Greater Cincinnati native (Fairfield, Ohio) and 2021 second-round draft pick joins his hometown Bengals ... Played three seasons (2018-20) at Clemson and served as the Tigers' LOT, however the Bengals list him at G ... Played in 40 career games (27 starts) at Clemson, and in each of his three seasons helped the Tigers to ACC titles and berths in the college football playoff ... Rotational offensive lineman as a freshman, before settling in as No. 1 LOT in final two seasons ... Counts former Bengals OT Willie Anderson as one of his mentors, and worked out with both Anderson and former Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander prior to the draft.
Career transactions: Selected by Cincinnati in second round of 2021 NFL Draft (46th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 5-18-21.
Head coach Zac Taylor says: "He's done it for a long time at a very high level. He has great athleticism. He's got great experience. He's shown he can do it against really good competition. You can turn on the tape and see him do it against a bunch of guys that went in the first round of the draft the last few years. He held his own, and we certainly feel like there's a lot of upside. He'll come in and compete at guard for us. He played a lot of tackle at Clemson. We feel good about the position flexibility there, but he'll come in and compete at guard right away.
College highlights: Played three seasons (2018-20) at Clemson ... Played in 40 career games (27 starts) ... Began career as a reserve, before serving as starting LOT for final two seasons ... In three seasons, helped Clemson to three ACC titles and three berths in the College Football Playoff, including national championship in 2018 season ... As starting LOT, he protected the blind side of Clemson QB and No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence ... Opted to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. 2020—Started all 12 games at LOT, seeing action on 793 snaps ... Second team All-ACC (AP) ... Helped RB Travis Etienne average 5.4 yards per carry, while also aiding a pass-blocking effort that allowed just 20 sacks in 12 games. 2019—Started all 15 games at LOT, and played 798 snaps for national runner-up Tigers ... Helped Clemson finish fourth in the nation in points per game (43.9) and fifth in total offense (school-record 528.7 yards per game) ... Third-team All-ACC (coaches) ... Made first career start on Aug. 29 vs. Georgia Tech, and helped Clemson to its most rushing yards (411) in a season-opener since 1957. 2018—Played in 13 games as a true freshman for national champion Tigers ... Played 209 snaps, seeing time as a reserve lineman ... Made college debut in season-opener, Sept. 1 vs. Furman, and played 18 snaps as a reserve ... Played four snaps in National Championship win over Alabama ... Enrolled at Clemson in January 2018.
High School: Attended Fairfield (Ohio) High School, roughly 30 minutes north of Cincinnati ... Finalist for the 2017 Anthony Munoz Lineman of the Year award, given annually to the top prep lineman (offensive or defensive) in the country ... Played in 2018 Army All-American Game.
Personal: Hometown is Fairfield, Ohio (30 minutes outside Cincinnati) ... Counts former Bengals OT Willie Anderson as one of his mentors, and worked out with both Anderson and former Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander prior to the draft ... Sociology major at Clemson.
