AP
Vontaze Burfict was a good college linebacker whose draft stock slipped so badly in 2012 that he wasn’t selected at all. The Bengals signed him as an undrafted free agent, and that turned out to be a brilliant move, as Burfict developed into a Pro Bowl linebacker.
Now the Bengals think they’ve done it again by drafting Paul Dawson.
Once viewed as a first-round linebacker, Dawson’s draft stock dropped as well, and the Bengals grabbed him on Friday night with the last pick of the third round. Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said afterward that Dawson reminds him a lot of Burfict.