CINCINNATI — After not selecting a tight end in each of the last four drafts, the Cincinnati Bengals grabbed their second of the day with Arizona’s Tanner McLachlan in the sixth round.
Seventy-nine picks earlier, the Bengals took Iowa’s Erick All in the fourth round.
Cincinnati Bengals Draft Tanner McLachlan With 194th Pick
McLachlan played two seasons in Arizona after spending his first four seasons at Southern Utah.
A Canada native (Lethbridge, Alberta), McLachlan adds depth at tight end and possibly insurance as All is still recovering from an ACL injury suffered in October.
McLachlan suffered an ACL injury in college as well in 2020. He transferred to Arizona as a walk-on and caught 79 passes for 984 yards and six touchdowns in his two seasons with the Wildcats.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had McLachlan ranked as his No. 68 prospect.
The Basics
Position: Tight end
School: Arizona
Age: 25 (March 15, 1999)
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 244 pounds
Current Year: Sixth-year senior
PFN Big Board Ranking: 190
The Fit
While McLachlan and All will battle to make the 53-man roster this season, their futures are longer term with Mike Gesicki and Tanner Hudson on one-year deals.
Though McLachlan currently is healthier, he may be further back in line given the order in which the Bengals selected their tight ends today, and the fact that All is the more accomplished blocker.
But McLachlan played 81.7% of his snaps inline and only 18.3% in the slot.
When Bengals head coach Zac Taylor called McLachlan to tell him the team was taking him, the tight end said, “You will not regret this.”
"You will not regret it." @TMclachlan12 receives THE CALL.@IEL_LLC | 📺: 2024 Draft on NFLN pic.twitter.com/B9verV4BnP
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 27, 2024
What They Said
McLachlan on his athleticism:
“When you watch my film, a lot of scouts and GMs and coaches see that jump out. I think it’s going to cross over to the NFL and continue to develop as I go.”
McLachlan on the style of football he played growing up:
“It was Canadian football through high school, and then I did one year of American football down in Arizona. The biggest thing was in Canada you can run up to the line of scrimmage. I was an X receiver back when I played in high school, so I was running up to the line of scrimmage. When I moved to Arizona, they transitioned me to a stand-up Y tight end, a slot basically. I feel like (the transition) went pretty smooth. It’s football at the end of the day.”
PFN’s Grade
Grade: B-
Ian Cummings: “The Bengals decided to double down on addressing the tight end position by selecting Tanner McLachlan out of Arizona with the No. 194 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. All — their tight end selection from the fourth round — has all kinds of medical concerns that cloud his future in the NFL.
KEEP READING: Cincinnati Bengals NFL Draft Grades 2024
“McLachlan’s fluid athleticism, reliable hands, and excellent body control at the catchpoint make him a far better value than All in the draft but still receives a slight deduction in the grade due to addressing this position twice in three picks.”
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