The Cincinnati Bengals have gone to work this offseason ensuring that the big names on the roster remain with the team. That's all fine and dandy for the offensive side of the ball but it means that the defensive side is going to have to work even harder to find talent.
While Trey Hendrickson very well could end up remaining in Cincinnati despite a trade request, the fact of the matter is that the Bengals need help on defense. The unit started to turn things around late last season but the team's sluggish start did them in once again, as, despite a strong finish, the Bengals missed the postseason for the second consecutive year.
They say defense wins championships and for that to be what happens in Cincinnati, the Bengals have to absolutely nail this draft. It's not a surprise that every mock draft included for this roundup has the team going with a defensive prospect and two of them have Cincy targeting an EDGE rusher.
Bengals targeting defensive players in NFL mock draft roundup should surprise absolutely no one
Mike Tannebaum, ESPN: James Pearce Jr., EDGE (Tennessee)
This pick would be... interesting. It's not that Pearce lacks talent; he had 7.5 sacks last season for the Volunteers and hit the double-digit sack mark in 2023. Some might see that and think he could make sense in Cincinnati but recently, its been reported that Pearce could fall out of the first round due to "character concerns".
That being said, the talent is there with Pearce. Maybe the Bengals don't need to spend a first-rounder on him and try to nab him in the second round if he drops that far but if this was the pick, it'd have some fans excited and others feeling a bit skeptical.
Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Shemar Stewart, EDGE (Texas A&M)
Bengals fans have grown accustomed to Stewart getting mocked to the Bengals. After all, he's an EDGE rusher and they need help in that department, especially with the Hendrickson rumors and Sam Hubbard calling it a career. Brooks noted that Stewart "is far from a finished product" and that is a bit worrisome.
They took Myles Murphy in the first round two years ago and he had similar comments directed at him coming out of college. Murphy, as we know, has not amounted to much since entering the NFL so taking Stewart might give fans some deja vu.
Daniel Flick, Sports Illustrated: Will Johnson, CB (Michigan)
The Bengals could use help pretty much everywhere on the defensive side of the ball so if Will Johnson slipped to them at 17, selecting the Michigan product would make sense. As Flick noted in his write-up, Johnson was considered a top 10 prospect but has dipped lately due to injury issues in 2024. He also says that Johnson would "immediately improve Cincinnati’s secondary", which is true.
The Bengals have had issues with their secondary in recent years but Johnson would be a promising addition. The worry would be health concerns, however, but otherwise, he'd be a solid pick in the middle of the first round assuming he drops that far.