The NFL Draft is one of the most anticipated events on the league calendar and it also allows fans and analysts alike to put themselves in team executive’s shoes.
While the top picks of the first round receive a lot of attention, there seemed to be a consensus among draft and league experts for one team picking in the middle of the pack: the Cincinnati Bengals will use pick no. 17 to boost its defense.
Last season, opponents averaged 348.3 yards per game against Cincinnati and the Bengals’ opponents scored an average of 25.5 points per game.
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks, former NFL executive and ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum, Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus, and Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson all predict the Bengals to select a defensive player with pick 17.
Hobson, and other beat writers from around the league came together for their â2025 Media Mock Draft 2.0â and selected players they believe could land with the teams they cover.
With his âpickâ, Hobson has former South Carolina defensive back Nick Emmanwori going to the Bengals. Hobson wrote, âif Emmanwori is anything, heâs an AFC North safetyâ.
Listed at 6-3 and 227 pounds, Hobson said Emmanwori can be a versatile option roaming in the Bengals secondary. Last season at South Carolina, Emmanwori recorded 88 tackles and four interceptions.
Potential Defensive Line Additions
In his latest mock draft, Brooks has Shemar Stewart, an edge rusher out of Texas A&M, heading to Cincinnati. Stewart, Brooks wrote, is an âultra-athletic pass rusherâ and could work well opposite Trey Hendrickson who led the NFL in sacks in 2024, though Hendrickson’s future in Cincinnati is still up in the air.Â
ESPNâs Mike Tannenbaum said Tuesday that he would select edge rusher James Pearce Jr. out of Tennessee if he were making that decision for the Bengals. The former NFL general manager said Pearce Jr. has âelite pass rushing traitsâ, though he has “to improve against the runâ.Â
Liskiewitz, of Pro Football Focus, also believes the Bengals will boost the defensive line in the first round. Though, he has Kenneth Grant, an interior defensive lineman from Michigan, going to Cincinnati.Â
âGrant brings a rare combination of quickness and size to the nose tackle position,â Liskiewitz wrote. âHe has the strength to dominate single blocks and hold up against doubles. When he’s in attack mode, he is an imposing player â I just wish we saw that aggressive mindset more consistently.â
Along with potential draft picks, the Bengals added new defensive players during free agency. Linebacker Oren Burks, formally of the Philadelphia Eagles, signed a two-year contract with Cincinnati.
Earlier this month, T.J. Slaton Jr., a defensive tackle from Green Bay, also signed a two-year deal with the Bengals.
Cincinnati Retains Star ReceiversÂ
It’s safe to assume that Cincinnati will not be using its first round pick on a wide receiver next month.
The Bengals made headlines last week after signing star wide receivers JaâMarr Chase and Tee Higgins to multi-year deals. Quarterback Joe Burrow will now have one of the league’s best wide receiver duos for the foreseeable future as the Bengals look to return to the playoffs in 2025.
Tight end Mike Gesicki also re-signed with the team earlier this month. Gesicki caught 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.
Despite winning five games in a row to close out the 2024 season, the Bengals allowed 25 points per game and finished 9-8 missing out on the postseason.
With Chase, Higgins, and Burrow providing a lethal scoring threat on opposing defenses for years to come, NFL experts believe Cincinnati will focus its first round pick on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bengals will make six selections in next month’s draft. Barring any trades, the team will make one pick in each of the first six rounds.
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