This could be a very solid draft for the Bengals.
The NFL Draft is less than a week away, and there are many names being mentioned as possible targets for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Recently, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, author of the annually famous “The Beast” Draft Guide, did his seven-round Mock Draft. Let’s look and see who he thinks the Bengals could select with each of their six draft picks this year.
Round 1, Pick 17: Derrick Harmon – Defensive Tackle, Oregon
Harmon shined in his lone season with the Oregon Ducks in 2024. In 14 games and starts, Harmon garnered Third-Team All-Big Ten honors after recording five sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. The Detroit native also had 45 total tackles in 2024, leading a Ducks defense that rolled to a Conference Championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff in their first season in the Big Ten.
Being from Detroit stands out here. Harmon is a Midwestern guy, which shows in his durability. Harmon didn’t miss a game over his last three seasons in College. He also led all FBS interior linemen in pressures, which the Bengals desperately need an infusion of along their interior defensive line.
Brugler writes on Harmon: “The Bengals have several needs on defense. Above all, though, they need an impact guy — and Harmon fits the bill. No other interior defensive lineman was more disruptive in the FBS last season, against both run and pass. It’s hard to go wrong drafting guys who hate to be blocked, and that sums up Harmon.”
One other thing on Harmon, as Brugler wrote in “The Beast,” is that “even the smallest improvements in his backfield finishing ability would have resulted in double-digit sacks last season.”
Harmon will team with B.J. Hill, T.J. Slayton and second-year players in Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinley Jackson to hopefully improve the Bengals interior defensive line.
Round 2, Pick 49: Landon Jackson – Edge Rusher, Arkansas
Jackson led Arkansas in sacks and tackles for loss in each of the last two seasons, and he also started every game he played in (24) over the last two seasons. In 2023, Jackson was named First-Team All-SEC.
The Bengals need edge rushing help, regardless of how the ongoing situation with Trey Hendrickson ends up playing out. This is the AFC North, a division known for its edge rushers. Cincinnati can never have too many options at that position, even if it provides competition for Myles Murphy.
On Jackson, Brugler writes in “The Beast:” “Overall, Jackson has a different type of pass-rushing skill set because he isn’t a super-fluid athlete, but his raw power, strength in his hands and consistent effort make him effective. He should be expected to compete for starter-level snaps as a rookie.”
Round 3, Pick 81: Miles Frazier – Offensive Guard, LSU
This is what Brugler says about Frazier in his seven-round Mock Schedule, which should excite Bengals fans: “The Bengals can find a starter-quality guard on Day 2 of this year’s draft. Although not a top-tier athlete, Frazier plays with mauling strength and the competitive finish that fits what the Bengals like at the position.”
A former Freshman All-American at Florida International, Frazier started 39 out of 40 games he played in at LSU over the last three seasons.
In his Strengths, Brugler lists the following:
- Passes eye test with wide, filled-out frame and functional length
- Mean play personality (Arkansas defensive lineman Eric Gregory: “He had an extra edge. You could see he was different.”)
Those are two strengths Bengals fans should be salivating over. The Bengals need to find two guards who can start on the offensive line. Drafting Frazier in the third round could be a good place to start.
Round 4, Pick 119: Trevor Etienne – Running Back, Georgia
Interesting selection here. The younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, Trevor would come in and look to pair with Chase Brown to give the Bengals a formidable one-two punch at running back.
Etienne was Third-Team All-SEC in 2024, and he only had 371 carries in his college career. He’s fresh coming into the NFL, and that’s key here. One of those carries was the game-winning touchdown for Georgia in the SEC Championship in 2024, a win that gave the Bulldogs the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Brugler writes in “The Beast” that Etienne “doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses that would keep him from seeing steady NFL snaps. His promise as a pass catcher and blocker gives him value on all three downs.”
Round 5, Pick 153: Barrett Carter – Linebacker, Clemson
A seasoned veteran at linebacker with three years of starting experience at Clemson, Carter was a Third-Team All-American this past season with 3.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. He was a key part of Clemson’s defense that led the Tigers to the ACC Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Carter averaged 59.4 snaps per game over the past three seasons, which shows he’s durable.
The Bengals could use some linebacker depth, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Germaine Pratt, and Carter would give them that. After Logan Wilson, the Bengals talent at linebacker has a significant dropoff. Carter can help build depth that Akeem Davis-Gaither, who left for Arizona in free agency, gave the Bengals linebacker room the last five seasons.
Round 6, Pick 193: Sebastian Castro – Safety, Iowa
Castro brings six seasons of playing experience to the NFL Draft, and all six of them came at Iowa.
A Third-Team All-American in 2023 with 11 passes defended and three interceptions, Castro started 25 games over the last two seasons.
For what it’s worth, current Bengals safety Geno Stone also played at Iowa.
Brugler calls Castro an “instinctive zone defender.”
