Andrew Billings is on the Atkins diet.
No, the Bengals aren’t trying to make the 311-pound rookie defensive tackle lose weight. In this case Billings is being fed a steady diet of Geno Atkins film to study, according to ESPN.com.
“I’ve seen pretty much everything I need to start doing,” Billings said.
The parallels between the two are obvious. Both are 6’1″ defensive tackles drafted in the fourth round. The Bengals used the 120th pick on Atkins in 2010 and the 122nd pick on Billings this year. They’re hoping Billings follows in the footsteps of Atkins, a wrecking ball who has 43 sacks and eight forced fumbles in his career.
Billings, the 2015 co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12, led Baylor with 15 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last season. He was projected to be drafted no later than the second round.
If Billings comes anywhere near Atkins’ career productivity, he’ll be a steal.
