Ole Miss Safety Daijahn Anthony Selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th Round of the NFL Draft
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss safety Daijahn Anthony has been drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 224th overall pick.
WITH THE 224TH PICK ➡️ DB DAIJAHN ANTHONY @IEL_LLC | 📺: 2024 Draft on NFLN pic.twitter.com/nDxbniNerQ
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 27, 2024
The Bengals draft slot corner/safety Daijahn Anthony. He has played corner, safety and nickel. He broke up 11 passes last year. He has 32 1/2 inch arms and gives them more versatility.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) April 27, 2024
After transferring in from Liberty, Anthony finished his lone season in Oxford on the Rebels’ 2023 record-breaking 11-win team. How did he adjust to SEC play? With no problem.
A one-year starter at Ole Miss, Anthony played strong safety in defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s 4 -2-5 base scheme. He started ten games and finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles. He was tied for the team lead with three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Of course, one of his most memorable plays came against LSU.
My field level view of Daijahn Anthony’s hit on Jayden Daniels yesterday! It was a huge hit play early in yesterday’s matchup! pic.twitter.com/X4D9ejsQDx
— Jason Williams WTVA (@JasonWTVA) October 1, 2023
After Daijahn’s last performance as a Rebel in the Peach Bowl this past December, the safety went to work immediately, participating in both the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
The 6’0” senior then participated in the 2024 NFL Draft Combine. He ran a 4.55 40-yard dash and 1.51 10 yard split. He also had a 37 inch vertical as well as 9’8” broad jump.
One of the most endearing traits of Anthony’s is his perseverance and belief in himself. He overcame adversity, including walking on at both Shepherd and Liberty before becoming a playmaker in the SEC — at the safety position, when he had primarily played cornerback and nickel his first five years in school.
NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein lists these as Anthony’s strengths:
- Good size and length with the ability to line up and cover the slot.
- Adequate top-end speed to carry receivers up the seam.
- Above-average ball skills when it comes time to make a play.
- Slices in on half-man angle and swings inside arm through catch point.
- Runs full speed through the target to jar throws loose from zone.
- Experienced and capable jamming gunners on punt returns.
Congrats to Daijahn!
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
