C.J. Uzomah to Cincinnati Bengals: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

With no glaring needs left to address, the Cincinnati Bengals used their fifth-round selection in the 2015 draft on Auburn tight end C.J. Uzomah at No. 157.

Uzomah's a bit of a surprise pick for the Bengals considering the team used the 85th pick in the draft to select Rutgers tight end Tyler Kroft and Tyler Eifert is still on the roster.

Still, the Bengals were free to go get a player they liked, and there's nothing wrong with grabbing another weapon for offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to develop and get on the field.

YEAR	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2012	7	136	19.4	1
2013	11	154	14.0	3
2014	11	145	13.2	3

Uzomah comes in at 6'5" and 264 pounds. He wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine after a few years of quiet production with the Auburn Tigers. To his credit, Auburn's run-first ways under Gus Malzahn seemed to kill his production.

This, in tandem with the non-invite, didn't help Uzomah's stock. NFL.com listed him as a "priority free agent," while CBSSports.com hit him with a sixth-round grade.

Cincinnati seemed to disagree with the analysis, or at least didn't think he'd make it to No. 197, the team's next pick. 

He took to Twitter to celebrate his selection:

There's a lot to like with Uzomah, although he's quite raw. He's a fun chess piece on the field whom Jackson will love to get his hands on, as a scouting report from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller details:

"

A versatile tight end who impresses when he walks into the room, C.J. Uzomah can line up in-line, in the slot, in the backfield or at wide receiver. The Auburn offense asked him to be a chess piece, and he filled the role well. Uzomah’s background as a wide receiver shows up in his ability to haul in contested catches. He has soft hands and is determined to make the ball his.

"

There's no doubt Uzomah is a project player. According to Joel A. Erickson of AL.com, he hardly played more than 10 snaps a game as an in-line tight end with Auburn last season despite taking the field for an average of 34.8 snaps.

Even Uzomah admits he needs to make progress as an in-line blocker, per Erickson: "I definitely need to work on my hand-down blocking. For what I was involved in while being here, I did a fairly good job, but obviously, I still have to fine-tune the little things, bring a little more pop."

There's time for Uzomah to develop in Cincinnati. His upside is huge, but for the time being, the team will continue to rely on Eifert and Kroft at the position, although it wouldn't be a shock to see Uzomah take the field in the red zone thanks to his big-play ability with the ball in the air.

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

As a player who can make contested catches, stretch defenses deep in a vertical manner and is reliable in any situation, there's a place for Uzomah on Cincinnati's roster.

The only real issue with the pick is value, as Uzomah might have been around in the sixth round and beyond. It's apparent the Bengals love his upside, but he doesn't figure to see the field often as a rookie while the coaching staff works on his blocking.

In the long run, Uzomah is insurance if Kroft doesn't pan out or if Eifert suffers another injury. His selection all but slams the door shut on the chance Jermaine Gresham returns, too.

In a few years, the Bengals might have something special on their hands with Uzomah's promising upside if the project goes as planned.

Grade: C 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of May 2. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.