Bengals seal Trey Hendrickson's fate in stunning draft trade proposal

In a long line of big-time offseason stories for the Cincinnati Bengals, one still remains unfinished.

At one point, this offseason, star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson requested a trade out of Cincinnati. Still a Bengal, but not necessarily thrilled about it, there is no doubt a trade is within the realm of possibilities.

Now, with the 2025 NFL Draft set to open, the Bengals may have a decision to make in the first round. There is likely going to be a few pass rushers taken on Day 1, and the Bengals are well-positioned to snag one of them.

Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame recently put together a full first-round prediction column and included a Bengals trade-up situation that does, in fact, net them a pass rusher. If this came to fruition, it would make too much sense for the Bengals to then ship Hendrickson off to the highest bidder.

Proposed draft day trade to ultimately spell the end of Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati

In this deal, the Bengals move up two spots with the Atlanta Falcons by sending them a fourth rounder along with no. 17 overall. They do get a chance for another swing of the bat later on by recouping a pick, albeit in the seventh round.

With this no. 15 overall pick, the Bengals select Texas A&M pass rusher Shemar Stewart.

"Stewart might be the ultimate boom-or-bust prospect in the first round. He ran a 4.59 40-yard-dash at 267 pounds. Still, he wasn’t particularly dominant with the Aggies, totaling 1.5 sacks in each of his three seasons at College Station.

"That said, if he hits his ceiling, he could be a steal for Cincinnati," Verderame finished.

As Verderame notes, Stewart is one of the most polarizing prospects in this draft. Some experts are extremely high on the Aggie pass rusher, while others point to his significant lack of production in college and wonder whether or not he'll pan out.

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The physical giftings are there with Stewart, though, which makes him as tantalizing a prospect as any. At 6-foot-5, Stewart ran a 4.59 in his 40-yard dash at the Combine to go along with a 1.58 second 10-yard split.

For someone that size, those numbers are about as good as you can get. Oh, but he did add in a 40-inch vertical and 10'11'' broad jump for good measure.

In short, Stewart is one of the most impressive athletes in this draft.

But again, does that athleticism automatically translate? In this scenario, the Bengals certainly think so, because moving up for a first-round pass rusher has to lead to the impending Hendrickson trade. In the end, Stewart is the guy Cincy is going all-in on.

Meanwhile, Hendrickson will get a new start elsewhere.