“It was worth it, wasn’t it?” Hill called up to Livingston on the mezzanine level as he walked through the building.
Livingston, the old William and Mary safety, joined the Bengals a decade ago as a scout and so he’s lived what he calls the “morphing,’ of the safety position.
“When you look around the NFL, there are so many weapons,” Livingston said. “If you look at the tight end position, you have to have somebody that can cover them. The box safety is no more. The more positions you can play, the better. Defensively in the NFL, you’re playing with one hand tied behind your back and you have to have guys that can adapt.
“This is a guy who can do so many things and he’s smart.”
The comparison is hard to get away from. It was 15 years ago when the Bengals drafted a Michigan defensive back in the first round. Cornerback Leon Hall went No. 18 and into the history book as one of the great Bengals. But Livingston can see a lot of more than that when it comes to similarities.
“I was lucky…