SB Nation NFL mock draft: With offense in fine condition, Bengals beef up line of defense at No. 17

The Bengals dominated the NFL headlines for a portion of this offseason by handing out several boatloads of cash to their wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They’re retaining the band collectively round quarterback Joe Burrow and I gotta say, I respect this. Cincinnati is aware of who they’re and never many groups would put this many eggs right into a singular positional basket.

However right here we’re.

Now, the Bengals should discover a approach to get their protection to play at a a lot larger degree on a constant foundation to match their high-flying offense. Cincy Jungle’s Anthony Cosenza understands this, which is why with the seventeenth choose within the SB Nation Group Mock Draft, he’s beefing up the defensive entrance and deciding on Oregon defensive sort out Derrick Harmon.

17.) Cincinnati Bengals: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

Cosenza: The Cincinnati Bengals head into the 2025 season as a crew with an odd dichotomy. They possess a few of the league’s greatest stars on the roster, but nonetheless have some evident weaknesses at apparent areas. Anybody who watched the crew the previous couple of years has noticed the protection all of the sudden change into abysmal, so it’s as much as new defensive coordinator, Al Golden, to revive the unit. With a free company interval centered round extending its inside core offensive gamers, Cincinnati will seemingly give Golden the chance to draft and develop expertise with most of their six picks. With Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, Jihaad Campbell, Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant and Mike Inexperienced all off of the board right here, Harmon makes a ton of sense. A significant a part of the latest defensive points has been a scarcity of a move rush by folks not named Trey Hendrickson, and Cincinnati has been clamoring for a dominant inside presence for the reason that prime Geno Atkins days. Harmon brings loads to the desk and his being surrounded by Hendrickson, 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy, 2024 second-rounder Kris Jenkins, Jr., stable veteran B.J. Hill and the enigmatic Joseph Ossai ought to make the Bengals far more numerous and succesful up entrance.

Evaluation: Harmon simply could be would possibly favourite defensive sort out on this class. He doesn’t have a refined move rush package however he positive does discover a approach to bully previous blockers to wreak havoc within the backfield. He performs with excessive power and it’s straightforward to see him becoming in on any line of defense within the NFL. If the Bengals discover a approach to deliver again Trey Hendrickson — and perhaps that is the transfer that helps make that occur — I’d like them to have one of many higher younger, up-and-coming move rushes within the NFL.

Prime 5 remaining gamers:

1. Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
2. Malaki Starks, S Georgia
3. James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
4. Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
5. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston School

Harmon comes off the board however he was already outdoors our high 5 remaining so we head into the following choose with none change on the high. The Seahawks are up subsequent and with new quarterback Sam Darnold main the way in which, might we see Seattle make a transfer for one of many draft’s remaining playmakers?