It’s the day before the NFL Draft and after countless mock drafts and trade down scenarios, it’s time to deep dive into these prospects. From projected stars like Walter Nolen, Jihaad Campbell, and Malaki Starks, to under the radar prospects like Logan Brown, Tahj Brooks, and Ty Robinson. Let’s dive into the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals!
The draft is full of excitement every season, and I’m here to help give fans projections as to who the Bengals should take this weekend.
Walter Nolen | DT | Ole Miss
Beginning with my selection from my recent mock draft, Walter Nolen would be an instant game changer for the Bengals. Projected to go in the middle of the first round, the Bengals would have to select him at pick 17. He’s an elite run defender with a ton of pass rush potential. Projected to be a 3-tech in the NFL, he caught many eyes at the senior bowl as a game wrecker.
Coming off of a 6.5 sack season at Ole Miss, it’s easy to conclude that he’s a solid pass rusher. He needs to improve his pass rush arsenal and have a better plan to be elite in the NFL. Nolen can be a game wrecker, but he needs some polishing. He can expose his chest which can lead to him disappearing on some plays.
With his weaknesses come many strengths. He was one of the best run defenders in all of college football in 2024. PFF gave him a 91.6 run defense grade and registered him with a 11.9% run stop rate. Along with that came a 80.8 pass rush grade out of true pass sets and a 10.9% pass rush win rate. He is my favorite of the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mike Green | Edge | Marshall
Mike Green is and has been my favorite draft choice for the Bengals. He is a pass rush first edge with many pass rush moves already developed. The one that sticks out to me the most was his lethal spin move. Not only is he elite in the pass rush department, he is also an elite run defender. But with all of this comes character concerns and a sexual assault accusation.
Let’s focus on the football part of Green’s game. He is the most polished edge in the entire draft, in my opinion. He has a 20.4% pass rush win rate and a 91.4 pass rush grade. Pair that with a 9.4% run stop rate and a 90.9 run defense grade, and you have a pro bowl edge. Even if only his pass rush translates to the NFL, he would easily be a 14+ sack player. If he’s available at 17, it’ll be hard to pass up the opportunity to add him to a lackluster defense.
The concern with Mike Green stems from a sexual assault allegation from his time at Virginia Tech. Green has denied any wrong doing and his case was dismissed in 2022. He was dismissed from Virginia Tech’s football team and transfered to Marshall at the beginning of 2023.
James Pearce | Edge | Tennessee
James Pearce is one of the most interesting prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. When he’s on, he is one of the best players in his class. But his troubles start there. He has major character concerns and has been dropping out of the top 20 entirely. However, if he can improve his attitude, he would be a stellar pick at 17.
James Pearce is a pass rush first edge, and was solid in run defense in 2024. He had a 23% pass rush win rate and 8 sacks in 2024. This is a down year for Pearce after recording 13 sacks in 2023 and a 90.4 overall grade from PFF.
The overall take on Pearce is that if he can fix his off the field struggles, he will be an elite edge rusher in the NFL. Will the Bengals look past his issues and trust in his development? We’ll have to see on Thursday night.
Derrick Harmon | DT | Oregon
Derrick Harmon recorded the most pressures in all of college football in 2024. He would immediately be the Bengals starter at the 3-tech spot, much like Walter Nolen. The debate between Harmon and Nolen has been active all off-season, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Bengals have them ranked.
Derrick Harmon comes into Thursday night with a 17.7% pass rush win rate and 5 sacks in 2024. Like I mentioned earlier, he lead college football in total pressures. A Michigan State transfer, he was a crucial part of that 2024 Oregon defense that was the number one seed in college football.
The issue with Harmon begins with his missed tackle rate. He missed 26.7% of his tackles in 2024. He has proven that he can get pressure, but finishing the job is what separates him from other tackles in the class.
Jihaad Campbell | LB | Alabama
Continuing the trend with defensive players, Jihaad Campbell is one of the best defenders in the entire draft. His versatility to rush the passer and play off ball is hard to pass up. He had surgery after the combine to repair a torn labrum, which could cause him to slide on draft night.
His average depth tackle per run was 3.3yds, which is a solid number for a linebacker of his type. He recorded an 80.6 coverage grade and ran a 4.52 40-yard dash. Campbell only missed 5.9% of his 89 tackles in 2024. He is the 2024 season leader in coverage stops at 30 in college football.
Jihaad Campbell is another one of those splash picks the Bengals have the opportunity to make. But the concern relies in that shoulder. Will his labrum heal in time for training camp? Probably not. I think he’ll be 100% by the beginning of the season, but for a rookie, missing camp is a critical factor.
Carson Schwesinger | LB | UCLA
Carson Schwesinger is the 2nd best off-ball linebacker in this draft to me. Much like Logan Wilson was in 2020, Schwesinger is as sure-fire of a pick as there is. Not projected to go until round two, I could see the Bengals taking him at 49. He is a lighter build for a lineabacker, only 225lbs, but he is a freak of nature.
The one thing that stood out most on film from Schwesinger is his pursuit speed. After watching awful pursuit angles from Bengals linebackers in 2024, Schwesinger would fix that problem. He only missed 7.6% of his tackles in 2024 and recorded a 74.6 coverage grade. He is a name that has risen on draft boards over the last few weeks, so if he’s there at 49, I’d take him without hesitation.
The only real concern I have with Schwesinger is his size. He is a smaller linebacker, but what he lacks in size, he makes up with athleticism. Schwesinger scored a 9.86/10 on the RAS score, which is one of the highest scores in this years class. He would be a day one starter and has star potential. It would be hard to not like the pick.
Shemar Stewart | Edge | Texas A&M
Shemar Stewart is one of the more interesting draft prospects in the class. He’s hype has been entirely based off of his athletisim. He has all of the traits to be an all-pro edge in the NFL. The problem lies in the lack of production in college. He only recorded 2 sacks in each of his three seasons in college ball.
The film on Stewart was not good. He can win a pass rush rep, but he rarely finishes. The lack of production is a huge concern for all parties involved. He did, however, score a perfect 10/10 on the RAS athleticism chart. Many believe that if you have the traits to play in the NFL, you will succeed. I tend to disagree.
When making an important first round pick, it’s crucial to take a player that has elite statistics all across the board. It’s hard to draft someone off of athleticism alone and that’s exactly what you would be doing with Stewart. I say no thank you at 17, but he has all the upside in the world to be an all-pro player. I would not consider him one of the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals, but he is a possibility, so I decided to add him to the article.
Kelvin Banks | OL | Texas
Kelvin Banks is one of the best lineman in the draft and would be a pick that instantly solves the Bengals guard problem. Banks played exclusively left tackle for the Longhorns, but he projects as a guard in the NFL due to his arm length. An elite tackle for Texas pair with elite athleticism, I think the move to left guard would be easy.
Kelvin Banks is a freak on film. He is constantly locking studs down left and right. Banks was a big reason the Longhorns were only a few plays away from a national championship berth. He has an 89.9 pass block grade coming into the draft with a 81.0 run block grade. I think he’d be another pro bowl player in the NFL.
Like all prospects, everyone has a weakness. Banks’ weakness is out of his controll. His length was the reason for a lot of his losses in the season. That’s why many project him as a left guard in the league. But that’s perfect news for the Bengals. He is definitely one of the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tate Ratledge | OG | Georgia
Tate Ratledge went under the radar for a lot of the 2024 season. He battled an MCL strain and sprained ankle in his senior season. He still managed to play 10 games and I wouldn’t be concerned. Another stud athlete, Ratledge was an anchor at the right guard spot for the Bulldogs.
Ratledge isn’t the most dominant on film, and for that reason, he’ll comfortably fall to pick 49. But that isn’t to say he wont be a stud. He is another one of the prospects in the “safest” pool. Not only was he a good blocker in both the run and pass game, he also is a freak athlete. He also scored a 9.86/10 on the RAS score.
Much like Schwesinger, it’s hard to find many weaknesses for Ratledge. He can lose some power after his first punch, but I think he did a nice job at finishing blocks. He would be the best guard in the Joe Burrow era, and I think that’s enough for me to draft him at 49.
Logan Brown | OT | Kansas
Another one of the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals is Logan Brown. Logan Brown is a day 3 prospect that I’ve just recently fallen in love with. He was an anchor for Kansas in 2024. The thing he lacks is versatility, as he strictly played right tackle for Kansas. He had solid grades in both run and pass blocking, and was another prospect with elite athleticism testing and size.
Brown did a really good job on the few games I saw of him on film. He doesn’t get beat often and holds his own against the Big 12 competition. He does a nice job at pulling on blocks and can go against anyone and find success. PFF graded him with an 82.2 run blocking grade and a 78.0 pass blocking grade. He only allowed 6 hurries, 0 sacks, and 0 hits in 2024.
Being projected in the 4th round, Brown has his share of concerns. He only started 14 career games over 3 seasons, 11 of which came in 2024. Brown was also dismissed from Wisconsin in 2022 for reasons unknown. He had four holding penalties and is grabby on film. I’d take the chance on him day 3, it’ll be interesting to see where he falls.
Andrew Mukuba | S | Texas
Andrew Mukuba is another Longhorn I’d take a long look at. He isn’t projected to go until the 3rd round, and I’d be more than comfortable taking him at 81. His run defense needs some improvement, but I think his elite coverage lacks up for it. I think he has all the potential in the world to finally replace the Jessie Bates role.
Mukuba stands out the most in coverage on film. PFF credited him with an 89.7 coverage grade in 2024. He is fast and explosive, and takes all of the right angles. He can play center field and bait QBs into creating turnovers, collecting 5 interceptions in 2024. Andrew Mukuba had a forced incompletion rate of 26.1%, one of the best in his class.
Mukuba will have to improve in his run defense, although it wasn’t the worst. He is a tad undersized for the safety position, but like others I’ve mentioned, he is an elite athlete. Per The Beast via the Athletic, Mukuba perfers to be a true safety and not play in the slot. I think he would add good value to the poor defense, and add some wins for the Bengals.
Xavier Watts | S | Notre Dame
Xavier Watts has to be my favorite safety in this year’s draft class for the Bengals. Not only did he have elite level play, he did it under new defensive coordinator Al Golden. He recorded 6 interceptions in 2024 and was a huge contributer in Notre Dame’s playoff run.
Al Golden should be pounding the table for Watts to come back to his defense. He had an 89.5 coverage grade paired with an 79.5 run defense grade. He isn’t the strongest tackler, but he is serviceable. Watts brings has a 15.6% forced incompletion rate, which is well above average for a safety. He can also line up in both the box and the slot comfortably.
Xavier Watts isn’t the most impressive athlete, but I think his play speaks for himself. He missed 12.6% of his tackles, which is an area that needs improvement. However, if he came into the Bengals organization, he would immediately start. Another player that can fill that Jessie Bates void.
Sai’vion Jones | Edge | LSU
Sai’Vion Jones is another under the radar type prospect in this years draft. Not slated to be selected until day three, I imagine he’s a backup plan for the Bengals if they fail to address edge early. He is a solid pass rusher and a decent run defender. However, he brings a big frame to the table. He stands 6’6″ tall and 280lbs.
Sai’Vion Jones is a player that shouldn’t see every down, but could come in in obvious passsing downs. He won 15% of his pass rush snaps, which is above average. Jones recorded 13 sacks over his three collegiate seasons. He had an astonishing 32 hurries and 6 additional QB hits in 2024.
Jones isn’t the best ahtlete and certainly won’t impress much with his speed. He lacks the true speed to bend the corner at the NFL level, but has a solid list of moves to win blocks. I think he would be a solid rotational piece next to guys like Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai. The Bengals can also plug him in the 3-tech spot on passing downs. He deserves, however, to be on the list of the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tahj Brooks | RB | Texas Tech
Tahj Brooks would be the only running back on my board. After re-working Zack Moss’s contract and adding Samaje Perine, the Bengals should only focus on running back if the opportunity posseses itself. Brooks fits every mold they’re looking for in that running back room.
Tahj Brooks was voted a team captain in 2024, which is something the Bengals use as influence. He is Texas Tech’s leading rusher in yards and 4th in Big 12 history. He accumulated over 3,000 yards in his final 2 seasons, earning a 90.1 grade in 2023. Brooks can run all over and in-between the field. He is willing to catch the ball and does a decent job. He is a willing pass blocker and had success in college with his 230lb frame.
Where Brooks falls off is his speed. He isn’t the slowest back, but he will get tracked down time to time in the field. He fumbled 5 times in his three seasons, which isn’t terrible, but could be cleaned up. Tahj Brooks would be a fun pick at 193, and I would imagine that’s where his draft slot is.
Ty Robinson | DT | Nebraska
Ty Robinson is the final player I’ll be covering in this article. He is a player I would expect them to take if they fail to address defensive tackle in the first 3 rounds. Adding him in the fourth would be ideal, but grabbing him in the fifth round would be a luxury.
Robinson played in college for 6 seasons and finally broke out in his final year. He recorded 6 sacks, doubling his total from 2023. He had a 10.4% pass rush win rate, which is well above average for a defensive tackle. Robinson never faded when it came to playing real competition. He battled 4 balls in 2023 and 2024, which the Bengals know can change a game.
The Nebraska product could do a better job with his hand placement and, like most later prospects, isn’t the best athlete. He’ll turn 24 on May 3rd, and is one of the older prospects to be taken. He would compete for playing time right away and be a big rotational piece for the Bengals.
What to Look for Heading into Thursday
The Bengals need to nail all six draft selections if they want a chance at a Super Bowl in 2025. They should trade down at one of their spots to gain more picks, but it’s still possible to have an A+ draft with six selections. Adding a few of the top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals specifically would help.
I think they’ll attack defense often and early, but they need to add a guard in the first 3 rounds. Kelvin Banks and Tate Ratledge would be elite selections. Adding defense everywhere else needs to be a priority.
Let’s hope they nail the weekend and come out on top as winners. I want to see them in the postseason. Nailing this event will be the make or break to doing so. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about my top draft prospects for the Cincinnati Bengals.
