CINCINNATI — As the sixth and seventh round of the draft unfolded last month, the frustration level grew incrementally, pick by pick, for Arkansas defensive tackle Eric Gregory.
He started 44 games in the SEC, after all. He posted his most productive season last year. He’s molded like an NFL defensive tackle prototype at an athletic 6-feet-3, 319 pounds. He had draftable grades. What was happening?
Then, late that Saturday afternoon, the phone rang. It was a team with an upcoming pick. He answered, prepared for a conversation he’d remember for the rest of his life.
He got a sales pitch. A team calling to lure him in case he goes undrafted.
The phone rang again from a team with a pick. Another sales pitch. Then another.
“That was a little upsetting,” Gregory said, serving up an understatement the size of the chip on his shoulder. “I wanted to turn the phone off, but I knew I couldn’t.”
Instead, he turned on dad mode. In the most stressful moment, Gregory poured attention into his 1-year-old daughter, Aurora. That part was easy for the 24-year-old. Understanding how to handle setbacks and the perspective of what truly matters.
Gregory’s dealt with a quarter-century of adversity. His father recently died, and he moved from his hometown of Memphis in his senior year of high school to expand his profile at IMG Academy. He’s had to live with coaches in the process.
“I have been on my own for a long time, so I kind of grew up fast,” Gregory said. “With that type of stuff, you mature fast.”
So, when Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery called after a draft where his team, surprisingly, didn’t draft a single defensive tackle, Gregory realized the frustration of the day no longer mattered. Not for his career, not for his football future, not for his daughter or his son due in November.
“I knew immediately when I got off the phone with them,” Gregory said. “Going in, I was a little mad I didn’t get drafted. I felt like I should have been drafted. But the opportunities I have with the roster, I have a great opportunity to come in and produce right away.”
Welcome to the new landscape of college football and rookie expectations. Gregory might be a rookie feeling like a freshman again in the hallways of Paycor Stadium during minicamp, getting fitted for pads and finding his locker. But he’ll turn 25 the day before the Bengals’ home opener and is a grown man in every way.
Gregory played a whopping 61 games for the Razorbacks. He played against current teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the Battle of the Golden Boot in 2019. LSU won in a 56-20 rout, as they did against most teams that year, but Gregory shared the field. He’ll do it again six years later.
Every year brought a decision of whether to declare or stay. He stuck around, put on 90 pounds early in his career, changed positions from end to tackle and graduated. He could have come out last year, but NIL compensation kept him comfortable, and the extra COVID-19 year of eligibility gave him options.
“The plan is never to stay that long, but injuries come and life happens,” Gregory said. “Just like last year, I decided to come back, I had a baby. I didn’t want to be going through this new process right here with a newborn baby, so that’s why I decided to stay there last year. It definitely was hard to stay that long. You want to get out there and come in younger.”
Being 25 used to warrant a red flag next to a name on the draft board. That’s not the case anymore. The Bengals have four rookies who will turn 25 this year, including second-round linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.
Scouts would prefer younger, of course, with second contract considerations and growth potential all part of the equation. But with so many older players around, there’s an increasing number of situations where age and maturity are an advantage, especially at positions where a team needs immediate impact.
That includes Knight, who drove for DoorDash after games to support his family while playing for Charlotte, then transferred to become a captain and play for an extra year at South Carolina. He’s spending OTAs lined up next to veteran Logan Wilson as a starting linebacker.
“It’s definitely an advantage at times,” Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts said. “Obviously, you would like the guy that’s younger that has the same amount of experience … You take all the factors, but with a guy at that position that we want to come in and be a leader, part of the evaluation is the character and the makeup that he’s bringing to our team. I think the maturity and everything he brings off the field, as well as on the field, were all pluses across the board.”
Gregory arrives with six seasons of SEC football and life motivation already baked in as the Bengals seek immediate depth help at defensive tackle. The same goes for fellow undrafted defensive tackle Howard Cross, who played six seasons and 66 games at Notre Dame, including the last three under current Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden. He turns 24 this summer and was a second-team All-American and team captain.
Gregory and Cross are older than five of the other 12 defensive linemen on the roster. The cumulative experience in football and life hits fast forward on rookie expectations in the eyes of head coach Zac Taylor.
“They’ve seen more, they have experienced maybe different coaching staffs,” he said, acknowledging Gregory had three defensive coordinators and five defensive line coaches in Fayetteville. “Like all of us, there is a maturity that takes over when you get older in life. For some of these guys, you can bank on that quality being beneficial for them and us. It gives a whole different perspective to people as they have kids and real commitments. Causes you to grow up quickly. Focus on, ‘Hey, this is my career, this is a tremendous opportunity.’ Some guys maybe see that more quickly as they get older in life than some of the younger guys who have talent and ability and are eager, but again, we all know that maturity can really help you in a lot of ways.”
As for the sales pitch Taylor and Montgomery gave Gregory and Cross, there weren’t many promises about the future. They focused on past examples. Linebacker Maema Njongmeta spent five years at Wisconsin before making last year’s team and playing a key role on special teams. Undrafted tight end Cam Grandy saw action on offense. Undrafted punter Ryan Rehkow won the job over a former draft pick, Brad Robbins. Back in Taylor’s first season in Cincinnati, he started undrafted rookie Damion Willis in his coaching debut, partially to send a message.
“If you are undrafted and want an opportunity to play football, come to Cincinnati. We are going to give you the same opportunity we give draft picks,” Taylor said. “We’ve shown that over the years.”
Nobody can say for sure whether Gregory will have a chance to contribute, whether on the practice squad or as a depth player. We’ll see this August.
That leads us back to the phone he wanted to throw in a lake on April 26. He quickly realized what Cincinnati could provide. He didn’t get caught up in the flash of bigger markets or perfect weather or slick sales pitches.
Gregory saw the past. He saw the path. He saw his daughter. Now, he recognizes his long journey uniquely positions him to take advantage of this spot.
“I don’t like to say it, because I was motivated (when I was younger), for sure, but especially last season, it was an extra boost in motivation,” Gregory said. “I have a young girl to support, and I want her to have a life better than what I had. It was definitely a huge motivation. I got another (child) on the way. Can’t ask for a better opportunity.”
(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
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