“Are you guys asking about the (Russell) Bodine witch hunt?”
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Bodine, who has started all 32 games since the Bengals traded up to draft him in the fourth round in 2014, has been maligned for his struggles his first two years. But Alexander was quick to jump to his defense Saturday afternoon.
“Let me tell you about Bodine,” Alexander said. “He’s better than (starting left guard Clint) Boling was after two years. He’s similar to what (starting right guard Kevin) Zeitler was. Zeitler didn’t start out all that great.
“This is a young player who’s playing with a bunch of veterans who are very good offensive linemen, and he’s the last one right now because he’s the youngest,” Alexander continued. “I don’t care what anyone else says. I think Bodine is going to be a hell of a player.”
But bringing in a guy such as the 6-foot-3, 298-pound Westerman certainly increases the urgency for Bodine to raise his play to the level of the other starting linemen.
“I first saw him at the Senior Bowl,” he said. “Is he perfect? No. He’s a very good player. I think he has all the traits we’re looking for. He’s tough, he’s strong, he’s athletic.”
Westerman said he had a great visit with the Bengals and was excited to find out they were the team that selected him.
“Everything went well,” he said. “You know, when everything works out right and goes smoothly. You build those relationships fast. That’s what happened. I felt that connection with those guys.”
Receiving Core: The Bengals added to their receiving corps with a receiving Core, selecting Mississippi's Cody Core in the sixth round.
Core joins second-round pick Tyler Boyd of Pittsburgh as the two rookie picks in the 2016 draft class as the team tries to fill the vacancies left by the free-agent departures of Marvin Jones (Detroit) and Mohamed Sanu (Atlanta).
Playing opposite Minnesota first-round pick Laquon Treadwell at Ole Miss, Core (6-3, 205) caught 37 passes for 644 yards and four touchdowns as a senior. His 17.4-yard average ranked fifth among SEC receivers and 33rd nationally.
“He has the physical tools and goes up and catches the football,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “He’s tenacious as a blocker. He’s big and strong. Those things show on tape. So it was very attractive to us. We were fortunate to get him in the sixth round.”
Finishing with Fejedelem: The Bengals wrapped their 2016 draft by taking Illiniois safety Clayton Fejedelem in the seventh round.
Fejedelem (6-1, 200) was a second team All-Big Ten selection by the media and honorable mention by the coaches last year as a senior, when he led the Illini with 140 tackles. He also had seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Fejedelem, who was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, joins a thin safety group for the Bengals.
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