Jack Sawyer Can Be The Answer To The Bengals’ Sam Hubbard Problem
Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
A lot of Cincinnati Bengals fans tend to overlap into Ohio State fandom, but I am not one of those people. However, I grew up in an Ohio State household, and I was, once upon a time, a diehard Ohio State fan. I spent many, many Saturday afternoons in The Shoe as a kid. I still occasionally wonder what Justin Zwick has been up to after all these years.
However, around high school, the UC Bearcats football team, whose basketball team I worshipped for the longest time, got good. I mean really good. They went to two consecutive BCS bowl games (hey, remember those?) and my rebellious, teenage self abandoned Ohio State fandom for good. Dad, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry I no longer yell “I-O” when someone in the bathroom at a Cincinnati Reds game shouts “O-H” (I wish I was kidding).
I say all that to eliminate bias before I say this: Jack Sawyer would make an excellent future Cincinnati Bengal.
JACK SAWYER
GIMME THAT
HE SCOOPS AND HE SCORES#PMSCFPESPN2 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/a45SPHYSlG
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 11, 2025
When that scoop and score happened, the Sam Hubbard comparisons were instantaneous. An edge rusher who donned Scarlet and Grey picked up a fumble and took it back to the house on a play that altered a playoff game. Days after his huge play, he penned a piece for the Players’ Tribune entitled “One More, Then Forever”, where he chronicled his football journey that started as a Pickerington, Ohio kid who breathed OSU football.
In the aftermath of Sawyer’s “HE COULD… GO… ALL… THE… WAY” moment, crossover fans had made up their minds about Sawyer’s NFL prospects in droves.
Jack Sawyer is never beating the Sam Hubbard allegations now
— Taryn (@TarynST86) January 11, 2025
With the Bengals picking 17th in the draft, and Sawyer’s stock on the rise (he ranked 7th overall out of all edge rushers in college football), he could be a pristine candidate to solve the Bengals’ Sam Hubbard problem. Despite all his good years in Cincinnati, Hubbard is expensive and gravely underperformed in the 2024 season, and is a prime candidate to be cut when the offseason rolls around. With a single year left on his contract, the Bengals are likely to part ways with Hubbard, which would mean that the last remaining player from the Marvin Lewis-era Bengals would be off the roster. Cincinnati would need an edge rusher to fill the void left by the player on the back of your mom’s one Bengals jersey, and Sawyer is a prime fit.
The Sawyer-Hubbard comparisons far predate Sawyer’s fumble return, as both Bleacher Report and FirstRoundMock.com have Sam Hubbard as Sawyer’s pro comp. They are nearly identical in size (both are 6’5” while Sawyer is 260 pounds to Hubbard’s 265). Sawyer was one of the better run defenders in all of college football, as his run defense grade of 86.7 has him ranked 19th out of 868 qualifying edge rushers in the NCAA. His skillset in the run defense game would help fill the void left by the imminent departure of Hubbard, who was consistently one of the Bengals’ better run defenders in his prime.
As a pass rusher, Sawyer has strong potential, but room for improvement. At the very least, Sawyer, who has ten sacks this season, including five in his last three games, would be a pass rushing upgrade over Hubbard, whose pass rushing acumen was nearly nonexistent in 2024. While his technique and hand placement are criticisms of Sawyer’s game, his motor and power as a pass rusher give him raw ability and potential to be a day one starter in Cincinnati.
Got the chance to talk to Jack Sawyer at Ohio state pro day last year. He epitomizes Buckeye football. You see it with his effort every single down. Coaches are going to love him when they get involved in draft prep.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 11, 2025
In addition to his effort, run defending ability, as pass rushing potential, he has two words on his resumé that makes Zac Taylor’s pupils dilate: “Team Captain”.
Proud Mama Moment: I spoke with Ohio State and @pnfootball alum Jack Sawyer's mom, Michelle, about her son being named a captain this season.
She said she's seen him lock in the last two years and she is beyond proud of his growth on and off the field. #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/xsukmHYvUB
— Kellyanne Stitts (@KellyanneStitts) August 22, 2024
Reports of where Sawyer will be drafted vary depending on who you ask. Many outlets have him as a day two selection, which is exactly where Hubbard was taken in 2018. With over three months and one college game remaining in Sawyer’s career, his stock could continue to climb to the point that it could justify a first round selection. Your local suburban dad, who refers to music not made by Ohio State’s marching band as “of the devil”, has him going first overall.
There’s still a lot of time before names are called on draft weekend, and Sawyer’s monster performances on the biggest stages give his draft stock a major opportunity to skyrocket. If (probably when) the Bengals part ways with Sam Hubbard, they will have a need at edge rusher. Sawyer is an elite run defender and improving pass rusher who will likely become an immediate fan favorite wherever he goes.
Could that be Cincinnati? If things continue to go the way they have been, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be.
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