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NFL Draft: Breaking Down Bengals' Pick of Markus Bailey, How He Fits in Cincinnati

Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey had to wait longer than he planned, but the Cincinnati Bengals scooped him up with their pick in the seventh round.
Tom Brew|
NFL Draft: Breaking Down Bengals' Pick of Markus Bailey, How He Fits in Cincinnati
NFL Draft: Breaking Down Bengals' Pick of Markus Bailey, How He Fits in Cincinnati

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The great unknown with Markus Bailey's draft status was how much his health — or potential lack thereof — would affect when a team would step up and grab him.

His talent is evident on tape, but after two ACL surgeries, one on each knee, you had to wonder if there wold be a lingering doubt with some teams. A few mock drafts had him going somewhere in the third or fourth rounds, but he last until the first pick in the seventh round, when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted with the 215th overall pick.

It made for a long weekend for Bailey, the 6-foot-1, 240 pound linebacker from Columbus, Ohio, but when it was all said and done, he was happy and ready to get to work.

"I’m truly so excited and grateful to be a part of this organization! I promise I’m going to add instant value,'' Bailey said in a tweet Saturday night.

He's been cleared to participate in all football-related drills after his ACL surgery last fall. So he;'s ready to go to work, whenever that may be. 

What Bailey did at Purdue

Bailey played just three games as a freshman before injuring his knee and being lost for the season. But he returned with a vengeance, and played great for three straight years from 2016 through 2018, and no one at Purdue had more tackles than his 301 over that span.

He was really good in 2018, leading the team with 115 tackles, and he really made a name for himself on national TV Named when he had a career-high 15 tackles in the upset of No. 3-ranked Ohio State. He was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week.

Bailey came into his season ranked as one of the top linebackers in the country, but he tore an ACL in  the second game and was knocked out for the year.

When he could play, he was sensational. Here's a great highlights package from the Big Ten Network:

Why his draft stock fell

There's no question his draft value was affected by the two ACL surgeries, but a couple of other things were in play, too. First off, there wasn't a high demand for linebackers early in the draft, and when day 3 started, other positions seemed to be more of a priority for teams. 

it wasn't until the Bengals pulled the trigger with the first pick in the seventh round that Bailey's wait was finally over. Because of the health issues and some limited questions about how really he can really be by August, the drop seems understandable. Bailey, once it was all said and done, was happy though, and he's ready to prove himself all over again in Cincinnati.

How he fits with the Bengals

The Bengals are in complete rebuilding mode right now, so that might be a good thing for Bailey. New coach Zac Taylor is in his second year after replacing longtime Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis prior to last season. It didn't go well, with the Bengals going just 2-14.

The rebuild starts with drafting Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the draft. And one the COVID-19 pandemic ends and players can get back into the facility and get to work, there may be no team in the league with more position battles looming than the Bengals. Linebacker is a position of need, and they drafted three of them because of that need.

It's likely that the Bengals will be patient with Bailey. If he's not quite 100 percent, there's no sense in pushing him, especially in what likely will be another rebuilding year. Long-term goals might be in play here more than immediate needs.

Here are the Bengals' draft picks in 2020

  • Joe Burrow, quarterback, LSU (first overall pick in the first round)
  • Tee Higgins, wide receiver, Clemson (33rd overall pick in the second round)
  • Logan Wilson, linebacker, Wyoming (65th overall pick in the third round)
  • Akeem Davis-Gaither, linebacker, Appalachian State (107th overall round pick in the fourth round)
  • Khalid Kareem, defensive end, Notre Dame (147th overall pick in the fifth round)
  • Hakeem Adenji, guard, Kansas (180th overall pick in the sixth round)
  • Markus Bailey, linebacker, Purdue (215th overall pick in the seventh round)
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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.

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