The Cleveland Browns continue to be one of the biggest stories around the league because of their fifth-round draft pick, Shedeur Sanders. If he becomes Cleveland's starting quarterback, he will be one of the biggest draft steals in recent history. However, the Cincinnati Bengals boast a few "steals" on their roster as well.
While Cincinnati's 2025 draft class is universally panned, there are picks from previous drafts that the rest of the league whiffed on, to Cincinnati's benefit.
Here are just four Bengals players who now wear stripes, thanks mainly to the rest of the league’s inconsistencies in finding talent in the draft. Three on this list have already paid dividends, while the other awaits his turn in the background.
Ja'Marr Chase (2021 - 1st round, 5th overall)
Thank you, Atlanta Falcons!
If calling Ja’Marr Chase a draft steal as a 5th overall pick sounds absurd, it is. The fact is that there is no circumstance under which Chase should be a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the best example of why some “steals” in the draft are merely the result of teams drafting poorly.
Before Chase fell to Cincinnati at five, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Kyle Pitts were selected, respectively. While the first three are understandable because of position, you can be sure that the Jets, 49ers, and probably even the Jaguars would all trade their selections for Chase. Meanwhile, Atlanta's choice of Pitts over Chase was franchise-changing for both teams.
Bengals fans can only hope that the Falcons didn’t get a measure of revenge when they swooped in to draft Jalon Walker two spots ahead of Cincinnati’s selection of Shemar Stewart.
Chase made an immediate impact with the Bengals and on the NFL, having the best or second-best rookie season for a receiver in NFL history. The only other player on that list is Randy Moss, per ESPN.
Now, Chase is on his second contract, while questions linger on whether Pitts will receive an extension from the Falcons or not.
If it were not for the other teams foolishly passing on Chase, he would not be in stripes. So thank you, Jacksonville, New York, San Francisco, and above all, Atlanta.
2. Chase Brown (2023 - 5th round, 163rd overall)
There were not 162 players better than Chase Brown in his class. Ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, we identified Brown as the best fit at running back for the Bengals. Thank goodness he fell to them in the fifth round. Once again, the Bengals were the beneficiaries of bad drafting, even their own.
One unnamed person, who may or may not be the author of what you’re reading, spoke into a microphone and declared Brown was a better option for the Bengals than Bijan Robinson ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Robinson has been great for the Falcons. But he was a running back taken in the first round. Brown was a fifth-round selection, which speaks to the value of the player in terms of draft picks. Furthermore, with Joe Burrow throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Cincinnati’s offense is less dependent on Brown than Atlanta’s is on Robinson.
Thanks to Brown, Cincinnati moved away from Joe Mixon and hasn’t missed a beat. The former Fighting Illini running back has been everything we’ve expected and wanted from him while in stripes. With an added year of experience and what we hope to be much improved offensive line play, we should expect even better from the now-star running back.
Nevertheless, in 2025, Brown remains one of the most underrated players in the NFL. However, expect him to become more of a household name thanks to his production on the field and his contribution to fantasy football players.
3. Evan McPherson (2021 - 5th round, 149th overall)
Kickers deserve love, too.
Between the first and fifth rounds of the 2021 NFL draft, the Bengals did not have much success. Jackson Carman, Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample, Tyler Shelvin, and D’Ante Smith all went off the board before the Bengals selected kicker Evan McPherson 149th overall in the fifth round.
McPherson played a crucial and unforgettable role in the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl and the second consecutive AFC Championship game in 2021 and 2022.
Things have not been the same for “Money Mac” since that incredible run. The league average field goal percentage last season was 84%. McPherson’s average was 72.7, which ranks 31st out of 36 eligible kickers.
Nevertheless, the league’s passing on McPherson, allowing the Bengals to draft him, was an essential step in what was the best two-year stretch for Cincinnati in decades.
Hopefully, McPherson will get his groove back and help the team to its best season ever.
4. Tanner McLachlan (2024 - 5th round, 194th overall)
Including Tanner McLachlan here may seem off, considering he did not get much playing time in the 2024 season. But it is not. The former Arizona Wildcat is just biding his time.
There is a reason that the Bengals did not subject McLachlan to the waivers in an attempt to put him on the practice squad during his rookie season.
We were very high on McLachlan coming out of Arizona in the 2024 NFL Draft. And while he got some snaps later in the season, his playing time was limited.
Cincinnati re-signed Mike Gesicki to a three-year deal this offseason. He finished third behind Tee Higgins and Chase in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in 2024. Gesicki essentially took over the role vacated by Tyler Boyd’s departure. McLachlan is not that type of player. But that does not mean he couldn’t be if needed.
McLachlan finished second in career catches and yards for a tight end for the Arizona Wildcats. First on that list is Gronk.
McLachlan is an underrated, versatile player who excels as both a receiver and a tenacious blocker, providing extra pass protection when needed. Now with a year of NFL experience, expect McLachlan to have an increased role in Cincinnati.
Incomplete narrative-based drafting gleaned from Twitter highlights is untolerated here. But if the Bengals can take advantage of teams that do so, it's good for them.
And let’s hope that they saw something in their 2025 picks that other teams overlooked while past gems continue to prove the Bengals correct.