The Cincinnati Bengals finished third in the NFL in passing last season led by Joe Burrow‘s right arm and the play of receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Unfortunately for Burrow and the Bengals, the team fell short last season in the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs by a final score of 23-20.
Burrow threw for one touchdown and two interceptions in that game, a subpar performance from a man who could become the highest paid quarterback in the NFL soon.
For the Bengals to beat Kansas City and other NFL and AFC competitors, the team will need increased production on offense in the biggest moments.
Cincinnati took a flier on receiver Andrei Iosivas out of Princeton in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft, and now the hard-working 23-year-old from Honolulu is doing his best to learn from the Bengals’ top targets.
“I really take the advice of Ja’Marr and Tee very seriously and critique myself very hard,” said according to Bengals.com.
“Every time I’m watching film, I see what Tee tells me and try to replicate it the next day or that practice…He’s really nice.
“They’ve both taken me under their wing.”
Iosivas is a longtime track competitor and pole vaulter whose coach Fred Samara spoke positively of to the Bengals’ team website. According to Samara, body control is Iosivas’ best attribute. He caught 66 passes for 943 yards and seven touchdowns last season, tops among all Tigers wide receivers.
“For an NFL player, he fits the bill but the thing with Andrei is his body awareness,” Samara said. “He’s got jumping ability, but the more important thing is he takes directions very well and he can follow through on those directions.”
Tyler Boyd is listed as the slot receiver on the Bengals’ 2023 projected depth chart, but there is a chance that Iosivas can contribute next season – if he lives up to his potential. He said he’s been studying under Higgins specifically, and is hoping to emulate various parts of his game.
“Tee knows we’re very similar in build, so he knows how my body works more,” Iosivas said. “In real life, Tee is humongous. He gets out of his breaks really well. If I can just be a mentee under him for a little bit. See how he does things. Even he told me that DBs in the league are surprised how fast he comes out of his breaks despite how big he is. So I want to be at that level.”
