Bengals draft Miami RB in fourth round

DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 29: Mark Walton #1 of the Miami Hurricanes runs with the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 29: Mark Walton #1 of the Miami Hurricanes runs with the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off their third, and busiest, day of the NFL Draft by selecting Miami (Fla.) running back Mark Walton in the fourth round (112th overall).

The 5-foot-9, 202-pound Walton was an early entry into the draft despite playing just four games last year due to an ankle injury.

In three seasons with the Hurricanes, he started 17 games and rushed for 1,995 yards and 26 touchdowns in addition to playing special teams, which Bengals coaches said played a role in their decision to pick him.

Walton brings an interesting back story with him, as his father was murdered by a girlfriend when Walton was 7. His mom passed away last year after complications from a stroke.

He’s the first Hurricanes player the Bengals have drafted since running Nick Luchey in the fifth round in 1999.

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