Taylor Mays was quick to criticize his college coach Pete Carroll when Carroll passed on a chance to draft him with the Seattle Seahawks.

Instead, Mays went to the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2010 draft. It turns out that maybe Carroll knew something the 49ers didn’t in having coached Mays at the University of Southern California.
On Monday evening, the Niners gave up on Mays, dealing him to the Cincinnati Bengals for an undisclosed draft choice, the team announced.

Mays now becomes part of a 49ers East contingent in Cincinnati, as he is the third member of the 49ers defense to join the Bengals this offseason, joining linebacker Manny Lawson and cornerback Nate Clements.

In addition, the Bengals also announced the release of five players - WR Landon Cox of Northern Illinois, OT Andrew Gardner of Georgia Tech, WR Bart Johnson of Texas Christian, WR John Standeford of Purdue and RB Jonathan Williams of East Carolina. Gardner and Standeford are second-year players, while Cox, Johnson and Williams were college free agents.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com