The Bengals acquired former Minnesota Vikings’ 2019 second-round pick Irv Smith in free agency. He was a highly touted prospect from Alabama in the ’19 draft class.
The top 10 comparisons for Smith on Mock Draftable's website include some intriguing and well-known players, like Michael Mayer, Mark Andrews, Thaddeus Moss, Cethan Carter, and Hayden Hurst.
Smith should be able to give the Bengals' tight ends some much-needed blocking. He performs some good pass blocking repetitions for the Vikings.
There are multiple clips of him run-blocking while at Alabama. It wouldn't be Nick Saban's way otherwise.
Smith Jr. might have a breakout season in Cincinnati, with defences focusing on his top receivers and Joe Burrow as his quarterback. If he does, it will go a long way towards assisting us in forgetting about Hurst.