Oct 3, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) celebrates during the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

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Cincinnati took Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Here are three takeaways from the pick.

Joshua Dobbs’s go-to receiver during the 2016 Tennessee football season is going to the Bengals. Former Vols wideout Josh Malone was taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Malone was a big-play guy all year for the Vols who managed to change multiple games. A solid route-runner and great bomb-catcher, Malone was a big reason for Dobbs’s success in the passing game throughout 2016.

As a result, the 6’3″ receiver was able to leave early and take his talents to the NFL, and now he joins a Bengals team that missed the playoffs last season for the first time in six years.

Here are three takeaways from Cincinnati taking Josh Malone in the NFL Draft.

1. Josh Malone has work to do to get on the field.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ sole focus the past two years seemed to be getting more playmakers for Andy Dalton. As a result, they drafted speedster John Ross in the first round to be their new slot receiver, and they still have A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell, whom they signed in 2016, on the outside.

And they also still have Cody Core, the guy they drafted last year. As a result, Malone enters Cincinnati buried in the depth chart, and while he had a nice 40-time and was electrifying for the Vols last year, he’s got to improve significantly to move up the depth chart. However…

2. The Bengals look like they’re grooming Malone to be a feature WR in the future.

Cincinnati didn’t take Malone in the fourth round of the NFL Draft for nothing. Sure, he’ll need to work to move up the depth chart this year, but in the future, they’re likely grooming him to take LaFell’s spot.

Malone is simply better than Cody Core, and LaFell will not be worth re-signing when his contract is up at the end of 2018. As a result, the Bengals likely drafted Malone to give him the chance to work his way up the depth chart and then be one of the top two wideouts in 2019, along with Green. Those two combined with John Ross, Core as a backup, and Tyler Eifert make for a litany of weapons. Also, before we look that far ahead…

3. Malone covers the Bengals if they have more injuries.

John Ross is coming off shoulder surgery, and A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert both got hurt last year. That is what killed Marvin Lewis’s team from the start as they tried to make a run at the playoffs for the seventh straight year.

As a result, the addition of Josh Malone helps them solve those depth issues, and that’s one reason he could play earlier than expected. Cincinnati needs more big-play threats to cover those injuries, and Malone is certainly that. So by taking him in the NFL Draft, they should be able to withstand injuries this year and still get back to the playoffs.