Bengals WR Mohamed Sanu Impressing at OTAs

It’s pretty easy to be impressive when no one is hitting or wearing pads, but Mohamed Sanu’s rapid development has to be encouraging for the Bengals, who need a legit number two receiver to go along with budding star A.J. Green. According to Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, Sanu is taking the necessary steps needed to be that guy in 2012.

“He just has a natural instinct to be a big, friendly target; he knows what he has to do to get open,” Gruden says. “A lot of guys when faced with a route adjustment round it off and it allows the route to get jumped for an interception. But he’s got the ability to stick his foot in the ground, make the right shade or angle and get that 12-yard completion.”

Sanu has had one interesting journey to the NFL. He was supposed to be a potential first round pick on Thursday night draft night, and he was prank called by someone who said they were calling on behalf of the Cincinnati Bengals. When the Bengals selected Kevin Zeitler in the first round, Sanu was expecting his name to roll across the bottom line, but it never happened.

He eventually wound up with the Bengals anyway, just at a bargained price. Lucky for the Bengals, it appears as though they may have struck gold and gotten the perfect complement to Green at the receiver position.