The Bengals badly need help on defense. Would this be the pick to make?
A big part of why the Cincinnati Bengals are watching the NFL Playoffs from home this year is their defense. Cincinnati fielded one of the worst defensive units in the NFL this season, and even a five-game winning streak to close the season couldn’t overcome the early season struggles.
Trey Hendrickson was the bright spot of the defense, leading the NFL in sacks with 17.5 in 2024. Outside of Hendrickson, though, the Bengals struggled to get any consistent pass rush from the rest of their defensive ends.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has a potential solution to that in his latest NFL mock draft.
Brugler has the Bengals selecting Georgia Bulldogs pass rusher Mykel Williams with their 17th overall pick.
“Last year, the Bengals drafted a toolsy offensive lineman from Georgia in the first round (Amarius Mims),” Brugler wrote. “They flip to the other side of the ball and do it again in this mock. Williams looked like a future top-10 pick as a freshman, but he didn’t quite reach dominant status over his three seasons in Athens. The talent, however, is there for him to grow into a game-wrecker off the edge.”
A project at pass rusher may not be what Bengals fans want to hear as they still wait to see returns on the Bengals’ investment into former first-rounder Myles Murphy, but Williams does have plenty of potential.
With the right defensive coordinator hire, selecting Williams could be the boost the Bengals’ pass rush needs. Of course, they still need to figure out Hendrickson’s contract.
