Lawson on first working with Cincy DL coach: 'He tried to kill us'

AUBURN | Carl Lawson didn’t know what to expect from Cincinnati defensive line coach Jacob Burney during Auburn’s Pro Day.

Burney was chosen to put the defensive line through drills. Would Burney put them through the basics for the scouts to get a good evaluation of their athleticism or would it be something more?

Lawson got his answer before the drills began.

“I could tell he was going for broke because I saw him right before the drill started and I tried to wave at him and smile, and he didn’t smile back, so I knew we were in for an intense workout,” Lawson said.

Burney remembered that moment seven weeks later after the Bengals selected Lawson in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

“I was wondering what that wave was all about,” Burney said. “You want to see how they do when they get pushed a bit, and he did a great job,”

“He tried to kill us,” Lawson recalled.

Lawson’s performance made him a priority for the Bengals going into the draft. He was the No. 1 player on their board at the start of Saturday’s fourth round and they had to wait nervously for eight other picks before grabbing Lawson with the ninth selection, No. 116 overall.

“I put it to him, and he stood up every time,” Burney said. “That was very impressive. This is a talented kid, a leader on that team, and he was ready to go. Some other guys faded, but he was there. So it just let me know how tough he is between his ears.

“With the talent, with his leadership qualities, we’re getting a good football mind, as well as a good personality. We’re fortunate to get him.”

The Bengals view Lawson as a pass-rush specialist, at least initially, and that’s the role he’ll fill as an NFL rookie. They took a similar player in former Kansas State defensive end Jordan Willis in the third round.

They’ll team up with veteran defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who had 8.0 sacks last season, to try and improve a pass rush that ranked 19th in the NFL with 33 sacks.

“We’ll be able to use (Lawson) both as a linebacker and as a rush guy,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “He’s a highly productive guy. Like I said about Willis, we do a lot of research on these type of guys, and we felt we got great value with Carl there where we took him.”

That research included a full medical on Lawson, who missed all of the 2014 season with a knee injury and nearly half of 2015 with a hip injury.

“The doctors here cleared him and felt good about where he was headed medically,” Guenther said. “He had a couple bumps and bruises along his college career that might have set him back some.”

Lawson will suit up for the Bengals for the first time during their rookie minicamp next weekend.

“I’m healthy and can’t wait to go play,” Lawson said.