Thoughts on Each Bengals Draft Pick

How about Shedeur Sanders?

Just kidding.  As much as I’d like to dive into what was undoubtedly the most divisive and captivating NFL Draft moment in history, that’s been the topic of conversation all weekend.  Let’s not take the low-hanging fruit this time.

Except, well, I am going to take the low-hanging fruit – just not that particular one.  The Bengals, instead, and their risky but talent-rich draft class, deserve some scrutiny.

First Round (pick #17) – Shemar Stewart, DE Texas A&M

If you were building a defensive end in a lab, he might look a lot like Shemar Stewart.  But if you had Stewart’s college production (4.5 sacks in his entire collegiate career), you’d probably expect the player to go undrafted.

Well, he didn’t go undrafted.  The Bengals made Stewart the 17th pick in the 2025 NFL draft.  It’s a big roll of the ol’ dice.  You thought one Myles Murphy was enough?  The Bengals doubled-down!

The production concerns are real.  4.5 sacks in three seasons – for a team that’s in desperate need of pass rush help opposite Trey Hendrickson – is not cutting it.  The Bengals went for the developmental option.  The luxury pick.  Instead of just redoing the fucking bathroom, they’re installing a sauna.  Great.

And yet, that is one majestic sauna.  Stewart’s athleticism is rare.  In 2024, he led the Aggies in pressures with 39, even if he wasn’t converting those pressures into sacks on a regular (make that almost never) basis.  His tackling needs work (26.9 percent missed tackle rate in college), but he sets a strong edge and is relentless in pursuit.  The deficiencies are obvious, but the potential is obvious too.

Most importantly, like the pick or not, Stewart wasn’t a reach at #17.  Dane Brugler had him at number nine in his player rankings.  The Ringer’s draft guide had him at nineteen.  The 33rd Team put him at ten.  The consensus had Stewart as about the 17th- or 18th-best prospect overall.  Sure, Mike Green or James Pearce Jr. could end up being better players, but that doesn’t mean the Bengals were crazy for going with Stewart at that particular spot.

With all of that said, this was quite a gamble.  The Bengals already have a highly-drafted, unproductive defensive end in Murphy on the roster – having two could be a serious and season-disrupting problem.  That the Bengals even entertained drafting a player like Stewart feels like a sick joke.  We could see a jokes-to-sacks ratio that reaches a humor singularity.

Traits over production will be an argument that lasts until the end of football time, but it feels like the Bengals have been burned one too many times to keep leaning so heavily toward the former.  Clearly, Duke Tobin, Zac Taylor and Co. strongly disagree.

Grade: Myles Murphy/10

Second Round (pick #49) – Demetrius Knight Jr., LB South Carolina

The first thing you should know about Demetrius Knight Jr., the Bengals second-round pick and probable new starting linebacker, is he’s already 25-years-old.  The next thing you should know is, the dude apparently spent all that time in college lifting weights and getting shredded (he was “Lifter of the Year” at Georgia Tech twice).

Knight is a classic middle linebacker: rugged, powerful, dependable.  He’s also been praised for his maturity – he was named a team captain at South Carolina despite only being at the program for one year, and he and his wife (yes, he’s already married) would drive for DoorDash to help support his family.  If it wasn’t clear already, Germaine Pratt’s time in Cincinnati is done.

One issue: this was early for Knight.  He was #83 on the consensus rankings.  He could’ve been had for a third-rounder.  You know who was sitting there at #49?  Mike Green, the Marshall defensive end who slid due to character concerns.  The Stewart pick would have been more defensible if they had supplemented the position with another talented pass rusher.  Instead, the Bengals opted to turn to a rookie to be their new starting linebacker and are hoping that the Stewart/Murphy project turns into something other than a complete waste of resources.  Oh, and that Trey Hendrickson will still play football for them in 2025.  That seems relevant.

Grade: 6.5/10 Door Dash Deliveries

Third-Round (pick #81) – Dylan Fairchild, OG Georgia

Everyone thought the Bengals were going to take Tate Ratledge, the mauling guard from Georgia, when the Bengals were on the clock with their second pick.  They went with Knight instead, and Bengals fans went into a tizzy.  Maybe the Bengals just had their sights set on a different Georgia guard all along.

Fairchild might not be the force of nature in the run game that Ratledge is, but might be a better pass protector and has a wrestling background that new offensive line coach Scott Peters loves.  Like the Shemar Stewart pick, this pick is a gamble on traits, but in the third round, it makes a lot of sense (especially at a position of need).

Grade: Please Be Clint Bowling/10

Fourth Round (pick #119) – Barrett Carter, LB Clemson

Okayyyyy…two linebackers?  I have to admit, ‘backer was definitely a problem position last year, particularly once Logan Wilson was lost for the year, but between signing Oren Burks, the (hopefully) continued development of preseason hero Maema Njongmeta, and the – oh, I don’t know – drafting of a fucking linebacker two picks earlier would have enough to address the position, but nooooooo.

It’s not that linebacker isn’t important.  But if ‘backer was in such dire straits that two picks in the top 120 had to be devoted to the position, why not just take Jihaad Campbell at #17?  It’s not like pass rushing help wasn’t available in the second-round – Mike Green wasn’t selected until pick #59 by the Ravens.  If you told Bengals fans before the draft the first two picks were going to be Campbell and Green, they’d have celebrated like the Berlin Wall fell just fell.

Instead, the Bengals defense added Stewart, Knight, and now Carter to a defense that could still use some sort of pass rush in the interior, more reliability in the secondary, and will presumably only be keeping two linebackers on the field most of the time anyway.  Is Logan Wilson’s job in jeopardy?

As for Carter the player, he didn’t test well, but he brings sideline-to-sideline range and explosive blitzing ability, a much-needed commodity for the Bengals defense.  Perhaps the Bengals plan to work him in on third downs in place of Knight, who is the more traditional, downhill run stopper.  That’s the best I’ve got.

Grade: 3/10 missed tackles by Germaine Pratt

Fifth Round (pick #153) – Jalen Rivers, OT Miami

The Bengals finally go tackle – but offensive tackle, not defensive.  Jalen Rivers is definitely another developmental player.  For a fifth-rounder with some experience (three-year starter), versatility (started at left guard and left tackle) and a massive frame (6’6”, 319 lbs.), it’s worth a shot.

Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. will be a free agent in two years, and right tackle Amarius Mims had a promising, albeit inconsistent, rookie year.  If Rivers can become a starter in two years, this pick will be genius.  At the very least, he gives the Bengals some injury insurance, and he could even potentially work into the conversation at one of the guard spots.

Grade: 4/10 (who can remember this kind of player ever working out for the Bengals?)

Sixth Round (pick #193) – Tajh Brooks, RB Texas Tech

The Bengals get their power 'back to go with Chase Brown’s speed.  They’re clearly opting for the thunder-and-lightning approach to their backfield, with a little sprinkle of Semaje Perine third-down magic to boot.  Dare I say…the Bengals backfield is looking pretty darn good.

Brooks, himself, was incredibly productive at Texas Tech, setting the school record for carries and rushing yards.  He won’t wow with his speed and wasn’t a home-run hitter in college, but he’s durable, light on his feet, and brings punch in pass protection.  Basically, he’s another Perine.  Sign me up.

Grade: Semaje Perine/10

Concluding Thoughts

The Bengals didn’t trade back, and instead held at each of their original draft positions.  In the end, they took three defensive players and three offensive players.  Addressing the lines of scrimmage (three picks devoted) was a necessity, but none of the players they took appear to be guaranteed day-one contributors.  Then, they proceeded to spend the rest of their picks on two of the most devalued positions in the NFL: linebacker and running back.  The question isn’t if this is a bad draft or not; it’s if there’s anything at all that keeps this from being an utter disaster.

Stewart is terrifying in the most familiar ways.  Knight seems fine until you consider he’s only three years younger than Germaine Pratt.  Fairchild is probably the inferior Georgia lineman.  I could go on and on.

The Bengals missed the mark with this one.  That doesn’t mean this couldn’t be a great draft class – and with Stewart’s measurables, I could definitely be the crazy one – but the odds are long.  With the Bengals’ track record, those odds might as well be like betting that Luka Doncic won’t yell at a referee.  It’s just inconceivable.