In this edition of In The Trenches with Dave Lapham presented by First Star Logistics, Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III joins us.

Bates has quickly proven to be a vital member of the Bengals' defense while becoming one of the prominent leaders of the entire team.

In The Trenches, Bates talks about his youth playing football and basketball in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at Snider High School. He also talks about the recruiting process that saw him earn a three-star ranking with only a couple of schools recruiting him in the Mid American Conference before Iowa and Wake Forest entered the picture late in the process.

Jessie dives into his career at Wake Forest and the coach that influenced him the most before forgoing his remaining eligibility and becoming the Bengals second-round draft pick (No. 54 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

At the start of his Bengals career, Bates turned heads and went from looking like a possible backup to the starting free safety and hasn't looked back since.

We think you'll enjoy our one-on-one conversation with Cincinnati Bengals free safety Jessie Bates III.