(22) Missouri at (8) Oklahoma 12:00 p.m. ET
The Cincinnati Bengals could let Trey Hendrickson walk after the season. They do still have the option to place the franchise tag on him if they cannot agree to a long term deal. If they choose to go another direction, they make look to continue adding edge rushers early in the draft. They have a type. They have been obsessed with drafting big defensive ends, regardless if they are known as explosive pass rushers. A player they would likely be high on which fits that mold is Zion Young. Young is 6’5” and 260 pounds. He has 5.5 sacks on the season.
Oklahoma’s defense is loaded with draft-eligible talent. While some of those players may decide to wait until the 2027 to declare, they have plenty of players worth watching for the Bengals. One of those players that will have a tough draft decision after the season is Kip Lewis. Lewis is a junior linebacker prospect that was a game changer in the Sooners upset of Alabama last week.
(15) USC at (7) Oregon 3:30 p.m. ET
Going back to big defensive end prospects, the Trojans have junior Anthony Lucas. He is 6’6” and 285 pounds. He has recorded the first three sacks of his career this season. If he declares, he could end up being a top 100 draft selection. Lucas has excellent size with large hands and long arms. He has a decent foundation of pass rush moves. The lack of production and need for further development should be concerning for the Bengals if he declares. He also has some injury issues throughout his time in college. Toss in the fact he needs to become a more consistent finisher in the backfield, does he sound like anyone else they recently drafted?
Oregon has a couple of interesting defensive tackle prospects in A’Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander. While Washington gets more hype for the athleticism he has at over 330 pounds and his immense potential, it is Alexander who I think is the better football player right now. Alexander has a history of transfers throughout his time in high school and college. That is concerning when considering that is something I noted for Jermaine Burton coming out. However, just based on what he is doing on the field this year, Bear Alexander looks like a top 75 prospect. He is leading the country in stop rate as a run defender, at 15.1%. In 2023 when he was with USC, he put up 32 pressures on the season. Having the ability to do both things at a high level should be highly valued in an NFL defensive tackle prospect.
(11) BYU at (NR) Cincinnati 8:00 p.m. ET
Samaje Perine is currently out injured for the Bengals at running back. Tahj Brooks has played a limited role offensively, even with Perine out last week. Could the Bengals look to add more running back depth this year at some point? If they do, they could look at another big bodied running back in LJ Martin. Martin is 6’2” and 220 pounds. He has ran for over 900 yards on the season. He has added another 145 yards receiving. He has great lower body strength, a knack for the endzone, and plays with good patience and vision.
If the Bengals continue looking to upgrade at linebacker, they may decide to stay local and draft Jake Golday. Golday already has 92 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble on the season. He can rush the passer, drop in coverage, and possesses good sideline-to-sideline range from the linebacker position.
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