Cincy Jungle
New season comes a new team, a rejuvenated team.
The 2024 season obviously didn’t end as the city had hoped. Now it’s time to turn the page and prepare for the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals season.
This team has already broken through barriers they normally don’t break through. This team has a history of a lack of change. This offseason has been different.
Within hours of this season being over, the Bengals essentially cleaned house on the defensive side of the ball, plus some.
It also didn’t take long for them to hire replacements, most of which had some sort of connection to the team, namely new defensive coordinator Al Golden, who was previously with the Bengals from 2020-21. He was with the team during the Super Bowl run and helped bring linebacker Logan Wilson to the Queen City.
Golden’s most recent stint was as the defensive coordinator for Notre Dame, who made it to the National Championship, ultimately falling short to The Ohio State Buckeyes.
The NFL draft is right around the corner, and this will be a major draft for the Bengals. Their defense, or lack thereof, was nonexistent and one of the biggest flops in team history. They need a lot of help, which, hopefully, Golden is going to bring once again. But defense isn’t the only spot they need help.
Coming into the season, many wondered how Joe Burrow would perform after season-ending wrist surgery, and it was exactly how you would expect. He was arguably the best quarterback in the NFL while leading the league in several passing categories. He’s now in contention for three major awards, including MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year, the latter of which he’s already won once.
With that being said, here’s my first mock draft.
Round 1 (17) - Jack Sawyer, edge, Ohio State
Despite leading the league in sacks, Trey Hendrickson is the only threat the Bengals have to attack the quarterback. He can’t continue to do it by himself. The Bengals have to find another serious pass rusher who can cause major disruption, and that is Jack Sawyer, a pass-rusher out of Ohio State. He was a major asset for the Buckeyes’ defense, highlighted by a strip sack he returned for a touchdown vs. Texas in the College Football Playoff.
Round 2 (49) - JT Tuimoloau, edge, Ohio State
A lot of people (non-Buckeye fans) may not be a fan of this pick, but JTT was just as explosive, if not more, than Sawyer. If the Bengals can snag back-to-back impact edge players, it would a game-changer. It was also feed right into Al Golden’s plan to be aggressive.
Round 3 (81) - Charles Grant, offensive tackle, William & Mary
As much as the Bengals need help on offense, they still have to continue to give Burrow protection, and that’s what Grant will give you. Coming out of William and Mary, Grant only allowed two sacks and...
