The Cincinnati Bengals are anchored at cornerback by D.J. Turner II and Dax Hill, but the team needed more. Defensive coordinator Al Golden said the team went into the 2026 NFL Draft targeting length at the position.

The Bengals found their length, as well as other favorable attributes, in the 6-foot-4 , 194-pound Tacario Davis, a three-year veteran of Arizona who played his final college season at Washington. Smith boasts nearly 34-inch arms and a nearly 81-inch wingspan. Golden said he'll arrive to Cincinnati and immediately be in the mix to be the team's No. 3 corner.

The Bengals selected Davis at No. 72 overall in the draft with the idea that he's an uncommon talent with uncommon physical gifts. He's also the latest addition to a defense that the team hopes is revamped after an active offseason in free-agency, plus the use of all of its first three draft picks toward the acquisition of defensive players.

Prior to Davis being selected, the Bengals took edge rusher Cashius Howell at No. 41 overall. Cincinnati used its No. 10 overall draft pick to trade for veteran defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants.

Cincinnati signed Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen and Kyle Dugger in free agency.

Davis checked several boxes for the Bengals as far as their needs at cornerback were concerned.

"We were looking to get longer there (at corner). His age (21) was great, too, because we were looking to get younger... A lot of upside with this athlete," Golden said. "He gives us great versatility. Excellent press-jam player. Lateral quickness and the long speed to match... He'll be in the mix right away, and he can play outside. He can also play inside and we expect him to help us on special teams."

There's not many guys, really, at that position when you talk about being about to change directions, being able to line up and play physical at the line of scrimmage but then also match the routes vertically. There's not a lot of guys just athletically that can do that. we saw that on tape and also saw it with all the workouts that he's had. He was a guy that, really, every step of the way, you're like, 'wow, look at him there. Wow. He did another thing.' When you stack the guys from top to bottom, he really is one of the top guys we felt that fit us.

"I always say you can never have enough good corners in this league. It's a passing league. Guys try to attack you down the field, and you've got to have high-end athletes to matchup with these talented receivers day-in, day-out."

Davis' physical dimensions are comparable to those of for Cincinnati Bearcats corner Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner in terms of wingspan and arm length, but Davis' value goes beyond his physical traits and tools. He's also a player who produced over four years of power-conference college football.

Davis amassed 95 tackles and three interceptions in his career, plus 26 passes defended.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why the Bengals believe Tacario Davis fits their defense so well