with ESPN now, told me that if you used AI and covered up the numbers, you couldn't tell who was who between you and Antonio Brown. And I thought he had your number, 81, but …

DM: He was 84.

GH: Right.

DM: That's a nice compliment. On the field. On the field.

GH: What was going through your mind in the fourth quarter last Sunday? Joe's feeding you. Last drive with no Ja’Marr Chase. No Tee Higgins.

DM: We've got to win this game. Whatever it takes. There's a lot of emotions. But also just understanding, here's still time on the clock, so we've got to do what it takes. Just battle it out. I've got a job out here to do. It's a trust relationship. If he feels he can trust me, I've got to hold up my end of the bargain. Rally and compete together.

GH: How much has Ja'Marr helped you?

DM: A lot. It's hard to quantify or put words to it. It's a good back and forth. Sometimes I ask him some questions, and other times he'll just share what he's thinking or what he's seeing, and it's a good back and forth.

GH: Your style is more Ja'Marr than Tee. Do you take anything from Tee, who's got about half-a-foot on you?

DM: Of course. I don't want to say the bits and pieces that he gives me so guys have an advantage, but most definitely just taking some things from his skill set. His approach and kind of how he's expecting to go about winning in certain situations.

It's more so attacking leverages and a level of anticipation. And just body positions because he's a bigger receiver. But also there's an advantage if I'm a small receiver and usually a quick receiver. Just kind of marrying the opposites together.

GH: Did you play basketball?

DM: Growing up, but not in high school. I played baseball.

GH: How good were you in baseball?

DM: I was good. I was solid. I grew up playing second base and then as I got older, centerfield. Either hit leadoff or second.

GH: I remember you telling me you were a big Braves fan.

DM: Chipper Jones. John Smoltz, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, all those guys. I grew up watching them.

GH: Did you think about playing baseball after high school?

DM: I wanted to go pro baseball. That was one of my first loves.

GH: What happened?

DM: I was just way better in one than the other. I just told myself that decision would make itself, and it did.

GH: When did you find out?

DM: Graduating high school. (Baseball) just got harder as I got older, and I just kept progressing in football. I wasn't getting as many looks for baseball as I was for football, if any. It was already slim. So I just had to focus up on one.

GH: You didn't get much of a look in football, either.

DM: Exactly. That decision made itself.

GH: Did you ever wonder what would it be like if you stuck with baseball?

DM: I do. I do. For sure.

GH: Are you watching the playoffs?

DM:  Of course. Of course. I'm still an avid fan of the game. I'll go if I have off-days. I was mad that I couldn't go during OTAs because one of my friends I grew up with playing baseball, — at the time of OTAs he was leading MLB in stolen bases — Nasim Nunez. With the Nationals. They played right here at the Reds, and I couldn't see it because we had OTAs, and I was like, ah, that'd been a good full circle moment for both of us.

GH: Did you get together with him at all?

DM: No, I wasn't able to because I think that one game I was going to go to got rained out, and then they scheduled it back-to-back early in the day, and left.

GH: The Braves couldn't get by the Dodgers.

DM: No. But my parents went to the opener at Truist.

GH: They were also here last Sunday, too. They're obviously big influences. What did they say after the game?

DM: A lot of times they're just very supportive, but also they always have constructive criticism. But it's always out of love, and it's a good voice to listen to because they don't let me get too high or get too low. They were supportive after the game.

GH: Born in Brooklyn, how did you end up in Atlanta?

DM: My parents decided to move us down there. Four boys, so the south would be kind of a better place to grow us up. A young family. More rec.  And we had family that was already down there. It just made sense. I don't remember it, I was three when we moved, but we go back frequently. It's a second home for me. I've still got my uncle up there, my older brother is up there. Some cousins. I always go and visit them. Both my parents grew up in New York and they just didn't want us to grow up in that environment.  My mom is from Brooklyn, my dad is from Queens.

GH: New York City all the way. You don't root for the Yankees, do you?

DM: It depends who's asking.

GH: Do you get recognized when you go out now?

DM: A little bit, not too much. I don't really go out. It doesn't happen a lot. I'm not really outside. Once I  leave here, I'm inside trying to get rest.

GH: If you do go out, where do you go?

DM: Getting groceries, but now I can order everything. I leave the facility late all the time.

GH: You worked Door Dash and Uber Eats back in the day. Do you order them now?

DM: Sometimes, yeah.

GH: What goes through your mind when they deliver to you?

DM: It's kind of like full circle, but I'm also just respecting the grind. Shout out to you guys.

GH: What was the toughest part of that job?

DM: I would say just understanding this isn't my reality forever, but I have to go through this now.

GH: That had to be hard in a place so big and spread out like Atlanta.

DM: Exactly. Has pros and cons. There's a lot of orders, but it also can be very, very hectic. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's food delivery, so a lot of times you're not doing a lot of interaction. Take a picture and  you're on your way.

GH: Did you ever deliver to a pro athlete?

DM: No.

GH: Has any driver recognized you when they delivered?

DM: I do contactless. A lot of times I'm not there.

GH: You're always one of the last guys to leave. Have you always been that way?

DM: Always.

GH:  Why?

DM: Just part my routine, and there's no rush. There's no rush. I don't have kids. I don't have family. My dog's not with me. I'm going to go home and sleep.

GH: Where's the dog?

DM: Back home in Georgia.

GH: What kind of dog?

DM: A Lab and Akita mix. "Nova." That's my baby girl. She's seven. I've had a dog my whole life.

GH: Do you keep in touch with guys from the CFL?

DM: All the time. Those are my guys. A couple of them already kind of, I won't say predicted this, but saw it in me from the get-go. They're just happy that I'm comfortable and being impactful.

GH: After the game, anybody reach out to you on social media that surprised you?

DM: I've got to think about that one. It's hard, because a lot of times I try not to be on social media during the season. Just focusing. Trying to stay even keel.

GH: It sounds like you watched a lot of football growing up. Did you ever watch any Bengals?

DM: Chad. His feet. Yeah, I always watch his footwork. That's something I like to pride myself on. It's something I worked at extensively. His quickness, his quick twitch.

GH: Did you watch Chad tape?

DM: Yeah, for sure. There's a lot of old video clips of them working in parks in Miami. Him. Santana Moss, Andre Johnson, AB.

GH: What if you meet Chad before the game in Miami?

DM: That would be dope. That would be amazing.