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Cincinnati Bengals NFL Draft picks 2025: Full list of team's round-by-round selections

Jack McKessy   Paste BN
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The Cincinnati Bengals locked down their "big three" for the next few years, but there is plenty of room for improvement across the rest of the roster.

Cincinnati's decision to spend an average of $124 million per year to pay quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins means the team will need to focus heavily on the draft to build up the defensive side of the ball. A decision on how to handle a disgruntled Trey Hendrickson also looms in the near future.

Here's everything to know about the Bengals' draft outlook ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft:

OPINION: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow got exactly what he wanted. Good luck with that.

Bengals 2025 NFL Draft picks

The Bengals have six picks in the 2025 NFL draft. Here's the complete list:

  • Round 1 – No. 17 overall: Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
    • Analysis from Paste BN Sports' Nate Davis: His talent suggests top-five pick, particularly after he tested just about off the charts at the combine – 4.59 40-yard dash and 40-inch vertical leap at 6-5, 267 pounds. His production (4½ sacks total in three seasons with the Aggies) suggests Day 3 pick. But dig a bit deeper and you’ll find Stewart had 33 hurries in 2024 and was a hellacious run defender. This team might not only lose DE Trey Hendrickson to a contract impasse – probably not at this point since he's still on the roster – but it's already taken a hit at the position following Sam Hubbard’s retirement.
  • Round 2 – No. 49 overall: Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina
    • Paste BN Sports' Nate Davis: A defense in drastic need of improvement targets perhaps its most stable area, Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson seemingly entrenched at off-ball linebacker ... though Pratt asked for a trade in February. Knight played one season for the Gamecocks and made 82 tackles. He moves well (4.58 40) and could certainly displace Pratt.
  • Round 3 – No. 81 overall: Dylan Fairchild, IOL, Georgia

It makes too much sense to continue investing in the protection of QB Joe Burrow, who’s suffered nearly three sacks per game over the course of his NFL career. Pass blocking is Fairchild's forte. – Nate Davis, Paste BN Sports

  • Round 4 – No. 119 overall: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
  • Round 5 – No. 153 overall: Jalen Rivers, OL, Miami (FL)
  • Round 6 – No. 193 overall: Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech

JA'MARR CHASE: Bengals WR becomes highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL

Bengals 2025 NFL Draft needs

Defensive line

Will Hendrickson play for the Bengals in 2025? If not, the defense in huge trouble. Even if he does stick around, Cincinnati doesn't have the pieces across the remainder of its defensive line to complement their leading pass-rusher.

Linebacker

The Bengals were one of the worst run-stopping games in the NFL last year. Outside of poor play on the defensive line, Cincinnati was missing a difference-maker on the second level.

Offensive line

Alex Cappa is gone. Cordell Volson hit the bench late last season in favor of Cody Ford. If the Bengals want Joe Burrow to stay upright and on the field for a bulk of the remainder of his massive contract extension, they need to improve the interior of their offensive line in the draft.

Bengals 2025 NFL mock draft

Here's what the Bengals could do come draft night, according to Paste BN Sports' Ayrton Ostly:

  • Round 1 – No. 17: Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
    • Cincinnati's defense needs help at all levels. Pearce Jr.'s elite burst off the edge, length and college productivity make him a worthwhile choice here. The Bengals can afford to shore up the secondary later on in the draft. 
  • Round 2 – No. 49: S Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
    • New Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden comes from Notre Dame and is very familiar with Watts' abilities on the back end. Watts' background as a wide receiver shows up on tape as a ballhawking presence who rarely gets flagged.
  • Round 3 – No. 81: OL Emery Jones Jr., LSU
  • Round 4 – No. 119: DT J.J. Pegues, Ole Miss
  • Round 5 – No. 153: CB Brandon Adams, UCF
  • Round 6 – No. 193: OT Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M

2025 NFL Draft: Every team's picks

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