The 2025 NFL Draft is just 24 days away and the Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of needs they hope to address.
Cincinnati has six picks in this year's draft, including the 17th overall selection. This is our first of multiple mocks we'll do between now and the draft.
In this mock, the Bengals address key needs and the draft board falls their way on day two and certainly day three of the draft.
Check out our mock draft 1.0 below:
First Round, No. 17 Overall: Walter Nolen, Defensive Tackle, Ole Miss
The Bengals' pass rush needs a boost and Nolen is one of the cleanest prospects that Cincinnati could hope to get at pick 17. There is going to be plenty of talk about a trade down, but the whole league wants to trade down early in this year's draft.
Odds are the Bengals stick and pick. Nolen will give the Bengals a quality interior rusher that is already good against the run and should be able to give them some real juice right away as a rookie.
Nolen is an explosive player that should be an instant contributor for new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Second Round, No. 49 Overall: Tyler Booker, Guard, Alabama
This is where the board breaks the Bengals' way. Booker is a first round player in a lot of rankings, but he had a horrible pre-draft process. He tested like a 36th percentile athlete among guards.
That doesn't mean everything, but it certainly matters, especially with other quality guard options available on day one or early day two of the draft.
The pre-draft process causes Booker to fall right into the Bengals' laps at pick No. 49. He may be a risk in the first round, but the should be a plug-and-play starter for Cincinnati. He'll give their run blocking a big boost and even though he isn't the best athlete, he's refined enough to be part of the solution in the Bengals' offensive line room.
Third Round, No. 81 Overall: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
This would be such a great fit for a Bengals' defense that desperately needs to be better on the back end. Mukkuba has great instincts as a deep safety, knows how to read quarterbacks and is comfortable adjusting on the fly in coverage. He also has experience at nickel.
Bringing him in would help shore up any coverage issues on the back end and while his slender frame is a question (5-11, 186), his ball skills, ability to read opposing offenses and playmaking ability is among the best in this year's draft class.
Mukkuba would be worth considering in round two, but he's an ideal fit in the third round. Kevin Winston Jr. is another safety that the Bengals could target at this spot, but it's reasonable to think he'll be off the board by the time Cincinnati is on the clock.
For more on what Mukkuba could bring to the Bengals, check out our film breakdown here.
Fourth Round, No. 119 Overall: Ashton Gillotte, DE, Louisville
Gillotte is a perfect fit for the Bengals. He's projected to go a bit earlier than this, but it wouldn't be shocking to see him fall to the middle of the fourth round.
Gillotte has played in 51 career games, racking up 131 tackles (41 for loss) and 26.5 sacks in the process. He has good size, brings some juice as a pass rusher and holds up well against the run.
Don't be shocked if the Bengals take him at pick No. 81. He'd be a great fit on the Bengals' defense and would contribute right away.
He's also the opposite of Booker from a pre-draft testing standpoint. He tested like an elite athlete, which will certainly help his case of going on day two of the draft.
Fifth Round, No. 153 Overall: Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
Blue would be such a dream pick for the Bengals in the fifth round. Cincinnati needs another running back and this year's class has quality players throughout the draft.
Blue would give the Bengals another explosive running back to go alongside Chase Brown. He ran a 4.25 40-yard dash at his pro day. He's a weapon on the ground and through the air. Blue finished with 730 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season. He also had 42 receptions for 368 yards and six touchdowns.
He isn't perfect and teams could be scared away by his fumble rate, but adding a playmaker of his caliber at this stage of the draft would be an absolute steal for the Bengals.
Don't be shocked if they consider taking him at pick 119. Round five would be the sweet spot, but his ability to threaten defenses as a runner and receiver could tempt the Bengals to take him earlier.
Sixth Round, No. 193 Overall: Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa
Higgins racked up 163 tackles for the Hawkeyes in 27 games over the past two seasons. He had four interceptions last year and could help shore up a linebacker unit that is going to look a lot different.
Higgins is experienced and should contribute right away on special teams for Darrin Simmons' unit.
