The Cincinnati Bengals are in a good spot on offense entering the NFL draft after extending wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to play with quarterback Joe Burrow for the foreseeable future. However, their defense is very far behind, which highlights their likely draft strategy for the 2025 NFL draft.
In an ESPN article focusing on the latest NFL draft buzz, three insiders did mini-mocks for teams outside the top 10. Field Yates did one for the Bengals, highlighting what he felt would make for a perfect draft for the team. Yates’s picks are as follows:
17. Grey Zabel, G, North Dakota State
49. Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
81. Kyle Kennard, Edge, South Carolina
119. Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville
153. Cam Horsley, DT, Boston College
193. Marques Sigle, S, Kansas State
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“After addressing guard in Round 1, the Bengals can use their final five picks to shore up the defense. The team has needs at all three levels, and it must find a way to connect the pass rush and the secondary more. The bottom line is that there was a talent void for Cincinnati on defense this past season. Adding corners of different sizes and styles (Thomas and Riley), plus a gifted rusher in Kennard, would help fix this defense.”
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With Joe Burrow putting up MVP-level numbers but the team still missing out on the playoffs last year, defense is clearly the problem with the team, making emphasizing it in the draft make perfect sense.
They do so at multiple levels of the field in this mock, selecting three secondary players and two defensive linemen.
The most interesting pick however may be Grey Zabel, the one offensive player they select in this mock. He is a versatile offensive lineman who can play guard or center mainly, but also a bit of tackle, making him an intriguing NFL prospect.
He also was a big riser during the draft process after a great showing at the Senior Bowl. He comes from a smaller school in North Dakota State but has shown he can play with stiffer competition countless times.
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The Bengals emphasizing secondary in this mock is also interesting. Ever since the team lost elite safety Jessie Bates in free agency to the Atlanta Falcons, the team’s defense has never been the same.
The team made the Super Bowl in 2022, but lost to the Rams, partly because the secondary wasn’t quite up to par and the offensive line could have done a better job of protecting Burrow.
Overall, the Bengals seem to have a clear direction for this NFL draft, it will just be a matter of what players fall to them at each spot and if they make the correct picks to help the team reach Super Bowl contender status once again.
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