Daniel Jeremiah has quality safety options for Bengals in middle rounds

We were privileged to join NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah on a recent media conference call. In it, he laid out some mid-round defensive back options for the Bengals.

Signs of decline on the defensive side of the ball for the Bengals have been noticeable over the past two seasons. A debilitating combination of aging players, free agency attrition, and a lack of immediate development from high draft picks has caused the Cincinnati Bengals to take steps backward as a team.

While the defensive line is the primary focus this offseason, the back end of the secondary may also come under scrutiny. There are high-end athletes in the safety group, but some young players with solid metrics haven’t yet proven to be reliable. Among the young crop, third-year safety Jordan Battle appears to have a decent grasp on things and should be a starter.

Meanwhile, Geno Stone was a liability for much of last season after being signed to solidify the group in free agency. He picked things up toward the tail end of the year, racking up three of his four 2024 interceptions in the final five weeks of the season.

Stone remains a big question mark in the group, especially as he was signed under Lou Anarumo, and a new defensive coordinator is now in place. Did Stone find his rhythm late in the year and will he carry that momentum forward, or might he be relegated to a rotational role in 2025?

Whatever the case may be, we asked NFL Draft guru Daniel Jeremiah about some mid-round safeties in this year’s class who could be fits for Cincinnati’s defense. On the media call, he offered a few Day 2 and Day 3 options who could provide competition.

“Yeah, to me it’s all a defensive draft (for Cincinnati). You have to go on that side of the ball—heavy, heavy, heavy. I would be shocked if they don’t do that,” Jeremiah began.

“In terms of safeties on Day 2, a couple of interesting guys,” Jeremiah continued. “Kevin Winston from Penn State, I like. I think there’s value because he missed time, only playing two games this year, but you get a nice package of height, weight, speed. He’s aggressive. He’s good versus the run. You go back to the ‘23 tape—there’s a lot to like about him. That would be one.”

Winston is a willing tackler, as evidenced by his 61 total tackles in 2023. He also notched an interception, five passes defended, and a fumble recovery that year.

However, he missed significant time this past season, totaling just 13 tackles and a forced fumble in 2024. Even so, Winston remains an intriguing prospect with a team captain background and a well-built 6’1 ½”, 215-pound frame. His season-ending injury in 2024 prevented him from fully testing during the pre-draft process.

“(Another) one of my personal favorites is—I have him kind of in that third-round range,” Jeremiah continued. “Maybe teams have him more in that four or five range. I’m a Craig Woodson guy from Cal. I love him. I think he’s a Day 1 starter.”

Woodson is another interesting prospect who hasn’t been talked about much. He’s older as a redshirt senior but notched five interceptions over the last three years and averaged 75.3 tackles since 2022. To boot, he also had 16 passes defended in that time—including nine last year alone.

“He’s 6-foot, 200 pounds, ran 4.45,” Jeremiah added. “He’s smart, a great leader. He’s a little older. He’s played a ton of football, though. Smooth mover. He’s an excellent tackler. He gets his hands on the football. Cal has also been a sneaky safety factory. That’s one that I kind of like down a little bit below that tier.”

He tested relatively well, per RAS metrics, posting great explosion and speed grades.

Another predictable name Jeremiah briefly mentioned in response to my question was Texas safety Andrew Mukuba. The former Longhorn had five picks and 69 total tackles last year after transferring from Clemson.

“Then Mukuba from Texas is another good one who takes the ball away,” Jeremiah concluded. “Not the biggest guy in the world, but really, really good ball skills and takes it away.”

While Nick Emmanwori, Malaki Starks, and Xavier Watts are quality early-round options, it appears that Cincinnati still has some solid choices at the position on Days 2 and 3.

Our thanks to the NFL, as well as to Daniel Jeremiah and Andrew Howard, for the opportunity to be on the call. Be sure to keep it glued to Cincy Jungle, The Orange and Black Insider Bengals podcast, and the BLEAV in Cincy podcast channel, as we’ll be in Green Bay covering the draft next week!