Margus Hunt to Bengals: How Does DE Fit with Cincinnati?

Up until the No. 53 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals had been having one of the best performances in the league after selecting Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard. 

That didn't change much when the Bengals strolled to the podium and made SMU defensive end Margus Hunt the No. 53 overall pick, and the second player drafted by the Bengals in the round. 

Hunt may not be the biggest name, but in some circles, he was being tossed around as a potential first-round pick. 

In the middle of the second round, the Bengals once again picked up extraordinary value, not to mention a player with tremendous upside. 

Let's take a look at how he fits in with the Bengals. 

Role

Under defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and head coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals love nothing more than having a relentless, deep attack along the defensive line that wears opposing lines down over the course of the game. 

Zimmer and Lewis just improved on that rotation in a big way. 

Hunt is a mammoth athlete in the same vein as Cincinnati's Michael Johnson. He's 6'8" and 277 pounds and is a phenomenal athlete in every sense of the word as a gold medal-winning track and field athlete. The native of Estonia won gold medals in the shot put and discus at the 2006 World Junior Track and Field Championships in Beijing.

What's intriguing about Hunt is how raw he is considering he didn't start playing the sport until back in 2009. 

Under Zimmer and behind sack-artists such as Carlos Dunlap and Johnson, Hunt could quickly develop into one of the best pass-rushing threats in the NFL. He will also benefit from playing on the same line as the best 4-3 tackle pass-rusher in the NFL in Geno Atkins. 

The Bengals were already extremely deep at pass-rusher before Hunt's addition. Players like Wallace Gilberry, Robert Geathers and DeQuin Evans were all solid rotational linemen. There is only so much room on the roster and depth chart. 

Make no mistake—Hunt is in the Queen City to stay.

Cincinnati would not take him so early if the coaching staff did not anticipate him having an impact on at least a rotational basis in his rookie campaign. 

It's also worth mentioning that the Bengals could consider him as Johnson's replacement after next season. They have almost identical measurables and Johnson may demand too much money after being hit with the franchise tag this offseason. 

On the field, Hunt is able to use his impressive strength to drive less-athletic offensive linemen back on their heels and into the quarterback. He also has enough flexibility and quickness off the snap of the ball to slip by offensive linemen and quickly get himself in the backfield to hit the passer or disrupt a running play. 

Like Johnson was at Georgia Tech, Hunt was an absolute terror on special teams during the course of his college career when it came to blocking kicks. He will now team up with Johnson to potentially wreak havoc on field goal attempts or punts. 

Hunt will likely be on the field as the first rotational option behind Dunlap and Johnson. He has room to add more muscle, but is already strong enough to come in at defensive tackle in sure-fire passing situations, something Zimmer is known for doing with guys like Jonathan Fanene. 

Hunt has an enormous amount of untapped potential, and with the right guidance in Cincinnati, he could have a big impact early. 

Early Projections 

As mentioned, Hunt will likely act as the primary backup to Dunlap and Johnson in passing situations if the coaching staff likes what they see in training camp and over the course of the season. 

That said, don't expect much from Hunt in his first year. He's a bit of a project and struggled with consistency issues at SMU. 

The good news is that Hunt will play in games where the offensive line has already had to deal with Dunlap, Johnson and Atkins, allowing Hunt to catch linemen off guard.

As far as being a prospect with unlimited potential that needs some grooming, Hunt couldn't have landed in a better situation. That's nothing but a good thing for the Bengals, now and in the future. 

Stats Projection: 20 tackles, six sacks. 

All pertinent prospect info courtesy of CBS. 

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