The Bengals need to select well in the 2025 NFL Draft, which will take place in Green Bay. A three-round mock draft for the orange and black is shown below in version 2.0.
The Cincinnati Bengals will look to add players who can help them win games in the tough AFC North to their roster in the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. To contend for a divisional title, the squad has to strengthen a number of positions.
The top priority is to improve the defense by adding impact players, with an emphasis on the defensive line. The men in stripes must put greater pressure on the opposition quarterbacks up the middle from the interior defensive line and from EDGE rushers.
Throughout the season, the linebacker corps and secondary also struggled with poor communication. Last but not least, the never-ending effort to sufficiently safeguard franchise quarterback Joe Burrow is still ongoing.
Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims make good bookends, but the interior needs improvement, just like the defense. In the early rounds, it is important to give careful thought to selecting athletic guards with good spatial awareness. After this, let’s examine our second iteration of the Bengals mock draft, which consists of three rounds.
Round One (Pick 17) of the Cincinnati Bengals Three-Round Mock Draft 2.0: S | Malaki Starks / Georgia
In this year’s draft, don’t be shocked if the Bengals seriously contemplate selecting a safety at pick 17. In this case, they receive Malaki Starks, one of the top students in the class, from the University of Georgia. The NFL can never have enough defensive backs, and his status is rising quickly. Starks is an excellent athlete who might be added to the starting lineup right away. Cincinnati has been trying to replace this position successfully since Jessie Bates left after the 2022 season.
As a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, Starks is accustomed to playing in high-stakes games in important situations. At 6’1″ and 197 pounds, he is an excellent size for safety. During his time in Athens, he received numerous awards, including the 2024 AFCA, FWWA All-America First Team, 2024 AP, The Athletic, ESPN, CBS, USA Today, and Walter Camp. Consensus All-America First Team, 2022; All-America Second Team, 2023 With six interceptions, six TFLs, and 127 solo tackles at the end of his season, the athletic freshman was named to the All-America First Team.
Starks is incredibly intelligent when it comes to football and wins in a variety of ways. His physicality and reflexes make him a flexible player who can play in the box when necessary, and his speed and recovery abilities are excellent.
EDGE | Landon Jackson/ Arkansas, Round Two (Pick 49)
Like Starks, Landon Jackson of Arkansas is a promising prospect whose stock has increased since the combine. Jackson would help balance a thin rotation and satisfy another need for the Bengals at EDGE rusher.
Jackson is 6’6″, 264 pounds, and 33 1/4″ in arm length, making him the quintessential rusher. Although his unique style can worry some teams, his strength and relentless drive make him too brilliant to ignore. As the draft draws near, Jackson is improving and might become a formidable opponent as he obtains more experience playing against NFL-caliber players.
DT | T.J. Sanders/South Carolina Round Three (Pick 81)
Cincinnati continues their defense-focused draft theme at pick 81 with South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders. Sanders’ lower half is strong and flexible, and he possesses a great first step off the line of scrimmage. He also plays with powerful hands and uses a variety of rush sets. Sanders would fit in well in the extremely competitive AFC North, so the Bengals would be overjoyed to acquire him in the third round.
