The Cincinnati Bengals traded up in the fourth round of the NFL draft to select NC State quarterback Ryan Finley on Saturday.
The Bengals sent a fourth-round pick (No. 110 overall) and two sixth-round picks (Nos. 183 and 198) to the San Francisco 49ers to move up six spots to No. 104 — the second pick on the third day of the draft.
There was a lot of speculation that the Bengals would target a quarterback early, but a Day 3 selection was always more of a logical choice. Andy Dalton has two years left on his contract, but they can get out of that deal without any dead money.
Jeff Driskel isn’t a sure thing at backup quarterback, so Finley can learn under Dalton.
This will be a big year for Dalton, as the team believed he was playing well in September before a rash of injuries decimated the team’s chances.
ESPN’s Katherine Terrell contributed to this report.