5 potential UDFAs, late-round prospects Bengals should already be circling

The Cincinnati Bengals have seven picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, it's not too early to start thinking about players who might be available at the conclusion of the three-day event.

That brings us to one of the more fun aspects of the NFL draft for those of us who live for these sorts of things: Undrafted free agents.  

With that said, here are some late-round projections that Cincinnati’s front office should be making nice with right now, laying an orange-and-black foundation for them to sign with the Bengals in the event they go undrafted.

5. DT Jacobian Guillory, LSU

LSU defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory spent a lot of time at LSU. He played six years for the Tigers.

Last season, Guillory recorded 20 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and four tackles for loss. He does not have the eye-popping stats, but that has never scared away the Bengals front office, not even in the first round.

As far as what he shows on film, he is solid enough to think he could be a factor as a 3-tech DT, depending on how the draft plays out for Cincinnati. He has the speed and agility to fly past offensive linemen while possessing the strength to push guards into opposing quarterbacks' laps.

PFF ranks Guillory 411th overall. However, he is so far down the draft boards that other sites do not list him. But that has not prevented teams like the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Commanders from conducting pre-draft visits with the former LSU Tiger.

Guillory could go off the board in rounds six or seven. Watching him against SEC opponents such as South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama, his going undrafted would be confounding, but based on his rankings, it could happen.

4. RB Dean Connors, Houston

Houston's Dean Connors is the epitome of a late-round to undrafted free agent running back who can contribute immediately. The former Cougars star can hurt defenses in every way that an offense needs from the position.

Connors is a formidable, powerful rusher when running between the tackles who is quick to lower his shoulder and deliver punishment to unsuspecting defenders. Yet, he plays with enough speed that he can reach the edge quickly and outrun defenders.

Furthermore, Connors is a reliable pass catcher and capable pass blocker when called upon. More importantly for most coaching staffs, Connors never fumbled during his four-year career at Houston.

Specifically for the Bengals, Connors worked in a two-back system, and if he were to come to Cincinnati, sharing the work is something that he is already accustomed to, as he did so much of that at Houston.

Even while sharing the backfield last season, Connors carried the ball 200 times for 977 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

Connors can also be a near prolific pass catcher for a running back, as we saw in 2024 when he caught 62 passes for 485 yards.

3. WR Barion Brown, LSU 

Former LSU wideout Barion Brown is the personification of a do-it-all receiver. 

There is nothing on the route tree that he can’t run and be productive at. For one game, LSU would use him closer to the line of scrimmage on hitches, screens, and jet sweeps. In another game, he was the primary deep threat, torching defensive backs. And throughout the season, he showed that he can execute everything in between. 

At first glance, he would be an excellent replacement in the Jermaine Burton role. But upon further review, he can truly do it all. 

Brown is an excellent hand catcher who can run past defenders and make contested catches that will remind you of Tee Higgins. And not to put too much pressure on him, but there are hints of Chad Johnson in his game. 

Brown’s playing speed is incredible. So much so that when he only ran a 4.4 40 at the combine, it was a disappointment. However, we know his game speed is not an illusion, as he recorded the fastest max speed in the 2023 college season while still at Kentucky. 

Brown is also an excellent returner. During his college career, he averaged 29.4 yards per kick return, including six touchdowns, one of which came last season.

Currently, he ranks 376th (PFF), 244th (NFL.com), 254th (NFL Draft Buzz), and 280th (Mock Draft Database) across various draft outlets.

2. DE Aidan Hubbard, Northwestern 

The Bengals head coach might already be very familiar with the former Wildcat defensive end, as he put on a show against Taylor's alma mater, Nebraska. In that matchup, Hubbard registered five tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss.

Inexplicably, Pro Football Focus considers Hubbard's performance against the Cornhuskers the worst of his final season. If that's the case, there is no instance in which Hubbard should go undrafted.

Hubbard's best performance came in a ball game against Central Michigan, where he recorded three sacks, three tackles, and three tackles for loss. He finished his final collegiate season with 7.5 sacks, 28 tackles, and 10 tackles for loss. 

However, PFF ranks Hubbard 331 overall. NFL Draft Buzz has him at 373, while Mock Draft Database has him at 382. His highest ranking across various draft sites comes from NFL.com, which lists him at 218, still making him a seventh-round pick.

Also, his last name is Hubbard, so there’s that. But no, he is not related Sam.

1. DE Michael Heldman, Central Michigan

Hubbard’s Shrine Bowl teammate, Central Michigan’s Michael Heldman, is another name that the Cincinnati Bengals should already be on the phone with.

Heldman had the second-highest true pass rush win rate among this year's class, beating out highly touted edge rushers such as David, Bailey, and Akheem Mesidor.

Heldman is the perfect replacement for Trey Hendrickson. He would also take away any need to trade for Maxx Crosby. That is, if you are a true believer in true pass rush win rates and relative athletic scores. 

After scouting Heldeman for ourselves, having him on this list of UDRFAs seems like a bit of a reach.

In his final year at Central Michigan, Heldman recorded 48 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, four passes defended, and two forced fumbles.

The more we look into him, the more we realize he will not go undrafted, putting him in the conversation for the Bengals as a Day 3 selection. 

PFF ranks Heldman 264th, which places him just outside of the draft. Mock Draft Database has him at a disrespectful 380th overall.  

Not only should the Bengals be on the phone with him right now, but they should also go into the draft with the intention of drafting him on day three, no matter how the first two days of the draft turn out.

Serious value to be had late in draft for Bengals

For their sakes, each of the players above will hear their names called during the draft. And we shouldn't be surprised to see a couple of these names come off the board late in the draft and not even hit free agency.

Nevertheless, given where various draft sites have them ranked, the Bengals are hopefully already on the phone with the five extremely underrated players based on the experts' projections.

Drafted or undrafted, we should hope that a couple of these players make their way into stripes come April.